FEATURE
“Lean Into Your ‘Why’”:
An Interview with Tom Medema, NAI 2024 National Conference Closing Keynote Speaker
A rare alpine skate on Yosemite National Park’s Tenaya Lake in 2011. Photo by Steven M. Bumgardner.
Song Stott
Tom, it has been several years since I first met you online at InterpTech. It has been a pleasure seeing you at NAI board meetings and other NAI events, and now I have the privilege of interviewing you for NAI’s Legacy Magazine. You are certainly a legend within the interpretive world, and at the National Park Service, where you’ve spent most of your career. How did you get into interpretation?
Tom Medema
Thanks for having me. You know, I reflect on this a lot. I'm kind of an “accidental Associate Director.” It was never my target, never my plan, and neither was interpretation. When I was in college in Michigan, I wasn’t aware of the field. I was really just focused on athletics, skiing, and soccer, and not really an academic. During my junior year of college, somebody from Outward Bound came in and did a presentation in our recreation class and that was the first pivot in my worldview of what I could see myself doing outside of just coaching and athletics.
When I was a kid, we traveled a lot to national parks—big road trips across the country with my parents and grandparents. So, the parks were always on my mind. But I didn’t think of working in the parks as a career, and I didn't even know of the field of interpretation. Through that exposure to Outward Bound, I got an introduction to Y.M.C.A. outdoor education, doing my senior internship in Storer Camps in Jackson, Michigan.
As I was doing Environmental Ed, I discovered I really liked teaching in the outdoors. I wasn’t an educator. I wasn’t a naturalist. I was a jock. But, I was a natural communicator. I discovered that, in the field of interpretation, I had the ability to connect and to teach and be outdoors while still being active, and I was like, “Okay, this is really what I want to do.”
From there, I ended up in grad school at Michigan State University in Interpretation. One day, I was leaving my advisor Maureen McDonough’s office, and there was a flier on a bulletin board advertising a volunteer internship as a seasonal interpreter at Rocky Mountain National Park. And the rest is history.
Song Stott
You oversee the entire interpretation department at the National Park Service, which employs more than 3,000 professional interpreters and 160,000 volunteers. What do you think makes a good interpreter?
Tom Medema
I have come to believe the best interpreters are born, not made. You can make interpreters better—to be sure!—but one is often born with some of the key ingredients: the ability to communicate, a desire to connect with others, and a desire to connect people. These traits are not always right at the surface either, as many interpreters are, like me, actually introverts by clinical definition. So, maybe I should qualify that “born not made” statement: many of these inherent traits can be enhanced, uncovered, or illuminated by good coaches, peers, and trainers.
People that I have seen who are not as successful in interpretation are those who just want the next job. They want to be a supervisor. They want to be a manager. They want to be a superintendent. The best interpreters just have it within them to want to be the best interpreter they can be. And that leads to creating amazing work, innovation and “success.”
Song
So that’s it? You’re just born a great interpreter?
Tom
No, no. In addition to having the natural qualities of an interpreter, you have to work on yourself. I don’t think that you can be your best as an interpreter unless you know yourself. That is what opens up understanding of your own biases and helps you create communication and opportunity for others to perhaps see their own biases, thus creating empathy and deeper understanding. Emotional intelligence has changed the game for me related to interpretation. Beyond that, the increased knowledge of self also creates better leaders.
A newly minted volunteer at Rocky Mountain National Park in 1989. Photo by Bob Medema.
Working with two participants in the Junior Ranger program at Rocky Mountain National Park in 1989. Photo by Bob Medema.
Song
You’ve worked as a volunteer, intern, frontline interpreter, living history reenactor, ranger, Superintendent, and now Associate Director. What advice would you give other interpreters in the field, trying to climb the career ladder?
Tom
As I noted before, “trying” to climb the ladder can itself be a barrier. First and foremost: be who you are and love what you do, and opportunities will often follow. You have to be your own best advocate.
All that said, I will be the first to admit I got to where I am as much because of my DNA as my experience, talent, and expertise. I fit the mold of the traditional Park Ranger in the National Park Service. I am a straight white guy with two degrees, and the NPS uniform was designed for men like me. I was the expected candidate in a lot of the jobs that I applied for and I got almost all the jobs I applied for.
