National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis has named Sue Masica as the Service’s Intermountain regional director, responsible for leading 6,000 employees and 91 national parks visited by more than 42 million people annually. Masica, who serves as the Alaska regional director, assumes her new position in Denver in January.
“Sue has an incredible track record of tackling tough issues and finding innovative solutions,” Jarvis said. “Results-oriented and goal-driven, Sue manages by inclusion, building a collaborative work ethic among employees and with partners. She strives for the highest standards of transparency and accountability. She brings great experience to her new position from her previous National Park Service assignments. Sue is a valued member of our national senior management team.”
“Serving as the Intermountain regional director is a tremendous honor,” Masica said. “The region is home to spectacular landscapes and compelling stories; places that have been entrusted to the National Park Service by the American people for nearly 100 years. I’m looking forward to working with communities and National Park Service staff on issues that are very different from those in Alaska, like Colorado River water, and others that are similar, such as partnering on close-to-home recreational opportunities.
“This is an opportunity to support employees in their efforts to care for these special places and engage park visitors, partners, and communities,” Masica said. “I will listen carefully to their voices as we work together to preserve these treasures, engage the public, draw young people to the parks, and provide meaningful experiences to our diverse audiences.”
As the Alaska regional director since May 2008, Masica oversees the largest national park and preserve acreage in the United States – 54.7 million acres – and an annual operating budget of more than $100 million. During her tenure in Alaska, she led critical planning exercises in anticipation of declining federal budgets, expanded the Service’s work with Alaska Native tribes and organizations, and expanded the public outreach efforts at both the regional office and parks.
Masica has 25 years of federal service, and is a recipient of the Presidential Rank Award for her leadership accomplishments with the National Park Service. Prior to arriving in Alaska, she held senior leadership positions overseeing the Service’s Washington office operations, facility infrastructure investment and planning, and administration programs.
Prior to joining the National Park Service, Masica served 10 years on the staff of the United States Senate Committee on Appropriations, and as staff director of the Subcommittee on the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies. She began her federal career as a Presidential Management Intern with the Department of the Interior.
Masica earned a Master of Public Affairs, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, University of Texas; and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Austin College (Texas).