oldest Black church still in its original location in the country. He and his team worked to rebrand Boston's Freedom Trail and the Black Heritage Trail as the Boston Trail to Freedom in order to merge the histories of the American Revolution and history of abolition and to “highlight Boston’s ‘total’ contribution” to US history. In 2014, Cash served as the deputy regional director and chief of staff in the National Park Service Northeast Regional Office. By the end of his five years of service in Boston, Cash was noted as having made “a significant impact” during his term as superintendent there. In late 2014, National Park Service Regional Director Stan Austin named Cash as the superintendent of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Cash stepped into the Smokies superintendent position in February 2015, taking over after a series of acting superintendents and the earlier departure of the park's previous permanent superintendent, Dale Ditmanson, who retired in January 2014. In 2017, Cash also served a temporary assignment as acting superintendent of National Mall and Memorial parks in Washington, DC, for 120 days. Since arriving in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Superintendent Cash has managed the park through a number of notable events including the disastrous Chimney Tops 2 Fire, the 2016 National Park Service Centennial, and Smokies Centennial Hike 100 challenge, the 2018 completion of the ‘Missing Link’ of the Foothills Parkway, and the 2020 arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, Superintendent Cash introduced a ground-breaking proposal that would address the financial needs of the park as its visitation has consistently increased by 57% over a ten-year period, while working with a flat budget and a declining workforce. The initiative, called “Park it Forward,” proposed having visitors purchase a parking tag when recreating within the park. Though controversial in some surrounding communities, the ‘Park it Forward’ parking tag program was approved on April 4, 2022 with the support of the majority of the national public. The parking tag requirement will go in effect March 1, 2023. It is predicted that the program will generate between $6-8 million in its first year of implementation, with 100% of the revenue staying in the park. Several long-time supporters, including former Senator Alexander of Tennessee, have personally shared with superintendent Cash, “The Park it Forward initiative will be as impactful as it was for when Great Smoky Mountains National Park was created.” Awards On