Department of Conservation and Recreation
Conserve. Protect. Enjoy.
Department of Conservation and Recreation
Eric Hougland and his daughter, Katey.Eric Hougland has learned a lot in his 23 years with Virginia State Parks. As he tackles a new job in the central office, he’s looking forward to helping others learn, too.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to be state parks’ first professional development coordinator,” Hougland said. “It was not a role that I envisioned myself playing when I started my career with state parks, but as my career progressed, I realized that I have a strong interest in helping our employees to become peak performers and attain their career goals.”
Hougland began working in state parks when he moved to Virginia from his native Ohio in 1994. With a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Bowling Green State University and a master’s degree in Recreation and Park Management from West Virginia University, Hougland’s first position was as a park ranger at New River Trail State Park.
Hougland had a significant impact on what was then a new park and was later promoted to chief ranger and assistant park manager. He became Holliday Lake’s park manager in 2004.
He applied lessons learned at New River Trail when he opened High Bridge Trail State Park in 2007 as its first manager. In June 2013, Hougland transferred to Bear Creek Lake State Park and, in December 2014, became the central Virginia region's district manager.
“The state parks system has afforded me a wonderful career, and I want to help provide the same opportunities to our staff,” he said. “From opportunities at the beginning of a career, such as the park intern program, to programs that help well-seasoned staff, such as ranger operations meetings and office manager training, I want to provide staff with the best training and development opportunities that I can.
“I’m especially proud to have been involved in developing the park mentoring program. It started with a few people sharing some ideas but evolved into a program that positively impacts state park team members when they're hired or promoted. I know there's much more to mentoring than visiting a few other parks and seeing other operational areas. It's also important for staff members to network with peers and build a support system that will serve state parks well for many years to come.”
Hougland applied for the position to better help his co-workers. “Of all of the resources that we have in Virginia State Parks, the biggest asset that we have is our people – and I can think of no better investment than in our staff.”
Recently married, Hougland and his wife Laura live in Chester. His 18-year-old daughter, Katey, will attend Randolph-Macon College this fall. His stepdaughter, Grace, 16, and stepson, Max, 14, are students in Chesterfield County.
Hougland enjoys spending time with family, hiking with Laura and their dog Bandit, fishing, hunting, serving on mission trips and watching Ohio State Buckeyes football.
