MARCH 17, 2023

It is with a heavy heart that the staff at D&R Canal State Park announces the impending departure of Superintendent Patricia Kallesser; her final day as supervisor will be March 31st. After a tenure of sixteen years with the park, she will be handing the reins over to the next Superintendent tasked to lead the team here. Lauren Rojewski, relatively new to NJ State Parks, and formerly of Spruce Run Reservoir Recreation Area, will step into the Superintendent position at D&R on April 1st. She has big shoes to fill! We all look forward to working with her - WELCOME SUPERINTENDENT ROJEWSKI!

Superintendent Kallesser has led the charge at D&R for the past sixteen years with enthusiasm, a keen sense of dedication, patience and flexibility. She has been an effective and successful multi-tasking project manager who worked every day in cooperation with our partner agencies, friend organizations and volunteers as well as the many municipal and county departments that interconnect/interact with the park.

Overseeing this 70+ mile linear park and the additional properties under the D&R Canal State Park’s management is no simple task. Managing a complicated park such as this can quickly become overwhelming with the many ongoing multi-agency projects, daily maintenance concerns and unexpected issues that often surface especially those repeated flood events. And yet, Superintendent Kallesser stepped-up to that challenge and always attempted to handle the load with professionalism, quick action when needed, attention to detail and thoughtful consideration.

Although the staff is sad to see Superintendent Kallesser move on, we certainly wish her well as she continues her career with NJ State Parks first at Round Valley Recreation Area this spring and summer and then at Spruce Run Recreation Area.

GOOD LUCK Patricia. We all thank you. Congratulations for a job well done! You will be missed but not forgotten and will forever be a part of the D&R Canal legacy!