Bill Stanley has been promoted to lead superintendent at Kerr Lake State Recreation Area in Vance and Warren counties, according to the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation.
A state park superintendent manages the operations and administration of a park and has wide-ranging responsibilities including staffing, planning, environmental education, natural resources management, law enforcement and visitor services.
Stanley began his career in state parks in 2010 as a seasonal employee at Raven Rock and an AmeriCorps educator at Carvers Creek. He then served as a park ranger at Dismal Swamp State Park and Kerr Lake State Recreation Area before being promoted to Superintendent I at Kerr Lake in 2018.
Originally from Ramseur, N.C., Stanley has a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
Stanley’s years at Kerr Lake inspired a number of goals for his first year as superintendent.
“I want to improve community engagement and complete projects that improve visitor experiences at the park,” he said. “I want Kerr Lake to embody our mission of conservation, recreation and education.”
North district superintendent Kristen Woodruff looks forward to Stanley’s leadership to direct the park through growth and change.
"Bill’s familiarity with both the challenges and opportunities at Kerr Lake provide a foundation for excellent leadership as the park continues to grow and change. He is setting a new standard for the visitor experience at Kerr Lake,” she said.
Located in Vance and Warren counties at North Carolina's north-central border with Virginia, Kerr Lake State Recreation Area is a collective of eight access areas around the shoreline of a 50,000-acre reservoir. Seven campgrounds with hundreds of campsites allow visitors a serene night by the lake. Shelters and community buildings provide popular venues for local gatherings.
All eight recreation accesses provide boat access to one of the best fishing lakes in the eastern United States.
About North Carolina State Parks
North Carolina State Parks manages more than 258,000 acres of iconic landscape within North Carolina’s state parks, state recreation areas and state natural areas. It administers the N.C Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, including its local grants program, as well as a state trails program, North Carolina Natural and Scenic Rivers and more, all with a mission dedicated to conservation, recreation and education. The state parks system welcomes more than 22.7 million visitors annually.
About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (NCDNCR) is the state agency with a vision to be the leader in using the state's natural and cultural resources to build the social, cultural, educational and economic future of North Carolina. NCDNCR's mission is to improve the quality of life in our state by creating opportunities to experience excellence in the arts, history, libraries and nature in North Carolina by stimulating learning, inspiring creativity, preserving the state's history, conserving the state's natural heritage, encouraging recreation and cultural tourism, and promoting economic development.
NCDNCR includes 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, three science museums, three aquariums and Jennette's Pier, 41 state parks and recreation areas, the N.C. Zoo, the N.C. Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, State Preservation Office and the Office of State Archaeology, and the Division of Land and Water Stewardship. For more information, please visit www.ncdcr.gov.