Ramos is replacing Dale Ditmanson, who announced plans to retire on Jan. 3 after 36 years with the National Park Service. Ditmanson has served as superintendent since May 2004.

 “We are very pleased that Pedro has agreed to step in as the acting superintendent at the Smokies,” said Stan Austin, regional director for the Southeast Region. “He has great experience as a superintendent and is very knowledgeable in protecting resources and taking care of visitors. We know he will do a superb job as we conduct a search for a permanent superintendent.”

Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Ramos attended the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, where he graduated with a bachelor of science in 1990. He began his federal career with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farmers Home Administration, in Vermont. In 2001 Ramos transferred to the National Park Service as Administrative Officer at Big Cypress National Preserve. In 2005 he was named Deputy Superintendent there and devoted much of his time to establishing strong community relationships with its many partners in South Florida. His career has also included acting superintendent assignments at Jimmy Carter and Andersonville National Historic Sites in Georgia, and San Juan National Historic Site in Puerto Rico.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the largest protected land areas east of the Rocky Mountains, with more than 500,000 acres of forests and more than 2,000 miles of streams.