Paul DePrey, a seven-year veteran of the National Park Service, has been chosen as the next superintendent of the USS Arizona Memorial.

DePrey is expected to arrive at the park in October and will immediately begin planning the Dec. 7, 1941, commemoration and the groundbreaking for the new visitor center, officials said.

"I have great confidence in Paul," said NPS Regional Director Jonathan B. Jarvis. "He works closely with park staff, community groups and the military, making solid decisions based on a thorough understanding of the issues."

DePrey will replace acting superintendent Frank Hays, who will resume his duties at the NPS central office in Honolulu as its Pacific Island Area Manager.

"I am proud to honor the lives and families of the military and civilians who lost their lives on Dec. 7, 1941," DePrey said in a statement. "I look forward to working productively with our many partners, citizens, and park staff as the Pearl Harbor area begins the process of improving the experience of our visitors."

DePrey will be moving from Joshua Tree National Park in California, where he is chief of resources management. There, DePrey has partnered with a number of Defense Department agencies in the desert southwest on resource projects.

The NPS has to work closely with the Navy because the Navy continues to own the land where the visitor center is located, and the memorial is in close proximity to Ford Island and Pearl Harbor Navy base piers.

DePrey has a MA in anthropology from Western Washington University and a BA in History and Anthropology from the University of Maine, where he grew up. He will be relocating to O'ahu with his wife, Cari Kreshak, a cultural resources specialist, and their two young sons.

The NPS manages the USS Arizona Memorial and shoreside visitor center at Halawa landing, which is slated for reconstruction beginning this year. Also managed by the NPS is the USS Oklahoma Memorial on Ford Island.