Advertisement

Header Utility Menu

  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Events

LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Instagram Get Our App

  • Login

Virginia Business

Mobile Menu

  • Issues
  • Industries
    • Banking/Finances
    • Law
    • Real Estate
    • Economic Development
    • Education
    • Energy/Green
    • Federal Contracting
    • Government
    • Healthcare
    • Hotels/Tourism
    • Insurance
    • Ports/Trade
    • Small Business
    • Startups
    • Technology
    • Transportation
  • Regions
    • Central Virginia
    • Eastern Virginia
    • Northern Virginia
    • Roanoke/New River Valley
    • Shenandoah Valley
    • Southern Virginia
    • Southwest Virginia
  • Reports
    • Best Places to Work
    • Business Person of the Year
    • CEO Pay
    • COVID-19
    • Generous Virginians Project
    • Legal Elite
    • Most Influential Virginians
    • Maritime Guide
    • Site Locator
    • The Big Book
    • Virginia CFO Awards
  • Company News
    • For the Record
    • People
  • Opinion
  • Lists
  • Awards/Events
    • 2022 Virginia Business Political Roundtable
    • Women in Leadership
    • Diversity Leadership Series
    • Virginia 500
    • Legal Elite
    • CFO Awards
    • Big Book of Lists
    • 100 People To Meet
    • Best Places To Work
  • Virginia 500
    • Read The Issue
    • Power Up Virginia 500
    • Buy an award plaque
    • Suggest execs for 2023

Advertisement

Header Primary Menu

  • Issues
    • February 2023
    • January 2023
    • December 2022
    • November 2022
    • October 2022
    • Issues Archive
  • Industries
    • Banking/Finances
    • Law
    • Real Estate
    • Economic Development
    • Education
    • Energy/Green
    • Federal Contracting
    • Government
    • Healthcare
    • Hotels/Tourism
    • Insurance
    • Ports/Trade
    • Small Business
    • Startups
    • Technology
    • Transportation
  • Regions
    • Central Virginia
    • Eastern Virginia
    • Northern Virginia
    • Roanoke/New River Valley
    • Shenandoah Valley
    • Southern Virginia
    • Southwest Virginia
  • Reports
    • Best Places to Work
    • Business Person of the Year
    • CEO Pay
    • COVID-19
    • Generous Virginians Project
    • Legal Elite
    • Most Influential Virginians
    • Maritime Guide
    • Site Locator
    • The Big Book
    • Virginia CFO Awards
  • Company News
    • For the Record
    • People
  • Opinion
  • Lists
  • Awards/Events
    • 2022 Virginia Business Political Roundtable
    • Women in Leadership
    • Diversity Leadership Series
    • Virginia 500
    • Legal Elite
    • CFO Awards
    • Big Book of Lists
    • 100 People To Meet
    • Best Places To Work
  • Virginia 500
    • Read The Issue
    • Power Up Virginia 500
    • Buy an award plaque
    • Suggest execs for 2023

Home News Industries Government Melissa Baker to become first female Virginia State Parks director

Melissa Baker to become first female Virginia State Parks director

She will oversee 38 state parks and more than 270 full-time employees.

Published December 20, 2019 by Sydney Lake

Melissa Baker will become the first female Virginia State Parks director in the system’s 83-year history, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday.

Baker comes from the North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department, where she served as director. She oversaw the state’s park system and administered grant programs. She has also worked for Montana State Parks and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in leadership positions. At the helm of Virginia State Parks, she will oversee 38 parks and more than 270 full-time employees starting in January.

“Director Baker is the right choice at the right time to lead Virginia’s renowned state parks,” Northam said in a statement. “Her management experience and extensive knowledge of state parks will be an invaluable asset as we work to enhance Virginia’s parks, preserve and protect our precious natural resources, and expand outdoor recreation opportunities in the commonwealth.” 

Baker earned a master’s degree in outdoor recreation management from Southern Illinois University and a doctorate in forestry, outdoor recreation management and protected area planning from the University of Montana. She also was a professor of forest recreation at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and taught parks, recreation and tourism classes at the University of Maine.

“I’m excited to work in Virginia’s diverse state parks that stretch from the Appalachian mountains to the Atlantic coast,” Baker said in a statement. “Virginia’s state parks team is known as one of the best in the country, and I can’t wait to join it. I look forward to writing the next chapter in its amazing history together.”

Virginia’s state parks yield $24 million in tax revenue annually, provide 3,800 jobs and have 10 million visitors each year.

Related Stories

Virginia Business logo

New housing and revitalization coordinator named for Martinsville-Henry County

Virginia Business logo

Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services names chief deputy

Ellen Montz was promoted after two years with the agency

Robin Wynn. Photo courtesy city of Suffolk

City of Suffolk names HR director

Robin Wynn will begin her position July 1

Trending

Norfolk’s MacArthur Center mall listed for sale

Making strides

Fort Monroe development moving forward

Danville lacks housing options for workforce

Members only

Sponsored Stories

What Logistics issues will have the biggest impact on you in 2023?

In the New Year, Aim for Better Cybersecurity

4 innovative ways to create capacity

WHERE IS THE SUPPLY CHAIN WHEN YOU NEED IT?

P.A.I.N.T. Your Financial Mountain

5 Benefits of Treasury Management Services from Atlantic Union Bank

Blazing trails in the digital landscape

Advertisement

Advertisement

Trending

Norfolk’s MacArthur Center mall listed for sale

Making strides

Fort Monroe development moving forward

Danville lacks housing options for workforce

Members only

Sponsored Stories

What Logistics issues will have the biggest impact on you in 2023?

In the New Year, Aim for Better Cybersecurity

4 innovative ways to create capacity

WHERE IS THE SUPPLY CHAIN WHEN YOU NEED IT?

P.A.I.N.T. Your Financial Mountain

5 Benefits of Treasury Management Services from Atlantic Union Bank

Blazing trails in the digital landscape

Get Virginia Business directly on your tablet or in your mailbox!

Subscribe to Virginia Business

Advertisement

Advertisement

Footer Primary Menu

  • virginiabusiness.com
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Footer Secondary Menu

  • Industries
  • Regions
  • Reports
  • Company News
  • Events

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

Sign Up

LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Instagram Get Our App

Privacy Policy Cookie Policy

Footer Utility Menu

Copyright © 2023 Virginia Business. All rights reserved.

Site Maintained by TechArk