Honor · Park Staff · Awards
The Most Inspirational Park Employee award is how Friends of Olympic National Park thanks the people who work for the park itself. We have given it since 2009 to a member of the park staff deemed “Most Inspirational” for work done in their park roles by coworkers and supervisors. The honor comes from the people who see that work up close, every day.
Rangers are the faces most visitors meet, but the list of recipients reaches much further. It includes packers, a backcountry carpenter, an archivist, a botanist and a chief wildlife biologist. This post shares every name on the list and explains, with help from National Park Service sources, what those jobs involve.
How the park employee award works
FONP gives two awards. The older one, the Most Inspirational Friend, has honored members and volunteers since 2003 and is also known as the Willie McCool Award. You can read that story in our post on why our volunteer award carries Willie McCool’s name.
The park employee award is its companion. What makes it special is who decides: the recipient is someone their own coworkers and supervisors consider most inspiring. That makes it a park employee recognition award rooted in the view from inside the park, not from a distance.
The 2025 Most Inspirational Park Employees
The 2025 award went to Rachel Overpeck and Bruce Rothweiler, rangers at Heart O’ the Hills. They were honored for creating unforgettable park experiences for visitors. It is one of three years on the list when the award has been shared.
Heart O’ the Hills sits on the road to Hurricane Ridge. The National Park Service notes that its entrance station, campground and trailheads are five miles up Hurricane Ridge Road. It is an entry point for visitors heading up to the high country.
Every Most Inspirational Park Employee since 2009
The table below lists each recipient and role exactly as our past recipients of the Most Inspirational awards page records them. There is no entry for 2020.
Most Inspirational Park Employee recipients by year
| Year | Recipient | Park role |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Sue McGill | Deputy Superintendent |
| 2010 | Janis Burger | Hurricane Ridge Interpretive Ranger & Naturalist |
| 2011 | Don “Duck” Houk | Backcountry Carpenter |
| 2012 | Dave Colthorp | Maintenance Supervisor |
| 2013 | Clare Donato | Packer |
| 2014 | Larry Nickey | Fire/Emergency Manager |
| 2015 | Gay Hunter | Archivist |
| 2016 | Heather Stephens | Volunteer Coordinator |
| 2017 | Larry Lack | Trails Supervisor |
| 2018 | Boone Jones and Greg Marsh | head packer; interpretive ranger |
| 2019 | Dean Butterworth | Outreach & Education Specialist |
| 2021 | Dave Allen | Botanist, Manager, Matt Albright Nursery |
| 2022 | Patti Happe | Chief Wildlife Biologist |
| 2023 | Amber Nixon, Kelsy Weaver, Jessica Shiepko | Administrative Assistants to Park Leadership |
| 2024 | Jared Low | Supervisory Interpretive Park Ranger |
| 2025 | Rachel Overpeck & Bruce Rothweiler | Rangers, Heart O’ the Hills |
The jobs behind the names
We won’t guess at anyone’s personal story. We can, however, explain the kinds of work on this list, because the park and the wider National Park Service describe them publicly. Read this way, the list is a map of how a wilderness park actually runs.
Packers and trail crews
Three recipients worked with pack stock or trails: a packer in 2013, a trails supervisor in 2017 and a head packer in 2018. The park’s Summer 2025 Bugler newspaper calls mule strings lifelines, with each mule carrying 120 pounds into the backcountry. It says the mules carry tools, lumber, concrete, fuel and supplies to trail crew camps, travelling about 1,000 miles and packing 51,000 pounds each season.
The same issue notes that park trail crews work eight days at a time, and that the first job each spring is clearing trails of fallen trees. A backcountry carpenter, honored in 2011, belongs to the same world of remote work far from any road.
Interpretive rangers and educators
Interpretive rangers appear in 2010, 2018 and 2024, with an outreach and education specialist in 2019. In its guide to careers in interpretation, the Park Service describes this as the work of rangers and other staff who interpret the park to visitors. Interpreters aim to help people make their own connections to the park and its stories, and many lead hikes on park trails.
Scientists and stewards
The 2021 recipient managed the Matt Albright Nursery, the park’s native plant center. The Park Service says it was first built to grow plants for revegetating the Elwha River’s drained reservoirs after the dams came out. The 2022 recipient was the park’s Chief Wildlife Biologist, a reminder that much of Olympic’s care happens in field surveys most visitors never see.
The people behind the scenes
Some of the most telling names are the least visible. The list honors a deputy superintendent, a maintenance supervisor, a fire and emergency manager, an archivist and a volunteer coordinator. In 2023 it went to three administrative assistants to park leadership at once.
Their coworkers chose them, which says a lot. Roads get cleared, records get kept and volunteers get placed because people like these keep the park running.
Our two Most Inspirational awards compared
| Detail | Most Inspirational Friend | Most Inspirational Park Employee |
|---|---|---|
| First given | 2003 | 2009 |
| Who it honors | A member of Friends | A member of the park staff |
| Who decides | Our board | Coworkers and supervisors |
| Also known as | The Willie McCool Award | No other name |
Both awards appear on our Most Inspirational awards page. Together they honor both sides of the partnership: the neighbours who volunteer, and the staff who make the park work.
How you can be part of it
If a ranger, packer or other park employee has made your visit, we would love to hear about it. Share the story with our board through the Friends of Olympic National Park contact page, and let us know what made their work stand out. The award itself reflects the choice of each person’s coworkers and supervisors.
You can also meet park staff in person. Our Spring Membership Meeting in 2026 included a park update from Superintendent Sula Jacobs. To help with the work these employees lead, start with our guide to volunteering at Olympic National Park, or become a member of Friends of Olympic National Park.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Most Inspirational Park Employee award?
It is an award from Friends of Olympic National Park, given since 2009 to a member of the park staff deemed Most Inspirational for work done in their park roles by coworkers and supervisors.
Who won the Most Inspirational Park Employee award in 2025?
Rachel Overpeck and Bruce Rothweiler, rangers at Heart O’ the Hills, were honored for creating unforgettable park experiences for visitors.
Is there an award for Olympic National Park rangers?
Yes. Many recipients of our park employee award have been rangers, including interpretive rangers in 2010, 2018 and 2024 and the Heart O’ the Hills rangers in 2025. Packers, biologists and other staff have received it too.
How is it different from the Willie McCool Award?
The Willie McCool Award is our Most Inspirational Friend award, chosen by our board for a member of Friends since 2003. The park employee award honors park staff and reflects the view of their coworkers and supervisors.
How can I recognize a park employee who inspired me?
Send your story to our board through the contact page on our website. Stories from visitors are always welcome, and the award itself reflects the choice of each employee’s coworkers and supervisors.
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