I don’t have multiple awards to my name, I’m not widely published. I graduated “without distinction” as they say. So how did I end up here, at the top of my profession? A big part of it—blatantly and obviously—is privilege. But at the same time, that is not the only thing. I worked hard to understand and connect with people, and to know myself, and to say “yes” as often as possible, and all of that has contributed to my success.
Song
A “YES” man. I love it. For many though, the barrier to entry is financial. Many people cannot volunteer for $7 per day for a job they want. But we are seeing a shift all over the country moving toward accessibility and inclusion, both with hiring practices and attracting visitors.
Tom
This is one of the most dramatic changes I have seen since I came to the Park Service in 1989. NPS is still much more homogeneous than it could or should be. But seeing the changes, especially the diversity at the senior leadership level at the National Park Service, is incredible. This is where I can feel really good about how I’ve gotten to where I am, by creating a platform and opportunity for many people that aren’t just like me to have those opportunities and share those experiences and to hire and expand the team.
We’re still seeing applicant pools that aren’t reflective of the American public. We then look at the programs at universities where we tend to draw from, and we find the same demographic. So, we are still having challenges there. Programs with HBCUs, diverse schools like the University of California Merced are having a positive impact.
Adding important new sites—like the recent additions of the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument, Amache National Historic Site, and Blackwell School National Historic Site—also shows that we are a park service for ALL Americans and their stories, and this will, over time, move the needle on inclusion in our visitation.
Song
Speaking of inclusion, when it comes to storytelling, especially from an interpretive standpoint, there have been great strides with telling inclusive stories. You have really been able to put your stamp on the phrase, “inclusive storytelling.”
Opening the new Freedom Riders National Monument and expanding our national narrative in Anniston, Alabama, in 2017. Photo by the National Park Service.
Tom
One of the places that I'm most excited about, and will feel the most gratification with as I head into retirement next year, is what we have done around inclusive storytelling in the National Park Service in particular, as well as with the National Park Foundation and national parks across the country.
During the pandemic, I first landed on the idea of “deferred storytelling.” Many people have heard the term “deferred maintenance” applied to national parks. This is the postponement (deferment) of needed repairs and maintenance to infrastructure and assets such as roads, trails, facilities, etc. over the NPS’s first century. We’ve invested billions in addressing deferred maintenance recently.
Well, we have hundreds and thousands of years of “deferred storytelling” in our country. These stories might be intentionally deferred through Native American boarding schools or segregation. Other times, they've been lost to time or neglected for whatever reason. Whatever the reason, we have intentionally not told many, many stories. So, that idea of “deferred storytelling,” and how we can put millions and maybe billions of dollars into that issue, was really inspiring and compelling for me.
I started to talk “deferred storytelling” up within the Park Service and with our partners. And that evolved into the “Inclusive Storytelling” initiative, which has now invested more than $25 million in new and updated research, programming, and interpretive media all over the country. The overall diversity that we seek in our visitors and workforce is enhanced by the work that we're doing by showing people from all walks of life all across the country that the American story and national parks belong to all of us. Belonging is key, and we’re making great progress to ensure everyone feels welcome and included.
Song
Your career has spanned over thirty-five years with the National Park Service, and specifically in interpretation. What is the biggest difference you see in interpretation now, as opposed to when you started?
Tom
First, that everybody is now a content contributor; and second, the emergence of technology in our work. Before social media, people tended to digest their information in one direction: from a teacher, preacher, news anchor, interpreter. We did our interpretation a lot in one direction. Certainly, we had conversations and dialogue, but people were not as willing or comfortable contributing to a program or media platform.
Audiences are different now, and so we have to adapt our approaches. Success used to be a regurgitation of my program’s theme; now, it’s more about thought provocation and contribution, dialogue and idea sharing. How do you open the door for all those different perspectives on a program or in an exhibit and challenge assumptions? Challenge your own assumptions?
I’m still grappling with the role of technology in what we do. How we can leverage the incredible power of AI, Virtual Reality, and handheld devices while still privileging the equally incredible power of tangible resources and human-to-human interaction?
Song
Where do you see interpretation in the future?
Experiencing the power of virtual reality and applications in interpretation at Arizona State University in 2024. Photo by the National Park Service.
Retirement adventures are in the works for Tom and his wife Cindy. Photo by Tom Medema.
