Chair
Dan B. Kimball served as the Superintendent of Everglades and Dry Tortugas National Parks from 2004 to 2014. As superintendent, Kimball was responsible for preserving, protecting, restoring, and managing both of these units of the National Park System.
During his tenure as superintendent, Kimball led Everglades National Park’s involvement in restoration of the Everglades, the largest ecosystem restoration project in the history of the planet. Kimball’s work in the Everglades restoration effort focused on the restoration of the quantity, quality, timing, and distribution of water; the recovery of endangered species; the control of exotic non-native species; and assuring compatibility with South Florida’s built environment. A major element of Kimball’s work focused on the building and enhancement of a diverse coalition of interests (e.g., federal, state, and local governments; Native Americans; NGO’s; and the private sector) to advance and sustain Everglades restoration. He also focused on enhancing the park’s educational efforts to encourage a better understanding of the value of the Everglades to the quality of life in South Florida and also its international significance as a World Heritage Site, an International Biosphere Reserve, and a Wetland of International Importance.
As superintendent of Dry Tortugas National Park, Kimball’s efforts included the establishment of a no-take reserve to protect the marine resources of the Park and securing over $20 million to stabilize the walls of historic Fort Jefferson and restore and conserve the historic cannons still in place at the Fort.
Kimball previously served as Chief of the National Park Service’s (NPS’s) Water Resources Division, a position he held from 1993 to 2004. During his tenure there, Kimball led NPS’s efforts to preserve and protect water resources in units of the National Park System across the country. Kimball also served as Acting Superintendent of Zion National Park, Assistant to the National Park Service Deputy Director in Washington, D.C., and in 2010, as an Incident Commander, representing the US Department of the Interior, in response to the Deepwater Horizon/BP Oil Spill.
After serving 30-years with NPS, Kimball retired from NPS in March, 2014. Prior to his service with NPS, Kimball held positions with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Office of Surface Mining, and environmental consulting firms. Kimball also served for 10-years on the Jefferson County Open Advisory Committee in Colorado and as the first president of the Jefferson County Open Space Foundation. He now serves on the Board of Directors of the Sonoran Institute and Friends of Saguaro National Park.
During his career, Kimball received a number of awards including the Presidential Rank Award – Meritorious Executive, the Southeast Region’s Superintendent of the Year Award (2007 and 2013), the Stephen Tyng Mather Award for resource conservation given by the National Parks Conservation Association, the American Recreation Coalition’s Legends Award, and the Department of the Interior Superior Service Award.
Kimball earned a BA in Earth Sciences from Denison University in Ohio in 1971 and an MS in Water Resources Administration from the University of Arizona in 1974.
Kimball is a native of Michigan and now resides in Tucson, Arizona.