Superintendent Sarah Craighead Advertisement

DEATH VALLEY, Calif. -- Sarah L. Craighead, a 30-year veteran of the National Park Service has been named superintendent of Death Valley National Park, it was announced today by NPS Regional Director Jonathan B. Jarvis.

Craighead will replace JT Reynolds, who retired Jan. 3.

"I am impressed with Sarah's depth of experience," Jarvis said. "She has strong park operational and community partnership experience -- all excellent credentials for the issues facing Death Valley National Park."

Craighead will transfer from Saguaro National Park in Arizona to the California headquarters of Death Valley by spring.

"I look forward to working with the California and Nevada friends and strong park staff of Death Valley," Craighead said in accepting the appointment. "The natural, cultural and recreational issues of the park present an exciting opportunity."

Craighead also has served as superintendent in at Washita Battlefield National Historic Site and Chickasaw National Recreation Area in Oklahoma.

She has held management positions at Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado, the National Capital Regional Office in D.C., and Manassas National Battlefield Park, Va.

She has also worked as a park ranger at Grand Canyon (Ariz.), Carlsbad Caverns (N.M.), Mammoth Cave (Ky.) and Acadia (Maine) national parks, Ocmulgee National Monument in Georgia and at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, Pa.

She has a bachelor's degree from Transylvania University in Kentucky and has done graduate work at George Mason and Catholic Universities.

Craighead is married to John F. "Rick" Shireman, who works for the NPS Intermountain Regional Office.

Death Valley National Park straddles the Nevada and California state line and is the largest park in the lower 48 states with 3.3 million acres.