Margaret L. Goodro will be Lake Mead National Recreation Area Superintendent/ NPS.

The National Park Service has selected Margaret L. Goodro to serve as the superintendent of Lake Mead National Recreation Area. She replaces Lizette Richardson, who retired last year.

“Margaret is a proven collaborative leader who is passionate about bringing people together to protect America’s national parks while providing for recreational opportunities,” said National Park Service Deputy Director P. Daniel Smith. “Margaret is a trail blazer who has created opportunities to hire youth, minorities, and disabled staff throughout the Department of the Interior. She has also been successful making our national parks more accessible for our nation’s disabled visitors and veterans.”

Goodro currently serves as the superintendent of Biscayne National Park in Florida and will transition to her new role in mid-May. This move marks Goodro’s return to Lake Mead where she served as a district ranger earlier in her career. 

“I am honored to be selected, and to serve as the superintendent of Lake Mead National Recreation Area,” said Goodro. “I love Lake Mead, and I look forward to continuing the great work of providing amazing recreational opportunities for visitors, while also protecting and preserving 1.5 million acres of America’s public lands and waters."

She continues, “Improving park experiences and recreational opportunities will be a top priority for me, and this will include building on efforts to improve facilities such as launch ramps, picnic areas, campgrounds, and the visitor center. We also need to be ready to swiftly respond to adjusting water levels and ensure that we have the plans in place to take action.”

Goodro has a deep background in public service with a 26-year career that includes park ranger positions in county, state, and federal parks. Prior to her work at Biscayne National Park, she was the superintendent of Lake Clark National Park and Preserve in Anchorage, Alaska. Goodro has also served as the El Centro Field Manager for the Bureau of Land Management in El Centro, California. Goodro’s National Park Service experience includes posts at Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, North Cascades National Park, Glacier National Park, Yosemite National Park, Crater Lake National Park, and Glacier Bay National Park.

Goodro, a native of Washington State, spent her formative years camping and boating on the lakes and coasts of Washington. Goodro comes from a long line of public servants who spent their careers dedicated to the greater good. Goodro, along with her spouse Melinda and their dogs Qynn and Moose, will be moving to Nevada in late April.