National Park Service News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 17, 2016
Contact: Jenny Anzelmo-Sarles, jenny_anzelmo-sarles@nps.gov, 202-619-7177
WASHINGTON – The National Park Service (NPS) has selected Daniel Filer, who has a doctorate in education, to lead the Chesapeake Watershed Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (CESU) Network. As the coordinator, he will facilitate research among the NPS, other federal agencies and partner universities. He will begin his new position on October 31, 2016.
Filer will work to connect subject matter experts from more than 25 universities and partners to undertake research that will help managers and park superintendents make informed decisions based on sound science. In addition to the NPS, eight federal agencies participate in the Chesapeake Watershed CESU — U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Army Corps of Engineers – Civil Works, U.S. Forest Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Natural Resources Conservation Service, United States Geological Survey and the Department of Defense.
“Daniel’s experience and enthusiasm will make him an excellent liaison and collaborator with his NPS colleagues in cultural and natural resources and with our academic research partners,” Perry Wheelock, associate regional director for resource stewardship and science, said. “His passion for learning and teaching and his vision for the CESU will greatly benefit the NPS as it moves into its second century of stewardship.”
Filer will work from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science— Appalachian Laboratory located in Frostburg, Md. He is a native of Frostburg and earned his bachelor’s in history, master of education and MBA from Frostburg State University. He currently serves as a professor for its history, philosophy, and management departments. Filer earned his doctorate in education at West Virginia University.
“I see my role as facilitator, organizer and instigator,” Filer said. “My goal is to introduce the next generation of scientists to the exciting research possibilities in the National Park System, and match experienced principal investigators, NPS experts and park managers to launch, nurture and promote amazing, cooperative research in the Chesapeake Watershed.”
Filer serves as the president of the Foundation for Frostburg, Inc., and sits on the City of Frostburg Historic District Commission and on the board of the Allegany County Historical Society. He is a 2015 graduate of the NPS Generating Organizational Advancement and Leadership (GOAL) program.
Filer comes to the position after serving nine years at Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. He most recently served as the park’s chief of business management, and has also served as its volunteer coordinator and partnerships coordinator.
Learn more about the CESU Network and the Chesapeake Watershed CESU by visiting: http://www.cesu.psu.edu/ and http://www.cesu.psu.edu/unit_portals/CHWA_portal.htm.
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