Ann E. Zahn

Ann Zahn has been with the State Parks Department since 1988, starting as a park ranger. Her duties now include responsibility for five state parks throughout central Virginia.

I knew I couldn't do a job that kept me inside all day and I still can't. Here at the park I have an opportunity to walk outside and get some air.

I started at the bottom and worked my way up. I saw an ad in the paper advertising for a park ranger and I said ‘that's a good job, little money.' But it was a start.

I got promoted and promoted again. There were promotional opportunities I hoped I'd find when I started.

What's fun about this job?

I want folks to come out and have a good time, relax and enjoy themselves. A lot of people don't have backyards, kids who have never seen squirrels. That's what I get the biggest kick out of, seeing people come out and have fun. That's why we're here – to give them that opportunity.

Do you have any special training?

We're law-enforcement certified. We [park rangers] go to the same type of 18-week academies as sheriff's deputies and police go through and we are fully certified with the Department of Criminal Justice. [Park rangers carry sidearms]. Usually the worst thing we have to deal with have been drunk individuals, sometimes drugs, occasionally a fight, but when we come up on somebody they have respect for the law enforcement authority you carry.

How did it feel when the State Parks system received the Gold Medal as the best system in the U.S.?

We always have said that we're 50 th in funding but rank first in enthusiasm. The Gold Medal is a wonderful achievement that recognizes the things that Virginia state parks are – we're well managed and make the most of what we have available to us. The Gold Medal [presented in 2002] says that somebody recognizes us for the great work that we do. It's something to show our constituents and our lawmakers that we're doing a good job. And it gives us a chance to say ‘Just imagine what we could do with more support.' If folks didn't like what we are doing, there would be a whole lot fewer people in the state parks system.

Ann E. Zahn is a graduate of West Virginia University, with a degree in forestry and an MBA from Averett University. She is originally from Gloucester County, Virginia.