Karl Pierce named new Superintendent at Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
COOLIDGE, AZ – Karl Pierce, a 24-year veteran of the National Park Service (NPS) and over 26 years of federal service, has been named superintendent of Casa Grande Ruins National Monument in Arizona. The selection was announced recently by Sue Masica, Regional Director for the Intermountain Region of the National Park Service. Pierce is scheduled to begin his new assignment on December 14.
Pierce currently serves as the chief of interpretation, education and visitor services at Guadalupe Mountains National Park – a position he has held since October 2010.
From 1998 to 2010, Pierce served as the chief of interpretation and education at Cabrillo National Monument in California. While in this position, Pierce served as the park lead in the production of a film entitled On the Edge of Land and Sea: The Tidepools of Cabrillo National Monument. He was also the park lead on three interpretative exhibits for the park, organized various public events and worked closely with stakeholders.
Pierce’s other NPS assignments include supervisory park ranger at the Presidio of San Francisco; regional equal employment opportunity specialist for the Western Region (now the Pacific West Region); and interpretative park ranger at Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area in California.
Prior to his NPS career, Pierce served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Republic of Honduras in Central America for two years.
“Karl has been an effective and successful advocate for the people and programs he has managed,” said Masica. “He brings a strong background in the management of natural and cultural resources to this position, which makes him an excellent choice for the continued preservation and protection of the magnificent archeological sites within Casa Grande Ruins National Monument.”
A native of Richmond and El Cerrito, California, Pierce earned a bachelor’s degree in wildlife and fisheries biology from the University of California, Davis, in 1987.
In his new role as superintendent of Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, Pierce will manage more than 472 acres and an annual operating budget of more than $789,000.
“I am excited to move to Casa Grande Ruins National Monument and the opportunity to work with the park staff, the six affiliated Tribal groups and other partners and stakeholders to continue the long legacy of preserving the Casa Grande and other archaeological sites there, and telling the story of the ancient Sonoran Desert People,” said Pierce.”
