Reflections on Interpretation: Talking Story with Guides and Interpreters

Alan Alex Marti, Safari Guide, Talks Story with Tim Merriman and Bill Gwaltney in the Serengeti

Alan Alex Marti is more than a safari guide, he is a cultural bridge and storyteller shaped by the landscapes and traditions of northern Tanzania. Of Maasai and Iraqwi heritage, Alan represents just two of the country’s 127 tribes, diverse communities united by a shared national language, Swahili, while each maintains its own rich linguistic and cultural identity.
Fluent in Swahili, English, and Maa, Alan moves easily between worlds, welcoming guests from across the globe while remaining deeply rooted in his own. As a freelance guide working with multiple safari companies, he navigates not only vast distances, across a country larger than Texas, but also the expectations, curiosities, and emotions of every traveler he hosts.
Behind the wheel of his Toyota Land Cruiser, Alan carries more than six guests at a time, he carries responsibility. He is a driver on rugged terrain, a mechanic when challenges arise, a naturalist interpreting wildlife behavior, a historian giving voice to the land, and a host creating a sense of belonging in unfamiliar places.
What truly sets Alan apart, however, is his presence. His warm, congenial nature invites connection, transforming a safari from a sightseeing trip into a shared human experience. Through his guidance, guests don’t just see Tanzania, they begin to understand it, feel it, and carry a piece of it with them long after the journey ends.
#timmerriman  #InterpretationMatters  #HEARTApproach  #InterpretiveConnections #VoicesOfInterpretation #nationalpark  #Tanzania #Serengeti #VisitTanzania #GreatMigration#SerengetiMigration #AfricanWildlife #SafariExperience

Susan Langdon, NPS, Talks Story with Bill Gwaltney and Tim Merriman on Reflections on Interpretation

With more than 32 years of experience in interpretation with the National Park Service, Susan brings a depth of wisdom shaped by service, leadership, and a passion for meaningful connection. Her career began as an intern and quickly progressed to a seasonal interpreter, permanent park guide, and ultimately Park Ranger Interpreter. Along the way, she supervised and mentored interpretive staff, championed audience-centered interpretation, and trained teams in the most current, effective interpretive techniques.
A certified interpreter instructor through both the National Park Service’s Mather Training Center and the National Association for Interpretation, she has led large volunteer programs and equipped volunteers with skills in customer service and informal interpretation, ensuring that every visitor encounter has the potential to inspire.
Among her most meaningful accomplishments was partnering with two Native American tribes to reconnect youth and elders with their traditional homeland at Rocky Mountain National Park. Together, they created opportunities for intergenerational storytelling that strengthened cultural identity and ultimately enriched park staff and visitors alike.
She draws on decades of lived experience to explore the art and heart of interpretation, sharing stories, practical tools, and thoughtful conversations that inspire listeners to create deeper emotional and intellectual connections between people and place.
#timmerriman  #InterpretationMatters  #HEARTApproach  #NPSInterpretation #InterpretiveConnections #VoicesOfInterpretation #nps #nationalpark #nationalparks #nationalparkservice

Dominic Cardea, NPS Retired, Talks Story with Tim Merriman and Bill Gwaltney

Dominic Cardea (Dom) recently retired after a 34 year National Park Service career spent turning big ideas—geology, history, culture, and community—into invitations to be curious. He helped shape and facilitate national interpretation and leadership programs, coached frontline interpreters, and trained hundreds in digital interpretation. A curious philosopher at heart, Dom loves the “why” behind a place and its objects—what they reveal, how they connect, and the questions they spark. He champions audience-centered, resource-focused interpretation that’s collaborative and co-creative, not a TED Talk in the woods. He’s happiest when the guests, places and objects becomes the co-facilitators of experiences—and everyone leaves wanting to explore more- including him .
#timmerriman  #InterpretationMatters  #HEARTApproach  #NPSInterpretation #InterpretiveConnections #VoicesOfInterpretation #nps #nationalpark #nationalparks #nationalparkservice

Karen Cucurullo, NPS, Joins Bill Gwaltney and Tim Merriman on Reflections on Interpretation

Join us for a powerful conversation with Karen Cucurullo, a seasoned leader with nearly 35 years in the National Park Service. From Manassas to Death Valley, Karen has served in diverse roles, from interpretation and education to resource management and law enforcement. Before retiring she supervised in the Southeast Regional Office, supporting parks and communities across 9 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Discover how her holistic perspective shapes stewardship of 3.8 million acres of national treasures, thousands of cultural sites, and endangered species protection—connecting people, places, and purpose through the heart of public lands.
 
#timmerriman  #InterpretationMatters #NPSInterpretation #InterpretiveConnections #VoicesOfInterpretation #nps #nationalpark #nationalparks #nationalparkservice

Heather Holm, California State Parks Director of Interpretation and Education, Talks Story with Tim Merriman and Bill Gwaltney

Heather Holm is the Chief of the Interpretation and Education Division of California State Parks and is the guest of Tim Merriman and Bill Gwaltney on Reflections on Interpretation: Talking Story with Guides and Interpreters podcast. Heather has 22 years of experience in interpretation, having worked in various positions in California State Parks. Her work experience includes interpretive program development and facilitation, distance learning program development, project management, policy development, interpretive planning, intellectual property rights administration, and interpretive training development and facilitation. She has also worked in various non-profit museums and archives doing collection work, research, and record processing.
 
Heather is passionate about supporting front-line interpretive staff and volunteers in their work, and coaching and mentoring interpreters. She has a Master of Arts degree in Public History from California State University, Sacramento.
 
