Nathan Reigner, Ph.D., is Pennsylvania’s first director of outdoor recreation. He was instrumental in the establishment of Pennsylvania's Office of Outdoor Recreation. Prior to beginning his service with the Commonwealth in 2021, Reigner was a member of Penn State’s research faculty and principal of Recreation Tourism Science, an applied outdoor recreation consultancy. Throughout his career, Reigner has focused on helping communities, parks, trails, and tourism destinations deliver outstanding experiences while protecting their essential character. Reigner has worked in and with more than 100 national and state parks, forests, trails, historic sites, and heritage areas in more than half the states and territories in the union and overseas in Europe, Asia, the Arctic, and the Middle East. A native of Pennsylvania, Reigner has a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and sociology from Gettysburg College, a Master of Science in Forestry from Virginia Tech, and a Doctorate in Natural Resource Management from the University of Vermont.