Valerie Naylor
Guide Valerie Naylor has a M.S. degree in Biology from the University of North Dakota, and her passion is animals of the Northern Great Plains, many of which we hope to see on this trip. She worked for the National Park Service for over 30 years and spent much of her career in the Dakotas. She started as a volunteer at Theodore Roosevelt National Park and returned 20 years later to become the longest - serving superintendent in the park’s history, from 2003 to 2014. A TRA member, she has participated in Strenuous Life Adventures in Cuba, Panama, and Brazil. Valerie also works part - time for the Theodore Roosevelt Center in Dickinson, North Dakota. She currently makes her home in the Black Hills .
Dr. Cindi Penor Ceglian
Dr. Cindi Penor Ceglian is a retired professor of Human Development and Family Studies. Theodore Roosevelt has always been a favorite president of hers because of his time in Dakota and stance on conservation. She strives to visit every national park and monument he created, is a member of the TRA and has attended several TRA meetings and events. She is most interested in the relationship he had with longtime friend Seth Bullock of Deadwood, who also established the town of Belle Fourche, where she now li ves. Cindi is excited to share her thoughts about this unique friendship and her knowledge of TR in the northern Black Hills with tour participants.
Rebecca Rickey
Rickey is a former Naval officer and retired historic preservationist. She graduated with a degree in history from Colorado State University and holds an advanced degree from the Naval War College. Upon leaving the Navy, she and her husband, Gary Embrey, returned to his home town of Fredericksburg, Virginia where she became involved in the pr eservation of Civil War battlefields. After a move to Florida Rebecca became the Executive Director of an historic building in Vero Beach FL, retiring in 2015. She’s always had an interest in Theodore Roosevelt and became a member of TRA in 2001. She an d Gary have attended several of both the TRA Annual Meetings and the Theodore Roosevelt Center Symposiums in Dickinson. Though they now reside in Florida they hope to relocate in the next year or two to be near family in Ohio.