Tracy Swartout has been named as acting superintendent of Mount Rainier National Park.
Tracy Swartout will take over as acting manager of Mount Rainier National Park beginning Jan. 8. She will replace longtime Superintendent Randy King, who is set to retire following a career that lasted more than 40 years with the National Parks Service. King spent the last 14 years at Mount Rainier.
Swartout has served as the deputy superintendent at Mount Rainier for the past five years and will fill the lead role until a permanent replacement can be found. She has held a variety of positions with the National Park Service during her 18-year career, including stops in Utah, Washington, D.C. and a stint as superintendent of Congaree National Park in South Carolina.
Swartout earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental geography from the University of South Carolina and a master’s degree in natural resource management from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada.
She then completed postgraduate work at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Graduate School.
“I'm looking forward to carrying on the good work at Mount Rainier and supporting the park’s dedicated staff, our affiliated tribes, many park neighbors and partners, and our visiting public to provide access and enjoyment, while ensuring long term preservation and protection of the natural and cultural resources entrusted to our care,” said Swartout in a press release.
