“David Vela reportedly was replaced Friday as acting director of the National Park Service, the latest upheaval the organization has endured under the Trump administration.
There was no official word from the Park Service on Friday morning of the change, but three sources told Traveler that Vela had been replaced by Margaret Everson, who has served as principle deputy director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since November 2018.
Park Service spokesperson Alexandra Picavet did not immediately respond to a question about the change in leadership, which drew criticism from Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility.
“The appointment of Margaret Everson as acting director of the National Park Service represents a further marginalization of NPS,” Timothy Whitehouse, PEER’s executive director, told Traveler in an email. “She is part of a rotating cast of characters at the Department of the Interior that allow Bernhardt to maintain complete political control over the Park Service and reward those such as Everson who support using national parks as political props.””
