In February 2002, the National Park Service gladly welcomed Teresa Chambers as the Chief of the United States Park Police.  Following a report by the National Academy of Public Administration on the United States Park Police (click here to read the NAPA report), the National Park Service acted quickly to implement a recommendation from the report that "the new Park Police chief will require organizational, financial, personnel, and change management."  After a national search, Teresa Chambers was hired as Chief.

Praise ran high for Chief Chambers and the National Park Service championed her executive role as the first female Chief of the United States Park Police and her relationship with Fran Mainella, the first female Director of the Park Service, and Gale Norton, the first female Secretary of the Interior.  Mainella, who has a master's degree in counseling, sees herself as a mentor to women in Federal service, stating "if someone runs into challenges, we need to make sure they communicate with a mentor who could help." Mainella ensures Chief Chambers that opportunities to communicate with each other will abound. (Click here to read an interview with Fran Mainella)

Things seemed to be going well, so well, in fact, that Chief Chambers was never provided any official training or guidance on media or Congressional contact.  She simply had to rely on conventional wisdom, prior experience with the media that was lauded during her selection process, and what little documentation existed to her knowledge.  Through years of experience and special training, Chief Chambers had learned one golden rule - "Always be honest."  This is a rule that appeared to be a foundation for NPS dealings with the media as evidenced in the NPS Media Guide which states "Tell the truth!  Lies are trouble.  If you are caught, the media will have two stories instead of one.  Their first story is the truth.  The second is your effort to avoid the truth.  The second may become bigger than the first." (Click here to read the NPS Media Guide - special attention page 12).

Honesty, especially when it comes to law enforcement, and the burden for being completely forthright in the matters of public safety, is a critical issue for Chief Chambers.  Again, a strong background of experience and professional training have helped shape her approach.  As a Master of Science graduate of the Johns Hopkins University's Police Executive Leadership Program, she had both an academic and practical approach to ethical issues such as honesty.  According to the Fall 2003 Johns Hopkins Professional Studies Newsletter, " 'Ethics was a particularly valuable class,' notes Chambers, one she continues to draw from every day on the job."  Chief Chambers goes on to state, "There are choices and there are consequences to everything we do. I try to remember that in my decision making and I try to pass that along to my command." (Click here to read the article)  Little did Chief Chambers realize how quickly a decision to do right would bring drastic consequences.

Part Two

PLEASE TALK ... JUST DON'T SAY ANYTHING

In the first year that Teresa Chambers served as the Chief of the United States Park Police, the National Park Service reveled in the skills that made her the most attractive candidate in their national search for a Chief of Police.  Chief Chambers' skills in communication had been refined during a distinguished career with the Prince George's County Police Department, where she had extensive success in communicating internally with employees under her command and externally with the communities she served, and as the Chief of the Durham (NC) Police Department.  During her tenure as the Durham Chief, she had opportunity to employ communication techniques learned through extensive advanced training at the FBI National Academy, FBI National Executive Institute, and the Johns Hopkins University Police Executive Leadership Program and to enhance her own proven personal communication abilities.

As a Chief of Police, Teresa Chambers knew the importance of communicating essential public safety messages to the community through the media.  She understood the need to communicate with the politicians who shaped the laws affecting public safety, keeping them informed of all the factors critical to their decision making processes. She also knew that an inviolable rule of communicating was to always be honest and as open as possible. 

In addition to the early praises she received for establishing communication with some Congressional representatives and with the news media, Chief Chambers was led to believe that open communication is a major foundational element of National Park Service leadership.  In an interview for Women in Natural Resources, National Park Service Director Fran Mainella stated, "Probably the other greatest challenge is getting everybody to enhance their communication.  Part of my vision is excellent communication and of course that’s part of the Secretary’s vision for the Department of Interior." Mainella went on to say in the interview, " I also want to make sure that people communicate with each other more on the 'front side' of issues than on the back side.  So, if we’re in disagreement within the Park Service or have differences of opinion with our partners, it’s best that we are talking about things on the front side.  This helps build trust, and that is very important." (Click here to read the interview)

Director Mainella also claimed to understand that the need for communication is a critical success factor for law enforcement, especially for law enforcement that is based in a community approach.  In the same interview, Mainella stated, "You need to use more of a community policing concept, that is, going out into the communities to talk with people and having leadership in law enforcement being out there communicating." (Click here to read the interview)

