Staff Spotlight, Mary Ann Rieder
Mary Ann Rieder, Administrative Assistant
Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park
Mary Ann is a South Florida native who started with the Florida Park Service in 2000. As the administrative assistant for four state parks in the Islamorada area, Mary Ann is the backbone of the park operations and keeps everything running smoothly. When asked why Mary Ann wanted to work for the parks, she said she “wanted to work in a nice environment and make a difference,” and making a difference is something Mary Ann does every day.
Every weekend, you can find Mary Ann at Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park, where she helps run the education center. Mary Ann has a wealth of knowledge about the parks and is always ready with a smile when interacting with park visitors.
Behind the scenes, Mary Ann keeps the park operations running smoothly. Mary Ann manages all the monthly reports, vehicle logs, purchasing and budget for Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park, Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park, Indian Key Historic State Park and San Pedro Underwater Archaeological Preserve State Park. Mary Ann enjoys the challenge of meeting the report deadlines and helping management and her co-workers solve problems as they arise.
Out of all the state parks, Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park is her favorite because of all the different birds that she sees when working at the educational center. Outside of work, Mary Ann enjoys reading and walking around town.
The Islamorada area state parks are lucky to have such an experienced and dedicated staff member to keep the park operations running smoothly.