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Reynolds to leave<br>GC for Death Valley

GCNP — After spending the past several years at Grand Canyon National Park, J.T. Reynolds will be moving on.

Reynolds, GCNP's deputy superintendent who received his National Park Service 30-year pin a little more than a year ago, will become the superintendent of Death Valley National Park in California and Nevada. The announcement came last week from John J. Reynolds, director of the National Park Service's Pacific West Region.

"I enjoy working with people," J.T. Reynolds said upon accepting the appointment to Death Valley. "I am personally committed to working with partners on a federal and government-to-government level but also at the social and cultural, recreational and youth level."

Reynolds will become the second high-ranking Grand Canyon official to leave in the past six months. Park superintendent Rob Arnberger left for Alaska this past fall.

Reynolds will replace Dick Martin, who is transferring to Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park. Reynolds is expected to move to his new job at Furnace Creek, Calif., in mid-February.

"J.T. comes to Death Valley from Grand Canyon National Park where he has served as deputy superintendent, managing the complex operational and partnership issues on the park's 1.2 million acres," John J. Reynolds said while making the announcement.

J.T. Reynolds formerly served as NPS superintendent at its Colorado Plateau support office and in two capacities in its Denver office — as associate regional director for park operations and regional chief ranger or ranger operations.

In addition to those management positions, Reynolds has been the chief of resource management and visitor protection in Boston; ranger training officer at Grand Canyon's Albright Training Center; district ranger in Everglades National Park, Fla., and Yosemite National Park, Calif..

Reynolds also served on a special patrol of newly named Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve and Wrangells St. Elias National Park and Preserve in Alaska. His early career work was in Natches Trace Parkway in Tupelo, Miss., and National Capitol Parks in Washington, D.C.

Reynolds is well-known among the Grand Canyon community, through his meetings with residents and businesses to his involvement with youth activities, such as refereeing basketball games.

A native of Galveston, Texas, and a graduate of Texas A&M, Reynolds is an Army veteran. His wife, Olivia "Dot" Reynolds, is a retired school teacher who spends much of her time now as a community volunteer.

Their son Jamol, born while the Reynolds were working in Yosemite, is also an A&M grad and is currently employed with Tetratech E.M. Inc., an environmental engineering consultant firm in Dallas.


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