The concept of communicating with Congress was never suppressed by Director Mainella, but rather it was strongly encouraged.  The National Park Service National Leadership Council's October 2001 Journal reflects, "Chairing her first National Leadership Council meeting, Director Fran Mainella shared expectations about her working relationship with the NPS leadership body. Most critical to her are: open communication, a strengthened relationship with Congress, proactive outreach to partners, and a full effort to meet the President's goals." Among these expectations were, "An even stronger relationship with the Congress. Director Mainella said that Capitol Hill should be kept fully informed of NPS actions and direction. The Service - while adhering to its mission - should welcome the opportunity to work with and assist Members of Congress" and "Full internal communication. The Director said neither she nor any other NLC member should appear surprised or unaware of Service action due to a lack of communication. She also said it was absolutely essential that NLC members communicate with NPS employees, whom she characterized as the agency's main asset." (Click here to read the NLC Journal)

Just three weeks prior to the National Park Service's action to strip Chief Chambers of her gun and badge for "communicating" with Congress and the media, Director Mainella issued a National Park Service Director's Order (Order 75A) to the rest of the Park Service leadership.  Included in Order 75A were the statements, "Let us make sure that we continually build relationships and communicate clearly about our mission and mandates," and "The public has a right to know about the challenges that confront the NPS and to participate in the process by which we find solutions to those challenges." (Click here to read Director's Order 75A)

Chief Chambers took these words of Director Mainella to heart.  During her 22 months as an active Chief, she engaged the communities she served.  She traveled to the various United States Park Police offices and spoke with the internal and external stakeholders.  In her travels, she made it a point to visit other National Parks and communicate with the park managers and law enforcement rangers to better develop a holistic understanding of public safety in our National Parks.  She communicated with Congressional representatives, both proactively and in response to questions they had regarding United States Park Police services.  Paramount to these communications was her communication within the National Park Service and Department of Interior leadership.  She was appointed to sit on a law enforcement council with the other Bureau law enforcement leaders within the Department of Interior so that she could communicate regarding public safety needs at a Departmental level.  She constantly kept her chain-of-command informed of significant events and media issues, as evidenced by hundreds of pages of emails and voice mail transcripts.

On November 20, Chief Chambers informed her chain-of-command about an interview conducted with the Washington Post regarding public safety issues in the Washington DC area in light of elevated homeland security responsibilities - an interview that seemed to mesh with the Director's Order that "the public has a right to know about the challenges the NPS faces."  The Department of Interior Press Office directed Chief Chambers to continue doing what she does best, interacting with the media as the sole point of contact on this issue.  Then, on December 2, Chief Chambers was surprised by Deputy Director Don Murphy's directive that she was to have no more interaction with the media.  She was stunned, three days later when her gun and badge were stripped from her.  She was devastated thirteen days after that when she was served with a notice of termination - termination for charges of communicating with the media and with Congress - the very mission that she thought she had been given and that the Park Service leadership had approved.  The basis for these charges conflicts with the very essence of the statements about communication made by Director Mainella. 

On December 4, the day before Chief Chambers' law enforcement identity was taken from her, Director Mainella made comments to another United States Park Police official that "It's so sad," and "It didn't have to come to this."  The fact is, it didn't have to come to this.  Chief Chambers was given direction and had followed that direction.  If her communication with Congress and with the media was contrary to the policies or philosophies of the National Park Service, why wasn't she told?  Where was the "front end" communication that Director Mainella had stated was necessary in the National Park Service?  Was it that open and flowing communication was only to be up the chain-of-command and not back down?  Chief Chambers can only wonder still, since there has been no communication whatsoever from her chain since December 5.

Part Three

The Invisible, Silent Mentor

“To achieve equal employment opportunity, all managers and supervisors in the National Park Service must exhibit a commitment to perpetuating an organizational climate where every employee has the opportunity to perform at the highest level of his/her ability.”

So reads the National Park Service Director’s Order 16 D.  (Click here to read the Director’s Order)  What leader would not want the opportunity to perform at the highest level?  Teresa Chambers expected no less.  The opportunity to work for Director Fran Mainella who held a master’s degree in counseling from Central Connecticut State College seemed promising.  After all, Mainella loudly touted a strong belief in mentoring, especially mentoring women in leadership positions.

