Darrell E. Lewis is retired from the position of Chief, Natural Resources Management Branch, Headquarters U.S. Army Corps of Engineers where he was responsible for policy guidance, fostering partnerships, budget prioritization and other headquarters roles for the Corps Natural Resources Management program. This program included the nation's largest (by visitation) Federal recreation program which annually served almost 400 million visitors in 43 states. Mr. Lewis completed 40 years of Federal Service.
A native of Washington State, Mr. Lewis earned a BS degree in Forest Management in 1961. After serving three years in the US Army Intelligence as a Special Agent at various locations in the Southeast, Mr. Lewis earned a Master of Forestry degree from The University of Michigan in 1966.
From 1966 to 1972 Mr. Lewis served in several positions with the Tennessee Valley Authority culminating in Chief, Recreation Planning Branch. He then moved to the Headquarters of the Bureau of Land Management where he served in several positions which culminated as Chief, Recreation and Cultural Resources Division until 1981. In 1981, Mr. Lewis moved to the Headquarters of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers until he retired in 2002.
Mr. Lewis served two terms on the Council for Accreditation from 1987 to 1991. He has served as an accreditation visitation team on several occasions. He is a past president of the National Society for Park Resources.
Mr. Lewis’s primary interests are national and regional strategy regarding the role of recreation at these levels; outcome based management of recreation; the role of recreation as a preventive health agent and its role as a partial solution to the emerging health insurance crisis; recreation economic impacts of the recreation industry at local, regional and national levels; public/private/non-profit partnerships; serving the evolving diverse population of this nation; development of a diverse body of professional practitioners; serving the profession through training on new and emerging management concepts; distance learning; and incorporating the pragmatics of practioner’s experience in the education of future recreation professionals.
Mr. Lewis is a past recipient of the Meritorious Civilian Service Award from the Corps of Engineers, the William Penn Mott, Jr. Award for Meritorious Service from the National Society for Parks and Recreation, the Recreation Legends Award from the American Recreation Coalition, National Recreation Resource Leadership Award from the National Association of Recreation Resource Planners.
Mr. Lewis now resides in Hayden, Idaho.