The superintendent of Grand Teton National Park has been appointed acting-regional director for the Intermountain Region.

NPS Director Director Jonathan Jarvis announced the appointment of Mary Scott Gibson on Thursday. The region consists of 91 units in eight states and employs more than 5,000 people. Ms. Scott temporarily replaces Mike Snyder, who recently retired. She will assume her duties in mid-March and the agency will conduct a competitive search for a permanent regional director in the near future.

“Mary is a veteran manager in this agency and has handled many complex issues. She steps into this acting position at a critical time, and she will lead the Intermountain Region effectively and professionally until we are able to find a permanent regional director,” said Director Jarvis.

Ms. Scott is a 30-year Park Service veteran. Prior to her assignment at Grand Teton, she served as superintendent at Carlsbad Caverns National Park, deputy superintendent at Golden Gate National Recreation Area, acting general superintendent of Gateway National Recreation Area, and superintendent of the Staten Island Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area. Additionally, she has served in senior positions at the former regional office of the National Park Service in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and at the NPS Planning and Design Center in Denver.

During her tenure at Grand Teton, the superintendent brought the long-anticipated Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center from conceptual design to its grand opening in 2007. She also served a two-year term as the chair for the Greater Yellowstone Coordinating Committee, a consortium of federal land managers in the Greater Yellowstone Area. In 2008, she received the Intermountain Region’s Superintendent of the Year Award for Natural Resource Stewardship.

Bob Vogel, deputy superintendent at Grand Teton, will initially serve as the acting superintendent in Ms. Scott’s absence.