National Park Trust Honors Robert G. Stanton with 2026 American Park Experience (APEX) Award
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 2, 2026
Stanton served as the 15th National Park Service Director under President Bill Clinton and as a Special Advisor to the Secretary of the Department of the Interior, Ken Salazar, during the Obama Administration
Washington, D.C. (October 2, 2026) – National Park Trust announced that Robert G. Stanton, former Director of the National Park Service, has received the 2026 American Park Experience (APEX) Award. Since 2009, this national award has honored an individual or group that has made extraordinary efforts to enhance the awareness and appreciation of our country’s public parks, lands, and waters.
The APEX award recognizes Stanton’s 35 years of service to the National Park Service and his lasting contributions to conservation, park management, cultural resource protection, and public access. Stanton was the first African American to serve as Director of the National Park Service, a position he held from 1997 to 2001 during the Clinton Administration. Throughout his career, he championed greater recognition of the nation’s diverse cultural heritage and worked to help ensure that national parks and public lands are welcoming and meaningful places for all Americans.
Stanton began his National Park Service career as a seasonal park ranger at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming in 1962. He held key management and executive positions at the National Mall and Memorial Parks, National Capital Parks-East, Virgin Islands National Park, Southeast Region, National Capital Region, and in the National Office.
The award also recognizes Stanton’s influence on the National Park Trust. During a 2008 meeting with Executive Director Grace Lee and Board Chair Bill Brownell, while representing the Obama transition team, Stanton urged the organization to expand its scope. As Lee noted, “Bob Stanton challenged us to look beyond land acquisition… he inspired us to spark a national movement—connecting children and families with these special places and cultivating the next generation of park stewards.”
As a result, the Park Trust’s mission and programs now annually support tens of thousands of children from under-resourced communities and thousands of people in the military community.
Stanton completed his service to the Department of the Interior in 2014, serving as the Senior Advisor to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior Ken Salazar during the Obama Administration.
“This well-deserved honor is a testament to Bob’s devoted commitment to public service and stewardship of America’s natural resources, open spaces, and cultural treasures. During his more than 40-year career with the Department of the Interior, Bob played a critical role in making America’s national park system what it is today—a source of pride, inspiration, and education for millions of visitors each year.”
President Bill Clinton
“Bob Stanton devoted his career to protecting our parks, telling the full American story, and making these places welcoming to everyone. He understood that protecting parks requires each generation to inspire the next to care for them. He challenged us to make that responsibility central to our mission and helped us turn his vision into action. Every child who discovers a park through our programs is part of his legacy.”
Scott Stone, board chair of the National Park Trust
“I am truly honored, humbled, and grateful to receive National Park Trust’s American Park Experience (APEX) Award. I am and shall remain grateful to so many for their encouragement, counsel, and support on my journey in natural and cultural heritage conservation and management. It is my hope, my fervent hope, that in some small way, I have been able to help others on their way. To have had the grand opportunity to connect the American people with their national parks and other protected areas has been a great joy, privilege, and honor beyond measure.”
former National Park Service Director Robert G. Stanton
Past recipients of the American Park Experience Award include former First Lady Laura Bush; Weathercaster/journalist Al Roker; Filmmaker Jimmy Chin; Yosemite Park Ranger Shelton Johnson; Hydro Flask for their Parks for All program; Urban Redevelopment Expert Dan Biederman; former U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell; former U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar; and Filmmakers Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan.
To learn more about the American Park Experience Award, please visit parktrust.org/american-park-experience-award.
ABOUT NATIONAL PARK TRUST
National Park Trust’s mission is to preserve parks today and create park stewards for tomorrow. Since 1983, the Park Trust has acquired many of the missing pieces of our national parks, benefiting 58 national park sites across the country. Our national youth education and family initiatives, including our Buddy Bison, College Ambassador, and Military Family Programs, as well as National Kids to Parks Day, serve tens of thousands of children annually and cultivate future park stewards. We believe our public parks, lands, and waters should be cared for, enjoyed, and preserved by all for current and future generations. Find out more at parktrust.org.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Emma Hartlaub at [email protected].
