Ross retires from park service.

Tom Ross will retire this month as the assistant director of Recreation and Conservation in the Washington, D.C., office of the National Park Service. Since 1997, he has provided national leadership for the Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance, Land and Water Conservation Fund state assistance, Urban Park and Recreation Recovery, Long Distance Trails, Federal Lands-to-Parks, and the Wild & Scenic River programs. Previously, Tom managed a number of trail and recreation programs at the national level. He has worked for the National Park Service since 1981.

In addition to his federal experience, Ross has also worked at the state level in Massachusetts, managing several grant programs related to recreation and open space and at the local level in Hingham, Mass., where he coordinated an array of community based programs. He also served in the U.S. Air Force, stationed in California and Southern Italy.

Following his retirement from the National Park Service, Ross will assume a new role as the executive director for the Maryland Recreation and Parks Association (MRPA). MRPA represents 800 professionals involved in the delivery of park and recreation services in the state of Maryland.