Donald W. Murphy, the incoming Chief Executive Officer of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, oversees the management and administration of the 160,000 sq. ft. museum and its programs to eliminate contemporary slavery. Mr. Murphy is the former deputy director of the National Park Service. He was appointed deputy director of the National Park Service in September 2001 and assisted in managing 390 national park units covering approximately 84 million acres, more than 23,000 employees, and a total budget of more than $2.3 billion. Murphy's priorities with the Park Service focused on preserving the nation's treasured cultural resources and protecting wildlife and its habitats.
He served for seven years as the director of California State Parks, the nation's largest and most diverse state park system. He began his career as a California state park ranger, serving in various capacities including the superintendent of the parks along the Big Sur coast where he partnered with the Ventana Wilderness Sanctuary to (VWS) establish a bird banding and youth education center at Andrew Molera State Park. Later, as director, he traveled to Alaska with the VWS to collect eaglets to repopulate the Ventana Wilderness.
Murphy has extensive management experience with museums and cultural and historic sites. During his tenure as director of California State Parks, Murphy had responsibility for the world-renowned California State Railroad Museum, the Hearst Castle State Historic Monument, and several other state museums.
Raised in Los Angeles, CA, Murphy earned a BA degree in Biology in 1975 at the University of California, San Diego. After graduating he attended graduate school in physiology and pharmacology at UC San Diego, where he served as a graduate research assistant at the world renowned Salk Institute.
Murphy has served as president of the California State Park Rangers Association, the National Association of Outdoor Recreation Liaison Officers, trustee and treasurer of the National Park Conservation Association, and trustee of the Golden Gate National Park Conservancy, and continues to serve on several other boards. He is currently the chairman of the board of Global Conservation Assistance. Murphy also is a seminar moderator at the Aspen Institute in Colorado, where he leads seminars on executive leadership and leading change.
Murphy is married to LaRena Romrell Murphy. They have six children; three boys and three girls: Damien age 35, Kina age 34, Christopher age 33, Liv age 31, Timothy age 19 and Anna age 18. Murphy is a published poet and has authored a number of articles. Backpacking, writing, and golf are among his hobbies. He has made regular appearances on CNN, CNBC, CSPAN and MSNBC.
