MEDORA, N.D. (TRPLF) – The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation (TRPLF) announced the election of Theodore Roosevelt V and National Park Service veteran David Vela to the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation Board of Trustees.
The Foundation also shared that trustee Robbie Lauf will be leaving the Board to become the Director of Partnerships and Programming for the TRPLF.
“We are thrilled to be adding Ted Roosevelt V and David Vela to our Board of Trustees. Their combined knowledge, experience, and passion for conservation will greatly benefit our organization,” said Linda Pancratz, chair of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation.
Theodore Roosevelt V is the great great grandson of TRPLF’s namesake as well as the co-founder and managing partner of Redwood Grove Capital. Prior to that he was a Managing Director at Golden Tree Asset Management, and as a senior vice president at Lehman Brothers and Barclays Capital. Mr. Roosevelt is a dedicated philanthropist and conservationist. He is actively involved in the National Parks Conservation Association, has supported nationwide initiatives for the National Parks Foundation, and served on the board of directors of the New York League of Conservation Voters. “I am deeply honored to join this board and look forward to building this world class organization in North Dakota” said Roosevelt V.
David Vela is a veteran of the National Park Service (NPS) and was its first Latinx leader to be nominated by the President to serve as Director and go through the Senate confirmation process. At the NPS, he served as Deputy Director, Exercising the Authority of the Director, and as the chair of the Committee for the Preservation of the White House. Mr. Vela also held numerous executive and leadership posts in his career including Associate Director for Workforce, Relevancy and Inclusion and Regional Director of the NPS Southeast Region.
In addition, he served as the Superintendent of some of the nation’s most treasured natural and cultural resources: Grand Teton National Park, George Washington Memorial Parkway, Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park, and Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Site. He also served as the Director of the Texas Child Support program under the Attorney General of Texas.
“I have worked my entire life to preserve and strengthen this country’s national treasures and heritage,” said Vela. “I couldn’t be more thrilled to join the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation and continue that endeavor.” Much of his nonprofit work in retirement, like his career, has focused on diversity, inclusion, equity, and access.
He currently serves on the Texas A&M University AgriLife Inclusive Excellence Advisory Board, the National Park Foundation National Council, Eastern National Board of Directors, The National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton National Leaders Council, and Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area Board of Trustees. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Recreation and Parks from Texas A&M University, and is the recent author of Hola Ranger, My Journey Through the National Parks.
The Board also elected Design and Architecture Committee member Eileen Scheel to lead and direct that committee. Scheel is a long-time community leader involved with many nonprofits and continues her family tradition of being stewards and lifelong givers to community and causes that help better peoples’ lives.
The Board also shared that former trustee Robbie Lauf has joined TRPLF full-time as the new Director of Partnerships and Programming. Under his direction, the Partnerships and Programming team will build, implement and oversee strategy for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation that includes programming, partnerships, original content/media, and external affairs.
A North Dakota native, he is a recent associate at McKinsey, worked on the successful 2016 campaign for Governor Burgum, and led strategy during Burgum’s first term. He also has experience working for the Federal Reserve in Washington and closely with North Dakota’s Congressional delegation and state legislature. Mr. Lauf graduated as a Truman scholar from Harvard Kennedy School in 2020.
These elections took place during the February 8th, 2022 Board of Trustees meeting for the TRPLF in Medora.