July 11, 2022 - WASHINGTON – National Park Service Director Chuck Sams announced today the appointment of Mike Reynolds, a 36-year veteran of the NPS, to serve as deputy director for Congressional and external relations, effective July 31. In this role, he’ll advise the Director and lead NPS work with external and international partners, as well as our stakeholder engagement with elected officials, special interest groups, and the American public.  

“Mike Reynolds is one of NPS’ strongest assets,” said NPS Director Chuck Sams. “He speaks truth and is a trusted leader who has served at literally every level of the National Park Service, from front-line park ranger to leading the agency as acting Director.”  

Reynolds currently serves as the NPS regional director for the intermountain region, Interior regions 6, 7 and 8, a role he’s held since 2020. In this role, he oversees management of 89 parks, including Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain and Yellowstone National Parks. The region sees over 57 million visitors annually, employs more than 5,000 people and hosts more than 25,500 volunteers during peak travel seasons. 

“I’m honored that Director Sams has trusted me with this new assignment and I look forward to working with the team to share our important work with the American people and key stakeholder groups,” said Reynolds. “I’m also really proud of how the intermountain region, these parks and all of NPS have responded to the unprecedented challenges of the past few years. I draw so much inspiration and energy from our amazing workforce, and I look forward to making new connections in this new role.”  

Reynolds is a third generation NPS employee. He grew up in Yosemite and returned to the park in 2003 as a resource manager, planner, division chief, eventually serving as park superintendent from 2018 to 2019. Before that, Reynolds served in several leadership roles at NPS headquarters, first as the associate director for workforce, relevancy, and inclusion, deputy director for operations, and finally as the acting NPS director in 2017 and 2018. During his previous tenure in Washington, Reynolds initiated long-term efforts to address issues from workforce engagement and wellbeing to addressing the NPS maintenance backlog.  

Other assignments have included serving as Midwest regional director from 2011 to 2014, Northeast deputy regional director from 2008 to 2011, superintendent of Fire Island National Seashore from 2005 to 2008, and other roles at Mojave National Preserve, Cape Cod National Seashore, Curecanti National Recreation Area, and the NPS Denver Service Center.  

He holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and an MBA from Regis University in Denver. He was a senior executive fellow at Harvard University in the spring of 2011.  

Deputy Regional Director Kate Hammond will serve as the acting intermountain regional director upon Reynolds’ departure. Hammond has been one of two deputy regional directors in Denver since 2016 and has served as acting regional director previously. She recently completed a temporary assignment as the acting superintendent for Glacier National Park. She served as superintendent at Valley Forge National Historical Park from 2012 to 2016 and at Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument from 2009 to 2012. Before those assignments, she completed the NPS Bevinetto Congressional Fellowship Program and worked as a project manager at both the Denver Service Center and the Harper’s Ferry Center. Hammond is a native of Massachusetts with a bachelor's degree in history and environmental studies from Yale University and a master's in environmental management from the Yale School of Forestry.  

Source: NPS  Photo credit: NPS

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