The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control is pleased to announce three new Delaware State Parks leaders. Mika Drake is now the superintendent at Bellevue and Fox Point state parks, Nicole Worthley is the new cultural conservation program manager at the First State Heritage Park and Mark Wise has been named superintendent of Fort Delaware State Park.
“We are proud to welcome Mika, Nicole and Mark into their new roles with Delaware State Parks,” said DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation Director Ray Bivens. “Their backgrounds have prepared them with great leadership skills that will be invaluable to their respective parks, staff and visitors.”
Mika spent four years with Vermont State Parks before she started her career with Delaware State Parks. At White Clay Creek State Park, she held the positions of park patrol officer, camp director, park naturalist and seasonal assistant superintendent before she became assistant park superintendent at Lums Pond State Park. She then became park superintendent at Fort Delaware State Park prior to transferring into her present role as park superintendent at Bellevue and Fox Point state parks. Mika is a graduate of the America State Parks Leadership School and serves as president of the Delaware Recreation and Parks Society Board.
Nicole previously worked for Parks as a seasonal interpreter at Fort Delaware State Park from 2013 to 2015. She then worked for the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, where she served in several roles as seasonal and lead interpreter at the New Castle Court House Museum and the Historical Collections move technician for the C.A.R.E. team. Nicole now manages the historic and cultural sites of Delaware’s first urban “park without boundaries” in Dover.
Prior to his role as superintendent of Fort Delaware State Park, Mark worked at Alapocas, Wilmington, Bellevue and Fox Point state parks as a volunteer and intern manager. Before his time with Delaware State Parks, he spent more than 30 years in the private and non-profit sectors, during which time he directed all operational aspects of paper converting plants, and managed volunteer recruitment and education, fundraising and sporting events.
Mark, Mika and Nicole are responsible for all daily operations at their respective state parks, including supervision, scheduling and evaluation of staff; coordination of maintenance and visitor service programs; development and continuation of relationships with partners, adjacent landowners and community groups; and fiscal, programmatic and infrastructure planning.
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