Tom
I would like to see more research on digital access to story, and what that means, and how effective it is. We are leaning into mobile apps, digital interpretation, augmented reality, and virtual reality. We know the effectiveness of physically pinning a Junior Ranger badge on a child’s shirt to be powerful and really special. Now, we have digital gaming badges on their phones. How do people feel about that? I’d like to see data about how rewarding digital badging is to a young person. Virtual reality headsets, also, can take people to places that don’t exist and help tell our stories.
I can see tremendous application for using these technologies in classrooms and across sites for accessibility. But what is the human interaction cost? Buzzing people into a national park with a QR code can keep the lines down. But what is the opportunity cost of not having the Ranger to talk to and invite you and welcome you? Who is delivering and creating the AI content? What is the role of NAI? What is the role of the National Park Service? What's the role of our different professional and academic organizations in helping chart the course for these elements of digital interpretation into the future? Things to think about.
Song
You are retiring at the end of the year. What’s up next for you?
Tom
I am, and always will be, an interpreter. It’s just a part of who I am. I'm not done working, I'm not done being an interpreter, and I'm not done being a traveler. There are a lot of adventures ahead. Certainly, there's a lot of international work I’m interested in. Of course, more skiing, more paddling, and more time with my parents and my wife Cindy; and the rest will figure itself out.
Meeting with puppets Roxy and Ronald at Jim Henson Studios to discuss how to engage preschoolers and their families in national parks. Photo by Halle Stanford.
Song
As we close out this interview, what is the one thing you could say to our readers?
Tom
I feel strongly that interpreters have the power to make the world a better place. I am a believer in the power of empathy, and my goal right now in life is to create a more informed, empathetic, and engaged citizenry. That is my daily mission statement. And as an interpreter, I can do those things.
I can provide information that can engender empathy in people: empathy for the natural environment, climate change, and empathy for people who are not like you, who have had different struggles than you have had and who may not have the privileges you have had. And, with that empathy, the desire to engage in making the world better for all of those things. Making our society a better place by being more actively involved. That engagement could be through volunteerism, voting, helping somebody on the street—so many possibilities.
I’ve been reading AWE: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How it Can Transform Your Life (2023) by Dacher Keltner. Ideas like moral beauty and collective effervescence, that Keltner discusses within, are things that interpreters have a role in creating. We help bring awe and wonder to people, and that generates so many positive outcomes. I want people to lean into that.
I want people to lean into the “why” they're doing the work and what outcomes they're seeking, and if we can collectively work to engender that sort of awe in others, that is inspiring, that creates empathy and engagement, and I think that is what can shape a better world for us. I don't think that's hyperbole. I believe it's true.
LEFT: Working with Ken Burns in Yosemite Valley during production of The National Parks: America’s Best Idea documentary in 2009. Photo by Al Golub.
RIGHT: Joining students from North Carolina on a tour of the Washington Monument in 2024. Photo by Tom Medema.
Song
NPS has provided you the opportunity to travel the world and partner on impactful projects. After this interview, you’re heading out today to Mongolia! Is this trip for NPS business or pleasure?
Tom
I’ve been fortunate to work in some really interesting and unique environments. I’ve worked on global influence projects with the American Battle Monuments Commission in Europe and visitor experience visioning with UNESCO in Saudi Arabia. In Mongolia (where interpretation is still very new), I’m helping train their park rangers, and I’m seeing them embrace interpretation and look to NAI and the National Park Service to grow the talent of interpretation in their country.
But this trip is a personal mission. I helped to start this nonprofit motorcycle project about ten years ago. We fly adventure riders to various locations around the world, and we buy motorcycles and ride them to remote national parks, then donate the motorcycles to the Park Rangers for anti-poaching efforts. We've donated 270 motorcycles total in parks in Mongolia, Namibia, Nepal, Argentina, Bhutan, Peru. I like to call it international adventure philanthropy!
Song
Tom, it’s always inspiring speaking with you. Interpreter, jock, family man, professional ski instructor, life-long learner, outdoor enthusiast, philanthropist.
Let’s leave the readers with a fun fact about you. I bet people don’t know you are a big Metal Head! What is your favorite concert you’ve been to?
Tom
Easy! Metallica and the orchestra of St. Luke’s, at Madison Square Garden, in 1999, standing next to Howard Stern and his wack pack. A twenty-four-hour road trip from Detroit to NYC for the show, and straight back home. EPIC!
Participating in a UNESCO World Heritage Site summit on visitor experience at Hegra, Saudi Arabia, in 2024. Photo by the National Park Service.
