Meet the park staff that work every day behind the scenes and on the front line to make the interpretive programs at Columbia State Historic Park happen.
District Staff
Danielle Gerhart - District Superintentant
Mike Merritt - District Interpretive Manager
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Park Management
Bart Grant - Park Manager
Bart has worked for Parks in the past as a
ranger/supervising ranger in Southern California and enjoyed working in the
field on trail projects, supporting and working alongside volunteers and
non-profits, while also maintaining the other core missions of the department.
In addition, Bart spent seven years with Amtrak where he was employed as a
train conductor among other roles, and most recently employed with the
Department of Consumer Affairs.
Interpretive Staff
Daniel Lewis - State Park Interpreter I
As Park Interpreter, I primarily oversee the Railtown volunteer
program, plan park events, host school visits, develop the junior ranger
program, and work towards the long-term interpretive goals for the park.
I look forward to working with you. Please don’t hesitate to
start a conversation with me.
Mike Ninneman - Interpretive Park Aide
I am a lifelong rail enthusiast and have been a volunteer at Railtown since 2011. I hired on at the park in 2022 in an effort to increase my contributions to Railtown because, like many of you, there is something about this place that sets it apart from other destinations that makes it worthy of our time and TLC. As both a volunteer myself and an employee, I understand the things you go through to make Railtown work, and I'm here to help make things easier and fun for all of us. This place is great, but it can always be better and it takes a lot of work to make it so. As long as I'm here, I will do everything I can to support each of you and keep the good times rolling!
Maintenance Staff
Justin Vaca - Park Maintenance Supervisor
Matt Sagaser - Restoration Work Specialist
Danny Taylor - Maintenance Worker I
Caleb Jones - Park Maintenance Aide
Kim Coco - Maintenance Aide
Keven Souza - Maintenance Aide
Cultural Staff
Lee Eal - Curator III
Lisa Delacy - Curator I
Ranger Staff
Jackie Olavarria - Supervising Ranger
