Joan Anzelmo

During a long career with the National Park Service, Ms. Anzelmo served stints as chief of public affairs for Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks, was the communications chief for the entire National Park Service out of its Washington, D.C., office, and finally was superintendent of Colorado National Monument.

Following the leadership she showed during the 1988 Yellowstone fires, Ms. Anzelmo became a nationally acknowledged expert in crisis communications and subsequently was dispatched to some of the country’s most complex wild land fire situations and other national emergencies.

In May 2010 she was assigned to the Unified Area Command for the National Park Service in response to the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Ms. Anzelmo is the recipient of numerous awards including two of the Department of the Interior’s highest honors, the Superior Service and Meritorious Service awards, and has been honored in Congressional Record and White House commendatory documents.

In recognition for the backbone she displayed in declining to approve a professional bike race through Colorado National Monument, the National Parks Conservation Association awarded Ms. Anzelmo the Stephen T. Mather Award for her commitment to preserving the integrity and open access of the park for all visitors.