News Release

National Park Service selects superintendent for Arches and Canyonlands national parks

NPS/Veronica Verdin

News Release Date: February 26, 2024

Contact: Karen Garthwait, 435-719-2412

Denver, Colo. – The National Park Service (NPS) has selected Lena Pace as superintendent of Arches and Canyonlands national parks. This group of parks in southeastern Utah preserve some of the most striking geologic landscapes and significant Indigenous cultural sites on the northern Colorado Plateau. Pace will officially begin her new assignment on April 7. The position also supervises the superintendent at Hovenweep and Natural Bridges national monuments. 

 “Lena has been acting in the superintendent role and is already building strong relationships with the staff and in the community,” said NPS Deputy Regional Director Brian Carlstrom. “Lena is an exceptional leader and is known for bringing creative solutions to complex challenges. We are excited to have her officially fill the position full time and continue the good work she has already started.”   

“I am honored to be selected to lead this iconic group of parks and am so grateful for the diverse career I've had across the National Park Service that has led me to this point,” said Pace. “Since I first visited Moab and hiked to Delicate Arch earlier in my career, I have been inspired by the resources, history, and culture of the parks in southeastern Utah. I look forward to continuing to work with the dedicated staff who care for these special places, collaborate with our public and private partners, and engage with the local communities and Tribes.” 

Pace is a second-generation National Park Service employee. Both her parents worked for the NPS. She spent most of her childhood in Gustavus Alaska, just outside of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. She later spent 21 years as a commissioned NPS law enforcement ranger. She has worked at Glacier Bay, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Blue Ridge Parkway, Fire Island National Seashore and in the NPS Intermountain Regional Office. She served as the NPS Washington Office deputy chief of operations and policy before most recently becoming the chief of the newly established Office of Public Trust.

Pace earned a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Gonzaga University and a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies and politics at Whitman College. She will be moving to the area along with her husband and their dog. Pace succeeds Patty Trap who recently retired from the National Park Service.