FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) – The superintendent of Grand Canyon National Park has chosen retirement over a transfer after being told the park needed new leadership to address a longstanding pattern of sexual harassment and hostile work environments.
Dave Uberuaga was not implicated in any of the allegations of sexual misconduct in the park’s river district, but federal investigators accused him of failing to properly look into and report them. Uberuaga told employees Tuesday that he declined an offer from National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis to transfer to Washington, D.C. Instead, he’s retiring, effective June 1.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Uberuaga said he took the report by the Interior Department’s Office of Inspector General seriously and had begun implementing change, including banning alcohol on agency river trips and later abolishing the river district. He said he was focused on creating an environment where employees could freely voice their concerns without fear of retaliation.
“I would have liked to been the one to try to move us through this situation,” Uberuaga said. “Yet there is this pressure for change, which is very real. There is a pressure that a new management perspective can come in and bring new information, new skillsets and actually can improve the situation.”
It’s unclear who will succeed Uberuaga, who worked with the Park Service for more than three decades.