News Release
National Park Service
News Release Date: July 18, 2024
Contact: PWR Public Affairs
SAN FRANCISCO – The National Park Service (NPS) has selected Jody Lyle as the new permanent superintendent of Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) beginning July 28, 2024.
Lyle first started working with the NPS in 1992 as an environmental educator for Joshua Tree National Park. She came to SMMNRA in July 2020 as the chief of staff and transitioned to her current role as deputy superintendent in October 2023.
“Jody is an experienced leader who has a gift for bringing people together around shared goals and getting results in a way that builds relationships,” said Pacific West Regional Director David Szymanski. “She is an excellent communicator, an inclusive leader, and collaborative partner.”
As superintendent, Lyle will oversee the park’s leadership team, a $9 million-dollar annual budget, 70 employees, numerous partnerships, and all park operations including resource management, science, law enforcement, interpretation, facility management, and administration.
“I'm honored to lead Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area into the future, especially as we approach the 50th anniversary of the park in 2028,” said Lyle. “I look forward to working with our talented staff, dedicated volunteers and visitors, and an amazing group of government, non-profit, and Tribal partners.”
Lyle’s diverse career with the NPS spans more than 30 years and eight different assignments.
Between 1992-2007, she worked in environmental education, public affairs, community relations, law enforcement (dispatch), and fire management at Joshua Tree, Lassen Volcanic, Glacier, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon national parks. In 2007, Lyle transferred to the Office of Communications in Washington, D.C. where she served as the chief of digital content and the web editor-in-chief for the agency’s website, NPS.gov.
In 2015, Lyle moved to Yellowstone National Park as the chief of strategic communications, leading a dynamic team responsible for media relations, digital communications, and internal communications for the world’s first national park. In 2019-2020, she served as the acting superintendent of Cane River Creole National Historical Park in Louisiana.
Lyle was born and raised in Southern California and received a Bachelor of Arts in film studies from the University of California at Irvine.
She lives with her husband, a former NPS biologist, in Thousand Oaks where they are currently raising an adorable guide dog puppy. She also enjoys yoga, swimming, river rafting, and choral singing in the local community.
To learn more about Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, please go to www.nps.gov/samo.
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 430 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Last updated: July 18, 2024