Youth Programs Coordinator

Education Director

Billy Schrack is NPT's education director and he brings a range of experience as a former educator in the NYC public school system where he learned about the challenges and rewards of working in underserved communities. Billy is working with our Buddy Bison schools and coordinating National Kids to Parks Day. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education with a concentration in middle school science from the University of Delaware and a Master’s of Science degree from the University of Long Island, where he studied earth science. He lives in Rockville, MD with his new wife Christina. An avid fisherman, Billy enjoys exploring our nation’s waterways. He also coaches youth lacrosse.

Development Director

Shana joined National Park Trust in September 2009 as the organization’s first Development Director. She has an extensive background in strategic planning, nonprofit development and a passion for community service and the outdoors. In this capacity, she is responsible for directing and implementing the organization’s annual fundraising campaigns. Working with the Board of Trustees and Executive Director, Shana has secured nearly $2 million to support NPT’s growing environmental education and park preservation initiatives. As Development Director, she has also helped the organization build strategic alliances with both corporate and federal partners.

Prior to joining NPT, Shana served as the interim Development Director and Corporate& Foundation Relations Manager at Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery, MD. In her role, Shana helped to grow the organization’s capacity by securing federal and state grant funding as well as managed a robust corporate volunteer program. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Relations and minor in Spanish at The Florida State University. As a native Floridian, Shana has a passion for the protection of our country’s coastal areas and enjoys exploring them with her husband and young son.

Executive Director

Grace has a life-long passion for America’s parks and the outdoors. As a young girl, Grace and her family spent summers camping and hiking at national parks across the country and has continued this tradition with her own family. Grace holds an AB degree in chemistry (biologic specialization) from Duke University, worked as an analytical chemist at the National Institutes of Health, and then as an editor for Analytical Chemistry published by the American Chemical Society. For ten years, Grace served on the board of the Bullis School, an independent school in Potomac, MD, where she played a leadership role in the school’s strategic plan and development initiatives including two capital campaigns and the annual fund.

She has overseen the strengthening and diversification of the NPT Board, the significant expansion of its mission and park preservation programs, including the creation of NPT's innovative school program, Where's Buddy Bison Been?, which currently engages 40 schools across the country. In addition, she has overseen the rebuilding of NPT’s staff and operations, the development of foundation/corporate partners and collaborators, and the redesign of its website and communications strategy. She is also responsible for the enhancement and the development of key partnerships with government, conservation, education and health organizations, including the Department of the Interior, First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move Outside! initiative. National Park Service, Children and Nature Network, For Love of Children, American Academy of Pediatrics, National Education Association, US Army Corps of Engineers, and numerous independent, public charter, and public schools across the country.