Park superintendent to fill in as regional director
By Cory Hatch, Jackson Hole, Wyo.
March 5, 2010
Grand Teton National Park Superintendent Mary Gibson Scott will fill in as temporary director for the National Park Service’s Intermountain Region in Denver.
National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis made the announcement Thursday. Scott, who has been Grand Teton superintendent for six years, is scheduled to take the post in mid-March.
Scott was called up because Mike Snyder announced his retirement from the regional director job earlier this year. She will fill in until a permanent replacement for Snyder is named, then she might return to Grand Teton.
“It’s an incredible honor,” Scott said Thursday from her office in Moose. “The director asked me to act until they make a permanent selection, which could be three or four months.”
Deputy Superintendent Bob Vogel will take over as Grand Teton’s superintendent during Scott’s absence.
Scott said she would like to return to Grand Teton.
“I have a round-trip ticket,” she said. “I would sincerely love to come back to Grand Teton. That’s my hope.”
Grand Teton is involved in some major construction projects, including the relocation of the administrative offices and rehabilitation of the Moose administrative site and the proposed construction of more employee housing in Moose.
From her new post, Scott said she will continue to oversee Grand Teton issues such as the renewal of the Jackson Hole Airport lease agreement and a land exchange between the park and the state of Wyoming.
During her stint at the regional office, overseeing Intermountain Region projects funded with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act money will be one of her top priorities, Scott said.
“Mary is a veteran manager in this agency and has handled many complex issues,” Jarvis said in a statement. “She steps into this acting position at a critical time, and she will lead the Intermountain Region effectively and professionally until we are able to find a permanent regional director.”
Scott expressed confidence in Vogel.
“Bob has been here three years,” she said. “He’s been my go-to person on all of the issues that we deal with at Grand Teton. I have no fear that there will be any disruption or a blip in any way.”
“It’s bittersweet for me to have to leave Grand Teton for a few months, but I’m confident that I’m leaving it in good hands,” Scott said. “This community should know that it has one of the most professional park staffs of any park within the national park system. [Grand Teton has] the highest-performing group of employees that I’ve had the pleasure to work with to date.”
Sharon Mader, Grand Teton program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association, said Scott “has done a wonderful job during her tenure at Grand Teton and will be a tremendous asset to the National Park Service as the new acting director for the Rocky Mountain Region.”
“Mary has always kept the important mission of the Park Service to preserve and protect the unique natural and cultural resources of park lands at the forefront of all of her decision-making as superintendent for Grand Teton,” Mader said. “I also look forward to working with Bob Vogel in his new role as acting superintendent for Grand Teton. Bob brings a strong and diverse background to his new post, and I’m sure they won’t miss a beat under his guidance as the park heads into the busy summer season.”
Scott has worked for the National Park Service for more than 30 years, including stints as superintendent at Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico and deputy superintendent of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in California. The Intermountain Region of the National Park Service consists of 91 units in eight states and more than 5,000 employees.
