MEDORA — The Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation has announced the planned retirement of President & CEO Randy Hatzenbuhler in 2025. Hatzenbuhler has been a key leader of TRMF since joining the organization in 1988 as the controller and serving as its second executive leader since 1997.

He has overseen significant developments, including the addition of Bully Pulpit Golf Course, the renovation and expansion of the Rough Riders Hotel, the addition of the Spirit of Work Lodge, and the transformation of the Bunkhouse into Elkhorn Quarters. Hatzenbuhler has also been instrumental in raising more than $100 million for projects and endowments to improve and grow the Medora experience, and he helped implement the volunteer program that brings 700 volunteers to Medora each season.

As he prepares to conclude his tenure, Hatzenbuhler is focused on several key projects, including the construction of an Event/Wedding Barn near Bully Pulpit Golf Course, enhancements to western heritage facilities, and the development of a new lodging property in anticipation of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library opening in 2026.

“It has been a privilege to work with a team that truly cares about Medora and its visitors. We have exciting projects underway, and I’m grateful to be leaving TRMF in a position of strength,” Hatzenbuhler said in a foundation news release

“Randy is a North Dakota legend,” Foundation Chair Levi Andrist said in the release. “The impact he has had in Medora and the state will bring positive, life-changing experiences for generations to come.”

The foundation has established a search committee, with the goal of having the new candidate start in the spring of 2025.