Welcome Superintendent Rob Griffith!
Photo is from a tour of the SSPF park operations and projects at Lake Tahoe.
L to R: Norma Santiago (SSPF Board President), Rob Griffith (Sierra District Superintendent), Mike Byram (Vikinghsolm Restoration Specialist), Melinda, (Vikingsholm Restoration Specialist, Paige Haller (State Park Cooperating Association Liaison).
Who is Rob Griffith?
Rob Griffith is the new District Superintendent for California State Parks Sierra District, overseeing all aspects of Park units in Sierra State Parks Foundation’s area of interest in the Lake Tahoe Basin and Truckee, plus south into Alpine and Mono Counties, north into Plumas County, and west in Nevada County.
Rob was born and raised in California and attended what was previously known as Humboldt State University.
Rob worked for 4 decades with the USDA Forest Service in Alaska, Michigan, and primarily in California. As his encore career, Rob spent the last 4 ½ years as District Director with the California Conservation Corps based in Auburn, CA, and is looking forward to at least the next half-decade with Sierra District.
He is married and has 3 adult children. Rob and his family have a long history of enjoying winter and summer outdoor recreation on State and federal public lands, including almost all of the State Parks in the Sierra District.
(“I must have driven past Burton Creek State Park dozens of times every year for over a decade and never knew it was there! Why is that?”).
His Favorite Thing About His Job?
His favorite thing about his new career position is the opportunity to be part of the team working to ensure Parks continue to provide lifetime memory-making quality experiences for visiting members of the public, and ensuring the available experiences in Sierra District are as diverse as the interests of the public being served.
(“While my personal passion is for the outdoor natural environment, the historic and contemporary developed recreation aspects of the setting at Lake Tahoe in particular that Sierra District provides are unique in the menu of opportunities for the public: historic building tours, sandy beaches, cross country skiing, golfing, world-renowned scenery and scenic views, great places to hike and camp, and even a golf course!”).
What was His Dream Job When He Was a Kid?
Rob always knew he wanted to pursue a career in the outdoors, working summers at Boy Scout Camps in his last couple of years in high school and the first couple of years in college.
(“As a young child I wanted to be a City Garbage Truck worker because the workers were always friendly and nice to me…interesting how the behaviors and attitudes of people in public service unknowingly can have such an influence”).
What do Parks Mean to You?
Parks have provided lifetime memories and quality experiences for him and his family, and he sees the opportunity for those types of memory-building quality experiences as an important service for the public. Rob also believes making Parks available to all of the public, whether it be by increasing opportunities for underserved communities to access Parks, or by providing virtual opportunities for those unable to physically visit parks, is important.
(“I remember decades ago when I lived and worked in Alaska reading a letter from a member of the public who lived in New York, expressing that even though they had never been to Alaska nor were likely to ever be able to do so, how important it was to them just knowing that public lands existed”).
Rob looks forward to working with the Sierra State Parks Foundation and the other three Foundations focused on Sierra District Parks.
