Past Meeting

At our public meeting on Sunday, March 17, 2013 the featured presentation was:

Valley Forge National Historical Park in 2013 and Beyond

by Kate Hammond

Valley Forge National Historical Park Superintendent Kate Hammond presented an overview of the park, their management goals and philosophy, and upcoming projects and initiatives. She allowed time for questions and discussion, and brought some informative handouts (park brochures, trail maps, volunteer information, etc).

Biographical Information

Prior to becoming the Superintendent at Valley Forge National Historical Park and Hopewell Furnace, Kate Hammond was superintendent of Little Bighorn Battlefield, a position she took in 2009. During that time, she engaged stakeholders, tribes and partners in addressing long-standing management challenges that have stymied the park for 30 years. Her work ensured that the park's nationally significant 150,000-item museum collection was protected from degradation due to poor storage conditions. She also initiated an alternative transportation feasibility study, oversaw the development of a new interpretive film, and significantly advanced baseline cultural and natural resource documentation.

Prior to her tenure at Little Bighorn Battlefield, Hammond completed the NPS Bevinetto Congressional Fellowship Program, a two-year developmental assignment in Washington, D.C. In the fellowship, she worked as a staff member for the House Natural Resources Committee for one year, followed by a year in the NPS Office of Legislative and Congressional Affairs.

As a project manager for the Park Service's Denver Service Center, Hammond oversaw design and construction of complex projects at park units throughout the western United States, including Grand Canyon, Glacier, and Point Reyes.

Hammond has served as an interpretive planner and project manager for Harpers Ferry Center, as chief of interpretation at Amistad, and as a park ranger at Bandelier, Denali, and Walden Pond State Park in Massachusetts. Before joining the NPS, Hammond was a Peace Corps volunteer in Argentina, where she managed the interpretive program at El Palmar National Park.

Hammond is a native of Massachusetts. She has a bachelor's degree in history and environmental studies from Yale University and a master's in environmental management from the Yale School of Forestry. She and her husband Geoff, have two young children.

Reprinted with permission from InsideNPS, Information Gateway for NPS Employees