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Road Runner

Meet Karen Arey, Project Manager in the National Park Service's Transportation Division, Duty Stationed in Washington, D.C.

Karen Arey has been with the National Park ServiceĀ sinceĀ graduatingĀ college.Ā Instead ofĀ workingĀ at one specific park, Karen brought her training as a landscape architect to the Denver Service Center, NPS’ central hub for allĀ ofĀ its planning, design, and construction management.Ā 30 years after first arriving there, Karen is now a project manager in the transportation divisionĀ and duty stationed to the Washington, DC area.

AsĀ aĀ project manager, KarenĀ assists parks in ā€œevaluatingĀ and making a determination as to how they want to treat their roads.ā€Ā Most recently, Karen was involvedĀ in the 2018-2020Ā rehabilitation of the Arlington Memorial Bridge, a two-year, $227 million projectĀ that was one of the largest transportation projects in park service history.Ā As part of thisĀ effortĀ to restore what is considered the ceremonial entrance to Washington, D.C., Karen was responsible forĀ coordinatingĀ with officials from both the National Park Service and the Federal Highway Administration to ensure that the bridge projectĀ stayedĀ on schedule whileĀ remainingĀ open to both vehicular and pedestrian traffic.

Arlington Memorial Bridge dim light with lights reflecting off of water and memorials in the distance

Arlington Memorial Bridge

Photo credit:

Ā 

FHWA / Ben Dixon

Prior toĀ joiningĀ the transportation division, KarenĀ wasĀ in the construction division where she was fortunate to work as project supervisor onĀ several other monumental assignments in the Washington, D.C. area. These includeĀ theĀ construction of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, the 1998-2000 restoration of the Washington Monument, and the 2015-2018Ā restorationĀ of the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial.

These projects have given her some incredible life experiences, from touching the top of the Washington Monument to being able to stand at eye-level withĀ theĀ statues of the US MarinesĀ who are depictedĀ atĀ the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial.

The soldiers lift the flag pole in the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial

U.S. Marine Corps Memorial

Photo credit:

NPS Photo / Anthony DeYoung

Karen says she’s proud to work for the National Park Service because ā€œIt has given me the opportunity to work with a diverse group of people and professionals.ā€Ā She also adds that ā€œI am able to take my son to all of these parks and say to him,Ā ā€˜hey, your mom worked on this park.’ I can take him to the FDR Memorial and tell him,Ā ā€˜your mom was on the project team that helped build this park,’ so I’m proud that I’ll leave this legacy.ā€


Behind every national park is a team of ordinary people dedicated to maintaining the extraordinary. They maintain habitats, educate visitors, and preserve history. They’re volunteers, rangers, museum curators, engineers, architects, and more. They’re our Park Ambassadors – linking us to these treasured places and all the stories they hold.Ā Send thanks to an NPS employeeĀ or volunteer today.Ā Ā Ā 

The ā€œNational Park Ambassadorsā€Ā video series is produced by the National Park Foundation and its Find Your Park premier partnerĀ L.L.Bean, with additional support fromĀ The Coca-Cola Company.

Woman holding a camera walking in a field
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