Over time, though, the rhetoric of mentoring was simply that – rhetoric.  Communication between the leader of the National Park Service and the leader of the United States Park Police was inadequate.  While Chief Chambers technically reported to Deputy Director Don Murphy, the role of the United States Park Police was critical enough for Mainella to showcase Teresa Chambers when it was politically expedient … yet otherwise remained strangely silent, especially when issues between Chief Chambers and Murphy arose. 

Despite direction by Department of Interior Assistant Secretary Manson to hold bi-weekly meetings with Chief Chambers, Mainella seemed to never have the time available for the meetings.  In the wake of Chief Chambers filing a complaint of misconduct against Murphy, Mainella refused to personally meet with Chief Chambers.  And, in the ultimate failure to mentor, train, educate, and communicate with Chief Chambers, Mainella, who together with Don Murphy lured Chief Chambers to Murphy’s office for an alleged “meeting” about “general USPP issues,” refused to face Chief Chambers on December 5 when Murphy placed Chief Chambers on leave, materializing only after Chief Chambers had been escorted by armed special agents from the building.

Feedback on her performance, as mandated by Federal regulation, through annual performance appraisals and required intermediate meetings never materialized.  During the first twenty months as the Chief of the United States Park Police, Teresa Chambers never received any performance appraisal or performance review.  In fact, she has never been given a job description.

So how was Chief Chambers to know what the leadership role expected of her was?  She had to rely on Departmental policies and on other communications of Fran Mainella. 

The National Park Service guidelines for management accountability states “Management accountability is the expectation that managers are responsible for the quality and timeliness of program performance, increasing productivity, controlling costs and mitigating adverse aspects of agency operations, and assuring that programs are managed with integrity and in compliance with applicable law.”  (Click here to view the statement)  However, the accompanying Director’s Order, which would explain to NPS employees how to accomplish this mission seems never to have materialized.  (Click here to view the missing Director’s Order)

Consider the following statements of Fran Mainella:

Fran on Management and Funding – “As I've shared with you in this column over the past two years, the National Park Service is committed to improving performance by implementing the President's Management Agenda … These initiatives and reforms include enhanced management accountability, the use of performance measures, and a focus on strategically targeting and prioritizing funding to support our greatest needs.“ – Director’s Message (April 2003).

Yet the NPS is trying to fire Teresa Chambers for targeting funding.

Fran on Communicating with Others – “It is, indeed, an honor to have others seek out our opinions, and I also value the opportunities we're being offered to join others at the table and learn about and apply some of their best practices to resolving challenges we face.” – Director’s Message (September 2003).  “I encourage debate and invite constructive discussion. I value input from individuals both inside and outside of this agency. I recognize that as National Park Service employees, you are passionate about what you do and what you believe in. I respect that passion, and even though we may not all agree at all times, I never want that passion to be stifled.” – Director’s Message (September 2003).

Yet the NPS is trying to fire Teresa Chambers for sharing her opinions, internally and externally, about public safety in our National Parks.

Fran on Public Safety in the National Parks – “It is an awesome responsibility to safeguard America's most valued treasures and symbols, and the millions of visitors who come to our parks.” – Director’s Message (July 2003). “It is a daunting task to be responsible for safeguarding millions of acres, many of America's most valued treasures and symbols, and the millions of visitors who come to our parks. Homeland security remains a national concern.” – Director’s Message (June 2002). “The National Park Service has a responsibility to provide access to these special places entrusted to our care, while assuring the public's safety and the protection of our valuable resources.” – Director’s Message (September 2003). “Our preparedness enhances the safety of our visitors and ourselves; therefore, it is critical that we stand prepared at all times.” – Director’s Message (July 2003).

Yet, the NPS is trying to fire Teresa Chambers for confirming the inadequate resources of the National Park Service to provide public safety services in all our parks.

Fran on NPS Employees – “I consider the employees of the National Park Service (NPS) one of our greatest resources. Your hard work for, commitment to, and support of the NPS mission continues to keep this organization vital during these especially challenging times.” – Director’s Message (January 2003).  “It is essential that the NPS provide professional growth and continuous learning for all employees.” – Director’s Message (January 2003).

Rather than professional growth, the NPS has tried to inflict career death on Teresa Chambers.

Traveling a path that started with the highest of praise at the time of her hiring and leading to the shredding of her professional identity, Chief Chambers can only wonder how different things would be if she had truly been mentored by Director Mainella and not left to accept Mainella’s written words at their face value.