Voyageurs Names New Superintendent After Long Vacancy
Jennifer Onufer began leading Minnesota's only national park last week, ending a vacancy of nearly a year and a half.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in National Parks
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Jennifer Onufer became superintendent of Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota's only national park, last week. The park had been without a superintendent for nearly a year and a half.
Why it matters
The position had been empty during a period of federal cuts that included firings and hiring freezes affecting park staff. Key park partners are hoping Onufer's hiring signals stability for the park's operations.
Voyageurs National Park recorded about 206,300 visits in 2025, and National Park Service full-time employees fell 24% from the start of 2025 to 12,600 by year's end. The extraction does not indicate how staffing changes will affect visitor services at the park.
The players
Jennifer Onufer
Onufer is a veteran federal lands employee who became superintendent of Voyageurs National Park after a career that most recently took her to northern California.
Voyageurs National Park
Voyageurs National Park is Minnesota's only national park, headquartered in International Falls, and known for its lakes and waterways along the Canadian border.
The details
Onufer is a veteran federal lands employee whose most recent work was in northern California and who grew up in northern New York state. The park is headquartered in International Falls and had gone nearly a year and a half without a superintendent.
Timeline
2025: Federal cuts, firings, and hiring freezes began affecting National Park Service staff.
End of 2025: National Park Service full-time employees reached 12,600.
Early November 2026: Onufer began her role as superintendent at Voyageurs.
Seasonal Patterns
The vacancy at Voyageurs unfolded during the 2025 federal cuts and hiring freezes under the Trump Administration, which drove National Park Service full-time employees down 24%. Onufer's arrival marks one local reversal within that broader decline in federal park staffing.
Visitors planning a trip to Voyageurs should check the park's current services and hours with its headquarters in International Falls. Staffing changes at the park may affect the availability of some visitor programs.
The takeaway
A leadership vacancy of nearly a year and a half at a national park reflects how federal staffing changes can reach local park operations. Readers planning park visits can benefit from checking current conditions before traveling.
Further reading
Explore more on National Parks for context on how staffing shifts affect the parks system.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Star Tribune.
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