Telling the Smokies Story

Now education branch chief for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Susan Sachs has worked in the Smokies for the past 20 years, collaborating with scientists, teachers and students alike to spread knowledge and appreciation of the park’s vast cultural and natural resources.

Sachs has spearheaded citizen science projects, developed grants to offer a variety of camps and workshops, and played a leading role in planning educational activities surrounding the 2017 solar eclipse. These and other accomplishments recently led to Sachs, 54, being one of three people nationwide to receive the Agency Leadership Award from the Public Lands Alliance this year. 

What sparked your interest in working for the national parks? 

I had a degree in labor relations. I did not get a science background. I was scared off by some of the higher math classes I was going to have to take. I never was very strong in math, so I worked for two years for a union and I did not know what I wanted to do. I traveled for two years at age 24. I kind of sold everything and bought a backpack and went overseas for a while. That’s when I settled on I want to do something with the environment. When I got back I looked for internships and I got an internship in environmental education. That was it. When I was looking for jobs in education, it seemed like some of the more interesting jobs I was finding were Park Service jobs. Even though it was very competitive I just felt like the parks would be a good career choice because I could move around but not really have to change jobs, if that makes sense. I knew moving around was something I was interested in. 

Given your interest in moving around, what’s kept you in the Smokies for so long? 

I never would have thought I’d stay anywhere 20 years, but really the Smokies is just so dynamic. It’s just a big park, so there’s always something happening. Every year it always seems like there’s something else to focus on, whether it’s the eclipse, the Foothills Parkway opening or the centennial. Although I’ve been in the same park I haven’t been in a job that felt stale in any way. 

Your career has had you work closely with both children and scientists. How are those experiences similar? 

Kids are more playful, but boy, some scientists are pretty playful too. I’ve kind of found the smaller the organism somebody studies, the more fun and crazy the scientists. What’s similar about them is the excitement. Scientists tend to be really excited about whatever it is they’re studying, and they get very childlike in their enthusiasm. Also kids, when they discover something that for them is new, it’s just infectious, that enthusiasm. 

In the last year you’ve gone from your longtime role as education coordinator at the park’s Appalachian Highlands Learning Center to education branch chief for the park as a whole. What does the new job entail? 

The new job is a lot more creating my dream job for other people rather than me getting to live my dream, so to speak, which I’m excited about. I don’t mean that in a bad way. I love seeing people just entering their career and helping to make their dreams come true. 

Given that insight you have into the next generation of Park Service leaders, how do you feel about the future of the agency? 

I feel confident that the next generation coming up has equal passion for the mission of the Park Service. I feel like we are in the process of doing a better job of telling the complete stories of the park and including some people who haven’t had their stories told in the past. We have a project my crew is spearheading that’s doing research to tell the African American story in the park, and that is certainly something we haven’t been doing. That’s exciting to me. I think as we continue to dig out these harder-to-find stories and start telling them, our audience will change in the way it should change. It will be more inclusive.