Wilkerson Selected as Superintendent of Shiloh National Military Park

Dale Wilkerson

Wilkerson

ATLANTA (Press Release) — Southeast Regional Director Stan Austin announced that Dale Wilkerson has been selected as the next superintendent of Shiloh National Military Park headquartered in Shiloh, Tenn. Wilkerson has served since 2007 as the administrative officer at the Natchez Trace Parkway, headquartered in Tupelo. He will begin his new assignment in early February.

“We are very fortunate to have Dale coming on board as the superintendent at Shiloh,” Austin said. “In his 20-year Park Service career he has proven himself to be a dedicated and effective leader. He did an outstanding job as acting superintendent of Natchez Trace Parkway and has shown a great ability to work with park partners and community leaders. We know he will be a great leader for one of our most significant and iconic Civil War parks.”

“Shiloh National Military Park, Shiloh National Cemetery, and the Corinth Interpretive Center are such great places, and I am truly honored to have been selected as superintendent,” Wilkerson said. “Although the Revolutionary War established the nation, we are defined as a people mostly by the struggles endured during the Civil War.  At the Battle of Shiloh, there were almost 24,000 casualties, more than all the previous U.S. wars combined to that date.  This is truly a place of honor, one of the hallowed grounds in the United States.  As we move toward celebrating the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016, I look forward to working with the staff, our partners, and the local communities in preserving and protecting these treasured resources.”

After a 20-year career in the U.S. Air Force, Wilkerson began working for the National Park Service (NPS) in 1994 as a branch chief for contracting, property, and financial management at the Natchez Trace Parkway. In his current position, Wilkerson is responsible for management of the parkway’s business operations across Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee. Areas under his direction include management analysis, contracting and procurement services, property and fleet management, programming, budget and financial services, human resources management, information technology systems support, and general business support services. Wilkerson has assisted with a variety of regional initiatives, including management studies, organizational analysis, and management assistance programs.

From August 2012 through December 2013, he served as the acting superintendent of the Natchez Trace Parkway, Tupelo National Battlefield, Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site, and the Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail, where he was responsible for leading and managing the eighth most visited NPS unit in the country.

In 2010 Wilkerson was temporarily assigned to the NPS Southeast Regional Office in Atlanta and served as the acting regional comptroller. In that role he directed the annual fiscal year closing process for more than 60 park units in the region, with the execution of obligations totaling more than $245 million.

Wilkerson retired from the United States Air Force in 1994. During his military career he served as the senior enlisted manager of contracting for a tactical fighter wing base and as a supervisory contract specialist. He also performed as a trumpeter with various Air Force field bands. His military decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal (with oak leaf cluster), Air Force Achievement Medal (with oak leaf cluster), the National Defense Service Medal (with bronze service star), and the Humanitarian Service Medal.

Wilkerson received a Bachelor of Science degree from Mount Olive College in Mount Olive, N.C., and a Master of Business Administration degree from Campbell University in Buies Creek, N.C.

He currently resides in Saltillo, Miss, with his wife of 38 years, Patti. They have two adult children. Wilkerson teaches adult Sunday school and regularly performs on the drums in his church’s praise band.

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