About The Author
Thomas Andrew Bryer is a Pegasus Professor (the highest recognition granted to a professor) in the School of Public Administration at the University of Central Florida (UCF), where he has been on the faculty since 2007. He is also a Professor in the Faculty of Social Sciences, Arts, and Humanities at Kaunas University of Technology in Lithuania, and a Visiting Professor in the Centre for Social Responsibility at Edge Hill University in the United Kingdom. At UCF, he has made significant contributions to community engagement by serving as the director of the Center for Public and Nonprofit Management, director of community-engaged scholarship at UCF Downtown, director of the public administration track of the interdisciplinary public affairs PhD program, and director of the Master of Nonprofit Management program. Currently, he serves as the founding co-chair of the Center for Social and Civic Prosperity. Dr. Bryer is the author or editor of ten books and has been a principal investigator or co-principal investigator on grants valued at over $4 million. He was a Fulbright Scholar in Lithuania from 2015-2017 and a Fulbright Specialist in Russia in 2018. You can receive updated information about him at https://professorvolunteercollaborator.org/.
Our Story, Mission, and Approach
Our Story
Our Approach
Our Mission
Thomas, Andrea, and Edward embarked on a unique journey focused on community engagement. As part of a sabbatical from the University of Central Florida, and with support from the US National Park Service, Thomas (a Pegasus Professor at UCF) researched volunteer motivation and the impacts of volunteers in national parks. His wife and son s
Thomas, Andrea, and Edward embarked on a unique journey focused on community engagement. As part of a sabbatical from the University of Central Florida, and with support from the US National Park Service, Thomas (a Pegasus Professor at UCF) researched volunteer motivation and the impacts of volunteers in national parks. His wife and son shared this adventure for 15 months in their 20' Flagstaff E-Pro travel trailer, followed by a mid-project upgrade to a 29' Jayco Jay Feather, all chronicled in the NPS Volunteer Diaries.
Our Mission
Our Approach
Our Mission
Our family's mission from May 2024 through July 2025 was to tell the stories of national park volunteers through the NPS Volunteer Diaries, highlighting their commitment to community engagement. These dedicated individuals gave their time and talent to enrich the environmental, cultural, and historical treasures of national parks across t
Our family's mission from May 2024 through July 2025 was to tell the stories of national park volunteers through the NPS Volunteer Diaries, highlighting their commitment to community engagement. These dedicated individuals gave their time and talent to enrich the environmental, cultural, and historical treasures of national parks across the United States. We aimed to showcase how the parks, the surrounding communities, and the visitors' experiences have been positively transformed by the volunteer motivation and hard work of these passionate individuals.
Our Approach
Our Approach
Our Approach
We fulfilled our mission by engaging in community engagement as volunteers in hub parks, including Cumberland Gap in Kentucky, Prince William Forest in Virginia, and Gulf Island Seashore in Florida. During our research journey, we conducted interviews with volunteers in each location and at other surrounding parks, while also learning fro
We fulfilled our mission by engaging in community engagement as volunteers in hub parks, including Cumberland Gap in Kentucky, Prince William Forest in Virginia, and Gulf Island Seashore in Florida. During our research journey, we conducted interviews with volunteers in each location and at other surrounding parks, while also learning from park rangers about volunteer motivation and the important work of volunteers. This experiential journey involved a total of 105 interviews with rangers and volunteers, contributing to the NPS Volunteer Diaries.