Reflections on Interpretation: Talking Story with Guides and Interpreters

For more than fifty years, I’ve been asking one question: What is the purpose of heritage interpretation? Early in my career, a few key experiences set me on a path of reflection—a path that has shaped every step of my professional life since. Few of us have the luxury of working in isolation or for ourselves alone. If interpretation is to be meaningful and sustainable, it must do more than entertain or inform. We have to protect the resource itself and nurture the circumstances that make interpretation possible. That means building purpose—real, intentional purpose—into everything we plan and do. I’m Tim Merriman, and in this week’s episode of Reflections on Interpretation, I share a story from my early years—one that forever changed how I think about purpose in our work. It began with a simple question from another trainer: Why did purpose become so important to you so early on? Join me for this short, heartfelt episode. I hope it inspires you to think about how your work supports the mission and purpose of your organization—and why that purpose matters to you.

Join us for an inspiring conversation with Celeste Bernardo, who devoted 35 years to the National Park Service (NPS), building bridges between people, places, and heritage. With a career spanning coastlines, historic neighborhoods, and international cultural exchanges, Celeste is known for her gift of turning partnerships into lasting legacies. As acting Deputy Regional Director for the North Atlantic-Appalachian region, she supported more than forty national park units—from wilderness preserves and coastal habitats to historic sites and battlefields. Before that, she spent sixteen years as superintendent of partnership parks, where she championed community-driven projects: restoring historic structures, constructing trails, opening visitor centers, upgrading transportation systems, and hosting large-scale cultural events. Her leadership at Lowell National Historical Park, Boston National Historical Park, the Boston African American National Historic Site, and New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park demonstrates her ability to connect diverse communities to their shared stories. Celeste also served in the Washington Office as the first NPS Partnership Training Specialist, designing curriculum to strengthen leadership’s ability to collaborate across agencies, nonprofits, and communities. Earlier in her career, she honed her interpretive and visitor services skills at national seashores, historical parks, and recreation areas across the country. Since retiring in 2021, Celeste has continued her mission globally—volunteering in Thailand to enhance interpretive services and leading volunteer management training for park leaders from 38 national parks. From Massachusetts mills to Thai rainforests, Celeste’s story is about the power of collaboration, heritage, and the enduring human connection to place. #timmerriman #InterpretationMatters #HEARTApproach #MatherTrainingCenter #NPSInterpretation #InterpretiveConnections #VoicesOfInterpretation #nps #nationalpark #nationalparks #nationalparkservice

Today on Reflections I am talking story with my podcast co-host, Bill Gwaltney, who recently returned from a trip to western Europe to visit friends from his long career with National Park Service and especially with friends he made during his final five years with American Battle Monuments Commission. Born and raised in the Nation’s Capital, Bill Gwaltney is a seventh generation native of Washington, D.C. His pursuit of a degree in Forestry/Botany led him to change majors focusing on Western American History and Parks and Recreation Management. Gwaltney had many roles in his thirty-five-year career with the National Park Service from Seasonal Interpreter to Museum Curator and from Regional Interpretive Specialist to Chief Ranger, Site Manager and Park Superintendent. He also served as President of The Association of African American Museums. In addition, Gwaltney served as Chief Naturalist at Rocky Mountain National Park and as Assistant Regional Director for Workforce Diversity at the Intermountain Region in Denver, Colorado. Gwaltney’s last two years in the National Park Service found him on loan to the National Museum of African American History and Culture for the Smithsonian Institution, where he designed and developed the exhibit on Military History. The last five years of his career took him to Paris, France, where he worked for The American Battle Monuments Commission, as the Director of Interpretation and Visitor Services, assisting with the planning, Interpreter training, and Visitor Center development for the 26 American overseas military cemeteries under the Agency’s responsibilities. Still teaching classes to park and museum employees and volunteers, Gwaltney is a trained Instructor of the H.E.A.R.T approach to Interpretation. #timmerriman #InterpretationMatters #HEARTApproach #InterpretiveConnections #VoicesOfInterpretation #NPS #ABMC

Monique Thompson, CIT, is a Restorative Justice practitioner, nature enthusiast, and expert in interpretive education. Her programs inspire community connection and inclusivity, with a focus on environmental and personal well-being. She has been engaged in the education field for over 25 years as an instructor, collaborator, and learner. Early in her career she taught English as a Second Language to young people in Mozambique while serving in the Peace Corps. Since 2019 she has been a very active trainer of CIGs with National Association for Interpretation. https://timfmerriman.podbean.com/ #timmerriman #InterpretationMatters #HEARTApproach #InterpretiveConnections #VoicesOfInterpretation #raindropnaturalist

Born and raised in California, Marc Blackburn’s love of history led him to the Pacific Northwest, where he earned a B.A. in history from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington. Inspired by a passion for teaching and the complexities of the American experience, he pursued graduate work at Temple University in Philadelphia. There, under the mentorship of the renowned historian Dr. Russell F. Weigley, Marc earned a Ph.D. with a focus on modern American military and diplomatic history. What began as a summer job in 1987 as a seasonal park ranger at Independence National Historical Park turned into a lifelong calling. Over more than three decades, Marc has brought history to life in some of America’s most iconic and meaningful places—from the Klondike Gold Rush site in Seattle to the battlefields and sacred lands of the Nez Perce, and from the volcanic landscapes of Lava Beds and Tule Lake to the solemn grounds of Colonial National Historical Park, where he currently serves as Manager of Visitor Experience and Community Engagement. Now based in Virginia’s historic Tidewater region with his wife, Marc continues to share stories that connect people to the past, illuminate the present, and inspire stewardship for the future.

David Larsen (1960-2011) was a National Park Service Interpretive Ranger who became the Manager of Interpretive Training with National Park Service (NPS) at The Mather Employee Development Center. After many years as a frontline interpreter at sites such as the the Vietnam Memorial and Harper's Ferry National Historic Park, David stepped up to become a leader in Interpretive thought, philosophy, and training. Bill Gwaltney, Connie Rudd, and Kim Sikoryak were colleagues and collaborators with David during his training years and knew him well. Tim Merriman interviews the trio on “Reflections on Interpretation” about the enduring impact David's philosophy on training and the conceptual framework of Interpretation that has impacted the entire profession of heritage interpretation. Thanks is due NPS for our use of short clips of David speaking via a series of 5-videos available on youtube.com. We highly recommend you watch the entire series of about one hour and fifteen minutes. David's excellent interactive book entitled “Meaningful Interpretation” published by the Eastern National Cooperating Association is available through the association.

Toby Merriman is the Acting Director of Center for Virtual Expression at Southern Illinois University (SIU). He and his staff assist faculty at SIU in the uses of Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality and Gamification in teaching university students, who so readily employ these new tools. Join Monique Thompson, Clark Hancock, Rosemary Prince, Angel Burns, Matt Villamaino, Joanna Robinson and Tim Merriman in an hour and 8 minutes of Questions and Answers about the uses of these new tools in training interpreters, guides and the many people who employ an interpretive approach to communication. #timmerriman #heritageinterpretation #interpretivetraining