A native of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Gage started her NPS career as a clerk-typist at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in 1986 and has gone on to serve in administrative management positions at several parks throughout the Midwest. She was the first permanent employee at Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site and served eight years at Buffalo National River where she launched a successful community partners program that strengthened park relationships with businesses and organizations in the surrounding communities.
In 2015, she served as acting superintendent at the President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site in Hope, Arkansas. She then served as Chief of Businesses Services at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, where she managed a diverse portfolio that included the administration of a $3 million budget, human resources, information technology, acquisition, property management, commercial services, and internal controls. She was also chair of the Midwest Region Administrative Advisory Committee before serving as Superintendent of Pullman National Historical Park for 5 years prior to her retirement.