Last updated: August 6, 2026
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2026 Excellence in Cooperating Association Partnership Award
Excellence in Cooperating Association Partnership Award (formerly the Murfin Award)
This award recognizes an individual who has made significant and lasting contributions throughout their career to strengthen partnerships between the National Park Service and cooperating associations.
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Sue Husch
Administrator of the Peaks, Plateaus and Canyons Association, Intermountain Region
Administrator Sue Husch demonstrated an unwavering commitment to improving cooperating association programs across multiple dimensions. These included retail operations, training, partnerships, and organizational effectiveness. As an early practitioner in the field, she played a key role in developing operational models that became foundational to how cooperating associations function.
Sue’s contributions shaped the history of cooperating associations and helped define their future. In the 1980s, she helped expand the Intermountain Natural History Association, one of the strongest early cooperating associations supporting the National Park Service. She set a standard that influenced such associations for generations to come. Her work continued with a long tenure, contracting with Association of Partners for Public Lands (now known as Public Lands Alliance) and working as the administrator for Plateaus and Canyons Association.
Operating consistently behind the scenes, Sue strengthened the entire cooperating association network. She convened and supported shared learning opportunities for public lands partners. She did this first as a consultant to Association of Partners for Public Lands, as their annual convention and trade show meeting planner. She also did this as the Administrator for Plateaus and Canyons Association. In this role, Sue provided leadership for associations across the Colorado Plateau through a collaborative regional model.