Each summer teenagers and young adults look for job, and it’s seldom that turns into something more.

But one NOVA Parks official is the living proof that a summer job can manifest into a career. 

NOVA Parks official Chris Pauley is celebrating his 25th anniversary with the company. He started in 1994 working as a seasonal intern, and ten short years later, he became the Manager of the W&OD Trail.

In 2019, he is now the Director of Operations. Pauley says he is the living embodiment of how hard work can pay off. 

“Through my years I have been able to kind of work all different kinds of facilities, from golf courses, to event facilities, to the skeet and trap range that we have, from the start at $4.22 an hour working behind the counter at the golf course, so it was pretty fun to start that way, and end up where I am at now,” said Pauley. 

While Pauley celebrates his 25 years with the company, NOVA Parks is celebrating 60 years of serving the Northern Virginia community.