Julie Galonska Named Superintendent

Superintendent Julie Galonska

NPS

News Release Date: August 31, 2017

ST. CROIX FALLS: Wisconsin. Julie Galonska, a 23-year veteran of the National Park Service (NPS), has been selected as the new Superintendent of St. Croix National Scenic Riverway (St. Croix) headquartered in St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin. Galonska is currently the Chief of Interpretation, Education, and Cultural Resource Management at the Riverway and has been serving as the acting Superintendent since February 2016. 

“We are pleased to welcome Julie as the Superintendent of St. Croix,” said Midwest Regional Director, Cam Sholly. “Julie has done a great job as the acting Superintendent since 2016, both within the NPS operation at St. Croix, and externally with our many outstanding partners in the community. She has the right approach and blend of experience to continue moving the park forward in a positive direction.”  

Beginning her NPS career as the historian at Fort Smith National Historic Site in Arkansas, Galonska has also worked at Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio and Frederick Douglass National Historic Site in Washington, DC. Galonska received a Master of Arts degree in public history from Oklahoma State University and has a Bachelor of Science degree in history and written communications from Eastern Michigan University.

“I am honored to have been selected as the Superintendent of St. Croix National Scenic Riverway.  I look forward to continuing to work with the staff, partners, and communities along the St. Croix and Namekagon Rivers, especially as we celebrate the 50^th anniversary of St. Croix’s designation as one of America’s first Wild and Scenic Rivers in 2018,” said Galonska.

The St. Croix and Namekagon Rivers flow for over 200 miles through Minnesota and Wisconsin. Galonska has spent many hours paddling the river with her husband James Nalen and their children.  The family also enjoys hiking, soccer, and travel.  

www.nps.gov/sacn

The St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, a unit of the National Park System, was established by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in 1968. It is one of a group of eight rivers in the country which first received this recognition. For over 200 miles, the St. Croix and its tributary, the Namekagon, flow through some of the most scenic and least developed country in the Upper Midwest.