Middletown, Virginia: National Park Service (NPS) Acting Northeast Regional Director, Rose Fennell, has named Jennifer Flynn as the new Superintendent of Shenandoah National Park and Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park in Virginia. Flynn, who has been the Deputy Superintendent of Shenandoah since 2009, succeeds Jim Northup, who retired on January 2 after a 36-year career with the NPS.
“Jennifer has demonstrated dedication toward teamwork, established a focus on staff development, and values the importance of community engagement," said Fennell. “Her valuable qualities of leadership will serve Shenandoah National Park and Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park well."
During her 26-year career with the NPS, Flynn has worked in six national parks. Most recently, she served for seven years as Deputy Superintendent of Shenandoah National Park where she was responsible for all park operations. Prior to her appointment at Shenandoah, she managed the National Park Service’s Basic Law Enforcement Academy at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC); she was the Chief Ranger of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park; she was a federal law enforcement officer in the Visitor and Resource Protection Division in Grand Canyon National Park, the Natchez Trace National Parkway, Yosemite National Park and Cape Cod National Seashore. In addition, Flynn has been an emergency medical technician, structural firefighter, wildland firefighter, high angle search and rescue technician, swift water rescue technician, jailer, dispatcher, and fee manager. She has served as the Operations Chief on National Park Service Incident Management Teams and has responded to incidents including Hurricane Katrina, Presidential visits, Fourth of July at Mount Rushmore, and other planned events.
"I am honored to have been selected to serve as the superintendent of Shenandoah National Park and Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park," said Flynn. “In my seven years as Shenandoah's deputy superintendent, I have grown to love these parks, their staff, and the surrounding communities. I look forward to this opportunity to continue to serve these parks and our neighbors in this new role."
Flynn graduated from Holyoke Catholic High School and Mount Holyoke College with a Bachelor of the Arts in Environmental Studies. She is also a graduate of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Graduate School Executive Potential Program.
Flynn was born in Rochester, N.Y. and grew up in Massachusetts. She is married to Mike Flynn, a park ranger at Manassas National Battlefield Park. They enjoy hiking and camping together in Virginia with their three children, Connor, Mary, and Michael Seamus.
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Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
