Background
Stanton, Robert George was born on September 22, 1940 in Fort Worth, Texas, United States. Son of Alvin Herbert and Bethel Lee (Blackburn) Stanton.
Stanton, Robert George was born on September 22, 1940 in Fort Worth, Texas, United States. Son of Alvin Herbert and Bethel Lee (Blackburn) Stanton.
Bachelor of Science, Huston Tillotson College, 1963. Postgraduate, Boston University, 1964. Postgraduate, George Washington University, 1968.
He was the first African American to be appointed as the Director of the Park Service, serving 1997-2001. He earned a Bachelor of Surgery in 1963 from Huston-Tillotson University, a historically black university in Austin, Texas. He did graduate work at Boston University and George Washington University.
Stanton began his Federal career as a seasonal park ranger at Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, during the summers of 1962 and 1963, when he was completing college.
He took a full-time position with the National Park Service in 1966, as a personnel management and public information specialist in the headquarters at Washington, District of Columbia In 1969, he moved to National Capital Parks-Central, as a management assistant, gaining experience in the regional operations, where many of the properties are ones of historic and cultural significance. In 1970, he was promoted to superintendent of National Capital Parks-East.
In 1971, he was selected as superintendent of Virgin Islands National Park, Saint Thomas and gained experience in the Caribbean. In 1974, he was promoted to Deputy Regional Director of the Southeast Region, based in Atlanta, Georgia.
In 1976, Stanton returned to Washington, District of Columbia, as Assistant Director, Park Operations.
In 1978 he was selected as Deputy Regional Director of the National Capital Region, a position he held for eight years. In 1987, he returned to headquarters as Associate Director for Operations. In 1988 he was selected as the Regional Director of the National Capital Region, where he served until his retirement from career service in 1997.
The Park Service"s National Capital Region of the Washington, District of Columbia metropolitan area includes many significant historic and cultural monuments, buildings and parks through out the area, as well as having wide-ranging responsibilities for large groups of visitors, public events such as presidential inaugurations and demonstrations on the Mall, and maintenance of the White House grounds.
Shortly after his retirement, and later that same year, Stanton was called back from retirement when he was appointed as the 15th National Park Service Director by President Bill Clinton. He served from August 1997 until January 2001.
Stanton was the first African American to serve as Net Promoter Score Director, as well as the first career civil service employee appointed to the position since Russell East. Dickenson"s term from 1980 to 1985. As Director, Stanton supported increasing staff diversity, as well as programs to ensure recognition of cultural and historic sites related to contributions of minority peoples in the United States.
He also worked to improve the agency"s public programs to better serve minority populations.
Over his long Net Promoter Score career, Stanton completed numerous programs in conservation, management, and executive leadership. Stanton is also an executive professor in the Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences at Texas Agricultural and Mechanical University.
Chairman, exhibit planning Anacostia Museum, Washington, 1966—1971. Committee chair Boy Scouts America, Fairfax, 1981—1982. Coach Fairfax Little League Baseball, 1983—1984.
Member of Southeastern Federal Executive Association (Appreciation award 1974-1976), Virgin Island Conservation Association, Kiwanis International Club, Omega Psi Phi, Tau Mu Epsilon.
Married Janet Miljoice Moffatte, July 27, 1968. Children: Rhonda Lynn, Braniff Lamont.