I’ve lived in the Grand Canyon for eight years, but only visited NPS in person about a year ago.

Before I turned to the dark side, which is about employment at NPS – I started life as a middle school teacher for 5 years, then started and ran my own photography, workshop and consulting business, serving thousands of clients around the world. provided service to 12 years of the world.

I sold that business in December 2021 and now hold the position of NPS, which allows me to put both of these areas of expertise to good use. I do my part to keep the Planning, Environment and Projects departments on track and running smoothly. And I make it a personal goal to make department head Rob Parrish smile at least once a day.

My family and I have lived in several different parks over the years. In Rocky Mountain National Park, we lived in a wrecked trailer that the park thoughtfully “deprecated” just for us. At Independence National Historical Park, we lived in a super cool historic building in the middle of downtown Philadelphia, just a few hundred yards from the Liberty Bell. And in Olympic National Park, we live on the remote, rainy, rough coast of the Olympic Peninsula and fall asleep to the sounds of the ocean, hoping the giant trees of the rainforest don’t fall on our homes. I was.

We traveled to the Grand Canyon without anyone seeing us, but the first time we saw the Grand Canyon was when we got into a moving truck.

I have also been actively involved in the community, starting the tradition of Randy Thompson’s Holiday Lights, serving as Board Treasurer for the Kaibab Learning Center a few years ago, and currently serving as GCUSD Board Chairman. And you’ve probably seen my two girls running around pines and park circles with a bunch of friends.

How long have you lived and worked in GRCA? Where are you based?

I’ve lived here for eight years and just celebrated my first year as a GRCA employee this week. I am currently based at South Rim Headquarters.

What have you enjoyed most about working and living at GRCA so far?

What I love most about living here is the community. Great, wonderful people live here. I met my forever friends here who became family. I will always be grateful to be able to raise my daughters in a place like this.

What are your favorite local spots to visit in or around the South Rim?/What are you looking forward to this summer season?

My eldest daughter is very into astronomy, so one of her favorite (random) places in the park is the commercial parking lot behind the visitor center. Because it is the best place to see the stars with a telescope.