Ronald H. Walker
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Ronald H. Walker (born July 25, 1937) is an American executive. Walker served in the administration of President
Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...
, first as the first Director of the White House Office of Presidential Advance, and later as Director of the National Park Service (1973–1975). Walker went on to become a senior partner at Korn/Ferry International, President of the
Richard Nixon Foundation The Richard Nixon Foundation is a not-for-profit organization based at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, California. It was founded on January 24, 1983 by Richard Nixon, 37th president of the United States, and ser ...
, and is currently a Director Emeritus of the Board of the Nixon Foundation. Walker was born in
Bryan, Texas Bryan is a city in and the county seat of Brazos County, Texas, United States. It is located in the heart of the Brazos Valley (East and Central Texas). As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 83,980. Bryan borders the city of C ...
. He earned a degree in
political sciences Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and ...
from the
University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...
, served as an officer in the
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
in Okinawa, Japan, and later became an insurance and marketing executive. A soft-spoken and affable man, Walker had been President Nixon's special assistant responsible for both domestic and international travel. As such, Walker coordinated Nixon's visit to the
People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
in February 1972.


Director of the National Park Service

At 36, Walker was the youngest director to hold the office and the second appointed from outside of the NPS. Lacking park experience, Walker made Russell E. Dickenson, an NPS careerist, his deputy. Walker advocated a policy of "stabilization", foreseeing that NPS funding and staffing would be inadequate for a continuing high influx of new parks and program responsibilities. Fourteen areas nevertheless joined the park system during his two years as director, including the first two national preserves. Nixon's resignation in August 1974 presaged Walker's replacement five months later.NATIONAL PARK SERVICE ALMANAC; Edited and Compiled by Ben Moffett and Vickie Carson Rocky Mountain Region -- Public Affairs; National Park Service, 1991, revised 2006 As director, he realigned NPS regional boundaries and added North Atlantic and Rocky Mountain offices. Under Walker, the early planning was done for the Servicewide American Revolution Bicentennial activities. The National Park Service established a plan to restructure organizationally in response to the diverse changes that have confronted it over the past several decades, to the National Performance Review, and to legally mandated personnel reductions. The resultant Restructuring Plan for the National Park Service built upon earlier efforts within the Service – the 21st Century Task Force Report, the Vail Agenda, the NPS Strategic Plan, and the Recommendations of the Reorganization Work Group – all of which have proposed significant, substantive improvements in the organization. The plan called for the reduction of central offices and the establishment of sixteen ecological-cultural-geographical based clusters of 10-225 park units in seven regions. The first steps were taken in 1995 to begin the change. By 2000, the restructuring plan had been revised four times leaving seven regions, which were substantially smaller than before. Of the sixteen 'eco-clusters' envisioned in the plan, only those clusters based on older regional offices, i.e., Boston (Mid-Atlantic), Seattle (Pacific Northwest), and Santa Fe (Southwest) exist.


Later life and career

A senior partner of Korn/Ferry International, he was the managing director for their Washington, D.C., offices. In late 2009, he came out of retirement to take up the position of the President of the
Richard Nixon Foundation The Richard Nixon Foundation is a not-for-profit organization based at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, California. It was founded on January 24, 1983 by Richard Nixon, 37th president of the United States, and ser ...
at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in
Yorba Linda, California Yorba Linda is a suburban city in northeastern Orange County, California, United States, approximately southeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, and had a population of 68,336 at the 2020 United States ...
. In 2010, he was promoted to Chairman of the Board of Directors, later becoming Director Emeritus.


References


External links


NPS biography

Guide to the Ronald H. Walker Papers
at Clemson University Special Collections and Archives * {{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Ronald H. 1937 births Living people Directors of the National Park Service People from Bryan, Texas University of Arizona alumni