Daniel Shelman Named Superintendent of White Oak Lake State Park

By Staff, 02/9/21 8:00 AM

White Oak Lake State Park recently hired a new superintendent.  Daniel Shelman is no stranger to southwest Arkansas as he spent several years at Historic Washington State Park.  Mr. Paul Oller graciously took a picture of Daniel for us and we asked Daniel for a few paragraphs about his past experience.  We liked what he wrote so well we decided to use his words…

I started at White Oak at the end of February 2020 as Park Superintendent.  I’ve only known the COVID world since being here and it was quite a transition but I have an awesome crew here at the park.  We have 9 positions and all are team players.  Our Office Manager, Nicole Willis, and Maintenance Supervisor Jason Jackson are both long term employees and have both been working at White Oak for over 16 years.

I grew up in Magnet Cove, AR where I attended school.  I then graduated from Henderson State in Dec 2009 with a Bachelor Degree in Parks and Recreation Management.  I was hired as a Seasonal State Park Ranger at Lake Ouachita and attended the AR Law Enforcement Training Academy in Jan 2010.  In May 2010, I was promoted to Park Ranger at Historic Washington where I met my wife, Heather.  Washington is a very special place for my family and I.  Heather grew up in the historic park and her mother and step-father are still employed there.  In Dec 2014, I transferred to Lake Catherine State Park as a Park Ranger and then in March 2018, I was promoted to Cossatot River State Park Natural Area as the Assistant Superintendent.

Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to do our typical programming and events at the park because of the pandemic.  As soon as we are back on track, I will keep you posted.  We greatly appreciate your help in promoting this park.