Mike is originally from southeastern Minnesota and graduated from Mankato State University, Minn., with a Bachelor of Science degree in Recreation and Park Administration. He began his NPS career in Yellowstone National Park where he worked for 11 years in a variety of positions. He has also worked at Mount Rushmore NM, Midwest Regional Office, Keweenaw NHP, Pictured Rocks NL, and Badlands NP, with significant temporary assignments in several other park areas. He has held positions in interpretation, telecommunications, resource and visitor protection, resources management, and park management at grade levels from GS-3 to 15. Mike retired from the NPS at the end of 2021 after more than 41 years of service. He first became a member of ANPR in 1987 and has been a Life Member since the mid 1990s. Mike and his wife, Barbara, currently split time between residences in Rapid City, S.D.,  and Hancock, Mich. They enjoy travel, hiking, photography, events with family and friends, attending Ranger Rendezvous’, and exploring the great public lands of our nation. 

Tom Banks is a wilderness guide who teaches outdoor recreation and environmental science at colleges in the Pacific Northwest. For 37 years, he worked as a field ranger with the U.S. National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and state parks, including in New Hampshire, Colorado, Montana, California, Washington, and Alaska, in a variety of functions: interpretation, backcountry/wilderness, protection (EMS/SAR/LE/Fire), and trail crew. Tom has served four times as an ANPR board member (seasonal concerns; treasurer; education & training; internal communications). He’s hiked the Appalachian Trail and nearly half of the Pacific Crest Trail and, during retirement, is working on writing a series of children’s books on nature and conservation, and a film on John Muir.

Margie Steigerwald is originally from St. Louis where she worked as an interpretive seasonal at the Gateway Arch and graduated from Saint Louis University with degrees in Spanish, Ibero-American studies and a teaching credential. She went on to a seasonal interpretive position at the Castillo de San Marcos NM, intending to return to teaching after a couple of seasons with the NPS. One job led to another, and she went on to a 38-year career with the NPS at 15 parks, including JOMU, GRSM, EVER, YELL, DENA, HAVO, JOTR, KATM, WRST, YOSE, SAMO, GLAC, and WRST (again). In addition to an extensive career in interpretation and education, she has worked as a public affairs specialist and as an outdoor recreation planner. She also earned an MPPA at CLU. She retired in 2020 from Wrangell-St. Elias NP/P and lives in Newbury Park, Calif., with her spouse, Russell Galipeau, who is also retired from the NPS. They enjoy travel, birding, hiking, and having adventures with their two adult daughters.  

Rick is an emeritus professor at Texas A & M University where he taught Parks and Recreation courses. He has degrees in Parks and Recreation from Memphis State University and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University. For several years he served Tennessee State Parks as a law enforcement ranger, naturalist and Resource Management specialist. He has served as a volunteer at MORA, LEWI, TIMU, GRTE, Jackson National Fish Hatchery, and Alaska Peninsula/Becharof National Wildlife Refuges. A life member of ANPR, Rick is now a full-time volunteer and plans to continue serving the NPS and other land-managing agencies. Having visited all 63 "National Parks" and all seven continents, Rick enjoys sea kayaking, traveling, and volunteering.  

Mark is entering his 50th year in fire and resource management. Mark is a California native and grew up in Hollywood Calif. He started his career on the Angeles National Forest, then moved to Yosemite National Park working in fire and becoming a ranger, spending 10 years there. Over the next 50 years, Mark worked for the USAF, BLM, USFWS and various locations within the NPS, including park superintendent and Regional Emergency Services chief. Mark was a district ranger with the USFS as well. Mark is a past National ICT1 and area commander for several national teams. Mark has overseen many major incidents such as fires, hurricanes, oil spills and the Space Shuttle disaster across the nation. Mark has taught fire and ICS around the world on behalf of the U.S. government. 

 Since retiring in 2017 as the International Fire and Emergency coordinator for the Secretary of Interior, Office of Wildland Fire, Mark has been operating an independent fire and communications consulting company, along with still being involved in fire attached to Yosemite NP Fire and Aviation as a PIO1/ PIOC information officer supporting fires within other NPS units, as well as large complex fires and all hazard incidents nationwide as an AD employee. Mark is currently a board member on the Association of National Park Rangers. He lives in Mariposa, Calif., on the border of Yosemite National Park.

I am a life member of ANPR and have attended every RR except six, starting with RR#2. During the early years of ANPR, I served in several BOD positions, including regional representative and vice-president. For several years I coordinated and managed the RR conferences. I have also attended several World Ranger Congresses and represented ANPR at the IUCN World Parks Congress in Durban, South Africa in 2003. Since my retirement in 1997, I have had several international assignments, including Abu Dhabi and the Kingdom of Jordan, and have developed and presented numerous leadership training courses for NPS areas. I am also a founder of, and a past Council member of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks.

Melissa DeVaughn is a freelance writer, editor and designer focusing on the outdoors and adventure travel. She grew up in Virginia, graduated from Virginia Tech, and thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 1993. She moved to Alaska in 1995 and has lived there ever since. She worked at the Roanoke (Va.) Times, Peninsula Clarion (Alaska), The Associated Press in Alaska, and the Anchorage Daily News before pursuing a fulltime freelance career in 2008. She is married to Andy Hall and has two college-age children in Colorado. She lives in Eagle River.