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Charlotte Amalie
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On Island Profile: Elba Richardson

Dec. 3, 2006 — When Elba Richardson got a job with V.I. National Park in 1990, she saw it as an employment opportunity. But now, she's come to share the park's conservation ethic.
"I really believe in the mission of preservation so my grandkids and great grandkids can enjoy it," Richardson said.
Richardson started her park career as the superintendent's secretary, serving under an ever-changing roster of officials, as park superintendents came and went in National Park Service fashion.
"I was able to learn a lot and dealt with every issue in the superintendent's office," she said.
She said that job provided broad exposure and networking opportunities within the vast National Park Service family.
After seven years in the superintendent's office, she moved up the ranks to personnel assistant, then in 2001 to her current job as concession management specialist.
"It's a harried job. I'm busy all the time. No two days are alike," she said.
As the concession specialist, she's responsible for about 100 commercial-use permits, including those held by taxi drivers, the concession contract for Cinnamon Bay Campground, and water sports concessions at Caneel Bay Resort and Maho Bay Camps. And, in February, she took over managing the user fee program.
While the park's mission is to preserve its resources, she said that many people think its job is to make money. With that idea in their minds, they come to Richardson with a wide variety of proposals that run the gamut from hair braiding to pizza delivery by boat.
She said before making a decision, she looks at several issues.
"Is it necessary, is it appropriate and is it found outside the park?" Richardson asked.
She said that since St. John is so small, many of the proposed services can be found just outside the park.
Richardson said she must provide a balance and ensure that park visitors get the best value for their money when they use services provided by concessionaires.
Her career at the park comes with an occasional perk that includes meeting the dignitaries that visit. She counts former Vice President Dan Quayle on that list.
She also said that interacting with the public is the No. 1 thing she likes about her job.
Richardson , 42, grew up on St. Thomas , graduating from All Saints School before spending a few years at the University of the Virgin Islands . She started her working career at the Education Department before returning to UVI to work in the now defunct Caribbean Research Institute. She then worked as the U.S. Postal Service's first female letter carrier on St. Thomas before making the move to the park.
On her days off, she takes her mother, Florence Lewis, shopping and tends to her family. She and husband Roy Richardson have been married 22 years and are the parents of three boys, Roy Jr., 19; Kyle, 14; and Travis, 9.
She currently spends three hours a day commuting four days a week to St. John from her home west of Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas, but said she expects to soon switch back to a five-day week.
"I get home at 8 o'clock, start to cook, help with homework, then get up the next day and do it all over again," she said.
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