David Vela's nomination to be the next director of the National Park Service needs to be resubmitted to the U.S. Senate.

The failure of the U.S. Senate to take up David Vela's nomination as director of the National Park Service before the 115th Congress adjourned means his nomination must be resubmitted by President Trump.

Vela, superintendent of Grand Teton National Park, back in mid-November sailed through his confirmation hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. But the full Senate never voted on his nomination.

If confirmed, Vela would become the first Latino to rise to the directorship of the Park Service. He was nominated for the director's job on August 31, 2018.

Before becoming superintendent at Grand Teton in 2014, Vela worked in Washington, D.C., as the Park Service's associate director for Workforce, Relevancy and Inclusion. He oversaw NPS programs including Human Resources, Learning and Development, Equal Opportunity, Youth, and the Office of Relevancy, Diversity & Inclusion. Prior to that, he was director of the agency's Southeast Region based in Atlanta.

Vela, should the Senate confirm him, will take the reins of an agency that has been struggling with a staggering deferred maintenance backlog, and low morale among a workforce that has grappled with sexual harassment issues, low pay, work-life balance inequity, concerns over leadership, and concerns around strategic management, according to the 2017 Best Places To Work survey. 

On top of that, there's the matter of how the partial government shutdown has impacted not only employee morale but also the landscape of the National Park System, as some parks have reported resource damage.

Efforts to reach Vela on Friday to discuss his nomination and the current state of affairs were greeted by a phone message that he had been furloughed and could not be reached until after the partial shutdown ends.