Tim A. Hudson
A native Californian, Tim Hudson grew up in the Bay Area and is an alumnus of University of California Davis and the University of Alaska. He began his NPS career in 1967 as a seasonal laborer, working on some of the very last projects of the Mission 66 era, to include construction of a sewage treatment plant at Cedar Grove in Kings Canyon NP and an access tunnel into Lehman Caves NM (now Great Basin NP). In 1971 he gained permanent status as a Civil Engineer/Project Supervisor. Hudson continued with the Western Office of Design and Construction (later consolidated into the Denver Service Center) and managed a number of projects throughout the West, to include projects at Zion, Glen Canyon, and Glacier Bay, Grand Tetons, Big Hole, Grant Kohrs Ranch, and John D. Rockefeller Parkway.
In the spring of 1982, Hudson became chief of maintenance at Yellowstone NP. During the next twenty years, he managed significant road construction projects, construction of new and improved facilities, as well as repair and rehabilitation projects. He maximized funding opportunities through the Park Rehabilitation and Improvement Program (PRIP), Legacy 99, and other initiatives. Hudson was a key player on the park management team during the historic 1988 fire season and managed the recovery infrastructure projects after the fires. He served on numerous service-wide committees and often provided the park maintenance perspective on various initiatives and management policies. He understood the way programs and funding integrated within the park and region, and developed and maintained good working relationships with park concessioners, cooperators, and benefactors.
In June 2002 Hudson became chief of maintenance for Alaska Region, where he and his team successfully competed for new construction funds, initiated alternative and sustainable energy projects, and enhanced professional development opportunities for park and regional office staff. He championed the use of better data management to guide the NPS in asset management and infrastructure investment decisions. In 2006, Hudson became the region’s associate director for operations, providing outstanding leadership for the region.
When Hurricane Sandy severely damaged National Park units along the East Coast in late 2012, Hudson left Alaska to assume oversight responsibility for the Northeast Region’s hurricane recovery program, bringing his years of expertise in project management to bear on the restoration effort. The effort involved more than 120 projects and well over $300 million in recovery funds and represented the largest restoration program that the NPS had ever undertaken.
Hudson is the recipient of the Department of the Interior’s Meritorious and Distinguished Service Awards. He left a rich legacy as a pioneer in the professionalizing the field of facilities and project management. A dedicated career NPS employee, Hudson served as a leader and advocate for the maintenance profession for nearly 50 years.