Cassius Cash
Cassius Cash
Cassius Cash is the Superintendent of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. He has over three decades of experience at the Forest Service and National Park Service, where he has engaged local communities and supported underrepresented individuals in natural resources and forestry. Before his current role, Cash worked as Superintendent of Boston National Historic Park and Boston African-American National Historic Site, where he helped launch the new visitor center at Faneuil Hall, which sees over five million visitors annually. He now guides the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with his strategic leadership and critical understanding of diversity and representation in the environmental field.
Cassius Cash was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, where he first fell in love with nature, watching Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom on TV, as these programs allowed him to travel to natural habitats and experience them through a screen. However, he noticed that no one on the show looked like him, so he wasn’t sure if people like him could hold occupations in the environment. However, his Boy Scouts troop leader taught him how to apply his skills in the natural world, thus sparking his interest and passion for an environmental career. He started at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff as a Pre-Med major before switching to Biology.
Cash started his career in 1991 at the U.S. Forest Service, with his first job at the Gifford Pinchot National Forest as a Wildlife Biologist. He served in the role for nine years until his promotion to Civil Rights Program Manager in 2000. During his 18 years with the Forest Service, he served in various leadership positions, including District Ranger at Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest (2002-2005), Services Staff Officer at Nebraska National Forest (2005-2007), and most recently, Deputy Forest Supervisor at Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest (2007-2010). In 2010, Cash embarked on a career with the National Park Service, where he served as Superintendent of Boston National Historical Park and Boston African-American National Historic Site from 2010 to 2015 before starting his current role as Superintendent of Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2015. In the former role, he worked with the City of Boston to open a new visitor center in historic Faneuil Hall, a center that remains an attraction for tourists and locals alike. Cash also worked with partners to secure four million dollars to reopen the African Meeting House, the oldest black church still in its original location in the country. He now oversees Great Smoky Mountains National Park, applying his technical and social skills to help the park align with its values and goals to connect people to the outdoors.
One of the biggest challenges Cash has faced in his career was not seeing people like him in the field, whether on television or in real life. He has often been the first to hold many of the jobs he has held, which he cites can be "a very uncomfortable position to be in" (2023). However, he highlights that this has also been a source of strength, as he has led the path for many young professionals. In every meeting or job he holds, he remembers that he is representing others, which motivates him despite the many challenges he has faced. He understands that he brings a different perspective and sees his background and education as a source of power and strength.
Cash cites many people for his success, including his Boy Scouts troop leader, Henry Peabody, and Earl Ford, a biologist, who helped him realize the importance of representation. He has carried this throughout his career and into the present, where he uses any opportunity to connect with underrepresented young professionals "to speak to [his] future] with the stories from the past" (2023).
In reflecting on advice he'd give to underrepresented young professionals considering careers in the natural resources sector, he highlights the importance of being picky with making decisions that involve relationships with others, noting that you should "take your time and gather all your information and resources" to make informed decisions (2023). Additionally, he emphasizes continual learning, especially learning beyond technical skills. Cash advises young professionals to take leadership or emotional intelligence courses, as these are invaluable to your career. However, at the end of the day, "your journey, your successes, your fears, and your failures are going to be gifts to others one day. So place value on that journey now" (2023).
Black Faces in Green Spaces: The Journeys of Black Professionals in Green Careers. Sustainable Forestry Initiative and Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences. (2023). Retrieved February 19, 2024.
Reynolds, B. Cassius Cash Named Superintendent of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. (2015). Retrieved February 19, 2024 from https://www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/news/newsupterintendent.htm
Reynolds, B. Cassius Cash Named Superintendent of Great Smoky Mountains National Park [Photo]. (2015). Retrieved February 19, 2024 from https://www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/news/newsupterintendent.htm