Alan Sumeriski (Class of 1986) has carved his own successful path working for the Federal Government in the area of land management specifically within Department of Interior, National Park Service.
Alan, currently a resident of Sevierville, Tennessee, is the Chief of Facility Management, Planning and Professional Services at the Great Smokey Mountains National Park where over 10 million people visit this park yearly. Some of Alan's responsibilities included management of park operations to include facility management, planning, design, construction/project management and financial oversight of a 25 million dollar budget. The facility management division employs over 200 employees.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park asset portfolio reflects one of the largest collections in the National Park Service with more than 1900 assets. As a senior manager, Alan provides leadership and oversight for 441 buildings (91 historic structures); 10 campgrounds; cemeteries; 9 picnic areas; 384 miles roads and 6 tunnels; 800 miles of hiking trails; 9 telecommunication repeater sites and maintaining equipment/vehicle fleet.
A year after graduating from Oakfield-Alabama, Alan started his journey of service to his overnment/Country by starting his diverse career in Maryland at Patuxant National Wildlife Refuge. With family commitment and personal drive, Alan excelled in his career by working his way through National Park Service to achieve his professional leadership goals. Some of places the Sumeriski family have been a part of on this journey include Baltimore Washington Parkway, MD; Yosemite National Park, CA; Yellowstone National Park, WY; Washington DC Headquarters Office, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, OH; Olympic National Park, WA; Southeast Regional Office, Atlanta, GA; and currently the Great Smokey Mountains National Park, TN/NC.
For a relatively young man, Alan has received impressive accolades during his professional career. A few of these awards include the Department of Interior Honor Award for Special Service and numerous individual awards. Another great honor earned was the Great Smoky Mountains Tourism Employee of the Year in 2010.
As outstanding as Alan's career accomplishments are, his community activism is something to behold. Even though his job responsibilities were demanding he found the time to coach numerous youth sports (baseball, AAU basketball, soccer and softball), served as a volunteer fireman and completed his Bachelor's Degree in Business Management.
Alan's passion for his profession and country are very apparent, but his family is his top priority. He and his wife Kim (an '86 OA graduate too) are the proud parents of two daughters: Kasey and Alicia. Through love, commitment, sacrifice, and hard work Alan and his family have earned the right to become part of the Oakfield-Alabama Hall of Fame.