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Dr. Fran P. Mainella

  • 16th Director, National Park Service; Visiting Scholar, Clemson University

Biography

Dr. Fran Mainella is a visiting scholar at Clemson University Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management. She is also president of Fran Mainella Consulting, LLC. Previously, she served nearly six years as the 16th director and the first woman to lead the National Park Service. Fran served 12 years as director of Florida’s State Parks (first woman), which received the Gold Medal Award, recognizing Florida as the best state park system in the country. She has also served as executive director of the Florida Recreation and Park Association and as president of both the National Recreation and Park Association and the National Association of State Park Directors.

In 2022, Fran was recognized as one of the Top 100 Most Influential Business Leaders in Collier County by Naples Illustrated. Also, she is the recipient of the Marquis “Who’s Who Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award” for her achieved career longevity and unwavering excellence. Clemson also has named an award in her honor, encouraging women to pursue conservation careers. The American Recreation Coalition also presented her with the Sheldon Coleman Great Outdoors Award. She has received the William Penn Mott, Jr. Award for Excellence from the NSPR and she is one of the few that have been a two-time winner of the Pugsley Award, the highest award given by the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration. She has also been selected as the Metcalf Lecturer for SUNY- Cortland, the first-ever Ralph Steele Lecturer for East Carolina University and the Calhoun Lecturer for Clemson. For four consecutive years, the Clemson University Board of Trustees presented her with an award for faculty excellence. In addition, Mainella received the Outstanding Alumni of the Year from the University of Connecticut School of Education. Additionally, she has written many articles and book publications including the introduction to “National Geographic’s 10 Best of Everything National Parks” and an acknowledgement to Richard Louv’s new book: “The Nature Principle.” Also in 2022, she wrote the introduction for “Hola Ranger” by David Vela, former Deputy Director (first Hispanic) of Operations for NPS.   

Fran is currently the West Coast Committee chair of the Alliance for Florida National Parks; consultant to Guest Services Inc; co-chair with Richard Louv of the Children and Nature Network Founder’s Council; chair emeritus of the US Play Coalition; member of the Clemson Institute for Parks; environment chair for the new Bonita -Estero Women’s Club; Fellow of the American Academy of Park and Recreation Administrators; member of the Foundation for Sustainable Parks and Recreation; and a national speaker on women in leadership, nature-deficit disorder, play, and parks and recreation.

Director Mainella holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut, a master’s degree and an honorary doctorate from Central Connecticut State College.