Denise Shultz Selected As Chief of Interpretation

Date: January 18, 2012

Superintendent Todd Brindle announced today that Denise Shultz has been selected as the Chief of Interpretation, Education and Partnerships for Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Rainbow Bridge National Monument. "I am very excited to have Denise join our leadership team," said Brindle. "Her energy and proven experience working with park partners, tribes and educators will provide leadership to sustain the relationships our staff has built with the many publics that use and love these parks."

Shultz comes from southern Arizona where she is currently Chief of Interpretation for the Southeast Arizona (SEAZ) Group, which includes Chiricahua National Monument, Coronado National Memorial and Fort Bowie National Historic Site. She will begin her new post in late January, 2012 and will be responsible for the daily operations of the parks' division of interpretation and education. In addition to overseeing a full range of interpretive and educational programs, she will serve as the liaison between the park and its friends and partner organizations.

Shultz began her nine-year career with the National Park Service at Casa Grande Ruins National Monument as an interpretive park ranger, education specialist, and volunteer coordinator. Shultz later moved to Coronado National Memorial to serve as Chief of Interpretation, before accepting the group chief position for all three units. In her present role at the SEAZ group, Shultz directs a complex set of visitor services as well as collaborating with park partners and gateway communities. She also manages a variety of interpretive products including wayside design and installation, long-range interpretive planning, visitor center exhibit design, and interpreting border issues, among other projects.

In June of 2011, while Chiricahua NM was experiencing an extensive wildfire, a separate wildfire broke out at Coronado NMem; Shultz served as the primary Public Information Officer for the first 36 hours of that incident. In her current position, she also oversees the fee program and is an active instructor for the Fee Supervisor's Workshop.

Shultz has served as an advocate for advancing the field of interpretation on a national level. Her professional experience and skills as a trainer led to her selection as a Regional Lead Coach in the servicewide interpretive development program, teaching other interpreters how to coach their peers.

As for her new position at Glen Canyon NRA and Rainbow Bridge NM, Shultz is happy to be 'coming home'. "My husband Jim introduced me to Glen Canyon and Rainbow Bridge in the mid 80's, when on a motorcycle trip from the Pacific Northwest to Phoenix. We keep returning, drawn to the beauty and contrasts."

Before beginning her Park Service career, Shultz worked as a restaurant manager and professional photographer. She and her husband lived on their sailboat for seven years before beginning their land adventures in an RV. "We volunteered at Hite on Lake Powell in the mid-nineties. I never dreamed that I would one day be a permanent member of this wonderful family," said Shultz. "I'm very excited to continue to explore this amazing area and become a part of the parks and the local communities."