#timmerriman  #InterpretationMatters  #HEARTApproach#Interpretation #InterpretiveGuide #CaliforniaStateParks #ExploreCalifornia #CAStateParks #SeeCalifornia #CaliforniaNature #CaliforniaHistory #CaliforniaOutdoors

Daniel Martinez, NPS Pearl Harbor Historian and Interpreter Talks Story with Bill Gwaltney and Tim Merriman

Tim Merriman and Bill Gwaltney talk story with Daniel Martinez on Reflections on Interpretation. For historian Daniel Martinez, history isn’t just something to study—it’s something you feel. After 44 years with the National Park Service, most recently as historian at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial, Martinez reflects on a career dedicated to keeping the past vividly alive.
From his own family’s memories of December 7, 1941 to his years connecting with survivors, leaders, and visitors, Martinez has helped countless people see the human side of history—and feel its lasting presence.
He shares the stories, moments, and relationships that shaped his life’s work from his start at Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument to Pearl Harbor and why the lessons of war, peace, and resilience still matter today.
#timmerriman  #InterpretationMatters  #HEARTApproach #MatherTrainingCenter #NPSInterpretation #InterpretiveConnections #VoicesOfInterpretation #nps #nationalpark #nationalparks #nationalparkservice #OralHistory #HumanHistory #PearlHarbor #WWIIHistory #December71941 #PearlHarborRemembrance

Gary Candelaria Talks Story with Bill Gwaltney and Tim Merriman on Reflections on Interpretation

Gary Candelaria brings a lifetime of dedication to America’s public lands to this episode of Reflections on Interpretation: Talking Story with Guides and Interpreters. Raised in Los Angeles and inspired early on to become a park ranger, he pursued that dream through a forestry degree at Oregon State University before entering the prestigious Intake Ranger program in 1975. His first assignment at Saratoga National Historical Park during the nation’s Bicentennial set the stage for a distinguished National Park Service career.
Candelaria went on to serve in key leadership roles across the country, Assistant Chief of Interpretation at Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Chief Ranger at Sitka National Historical Park, and Superintendent at Fort Laramie National Historic Site, Pinnacles (then National Monument), and Wrangell–St. Elias National Park & Preserve. Along the way he earned a master’s degree from the University of Oklahoma and worked in Washington, D.C., as assistant to Director Roger Kennedy.
Before retiring in 2008, Candelaria capped his service as Assistant Director of Harpers Ferry Center and Associate Regional Director for Cultural Resources in Omaha. Now living in Sharpsburg, Maryland, he continues contributing to historical scholarship as a contractor for the U.S. Navy, updating the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
Join Bill Gwaltney and Tim Merriman as Gary reflects on a remarkable career shaped by curiosity, stewardship, and a deep commitment to interpretation.
#timmerriman  #InterpretationMatters  #HEARTApproach #MatherTrainingCenter #NPSInterpretation #InterpretiveConnections #VoicesOfInterpretation #nps #nationalpark #nationalparks #nationalparkservice

Costa Dillon Talks Story with Bill Gwaltney and Tim Merriman on Reflections on Interpretation

Costa Dillon is a retired National Park Service ranger and park superintendent who worked in more than a dozen parks in his 35-year career including as Superintendent of Indiana Dunes National Park, Fire Island National Seashore, and the Horace Albright Training Center. He is the recipient of the Department of the Interior’s Meritorious Service Award, the National Parks Conservation Association's Stephen Mather Award, and the National Association for Interpretation’s Meritorious Service Award.
Mr. Dillon has a B.S. from the University of California, Davis, and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Colorado. Costa has been an adjunct faculty member of the University of New Hampshire and Indiana University where he is an Honorary Fellow of the Eppley Institute for Parks and Public Lands.. He currently teaches at San Diego State University and California State University, San Marcos.
Mr. Dillon is the creator and principal writer of the feature film Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, as well as five other feature motion pictures. 
#timmerriman  #InterpretationMatters   #VoicesOfInterpretation #HeritageInterpretation #NationalParks, #InterpretiveVoices, #NPSVoices, #KillerTomatoes

T. Lindsay Baker, Historian and Author, Talks Story with Tim Merriman and Bill Gwaltney on Reflections on Interpretation

Join Tim Merriman and Bill Gwaltney for a fascinating conversation with T. Lindsay Baker, a historian of the American West who doesn’t just write about the past, he’s lived it.
Author of more than two dozen peer-reviewed histories and a lifelong interpreter, Baker brings academic rigor and interpretive insight together in ways few others do. Known for using first-person interpretive scenarios in his university classrooms and immersive living history to inform his writing, Lindsay once built and lived in a sod house on the Great Plains for 18 months, just to better understand frontier life.
T. Lindsay shows how deep empathy and lived experience can change how we teach, write, and guide at the intersections of history, storytelling, and self-awareness. Whether you’re a museum educator, park interpreter, or heritage trainer, this episode will challenge and inspire you to think differently about how and why we interpret.
He's also a Fulbright Scholar and Texas Tech alum who held curatorial and faculty roles at major institutions across Texas and beyond. But we think you’ll appreciate him most for his humility, humor, and the way he helps us see interpretation as a tool for deep connection.
#timmerriman  #InterpretationMatters  #HEARTApproach #InterpretiveConnections #VoicesOfInterpretation #heritage interpretive guide
 

Tim Merriman Talks Story on Reflections on Interpretation: What is the Purpose of Heritage Interpretation?

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.