“Karen is a seasoned leader who has successfully managed complex and controversial issues for the National Park Service at the national and international levels for the last six years. The tremendous depth of experience that she brings to this new assignment will serve the park and its partners very well,” said Jarvis.
“I took my very first backpacking trip into Kings Canyon National Park from the east side of the Sierras [sic] when I was a teenager,” said Taylor-Goodrich. “As a kid from the L.A. suburbs, that experience opened up a world that has become my passion and career. I’m delighted to be returning to the place that kindled my interest in protected areas and my understanding of the powerful influence wild places can have on each of us.”
Taylor-Goodrich has served as the National Park Service’s first Associate Director for Visitor and Resource Protection since 2003, leading a staff of over 160, and managing an operating budget in excess of $22 million for seven national divisions that included law enforcement, security and emergency services; fire and aviation; employee and public health and safety; wilderness stewardship; and special park uses and regulations.
In addition to her current assignment in the national office, Taylor-Goodrich has more than 25 years of experience directing a diverse range of park-level operational programs at Yosemite National Park (CA) and Grand Canyon National Park (AZ), Cumberland Island National Seashore (GA), Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area (WA), and National Capital Parks-East (DC).
As current Chair of the Interagency Wilderness Policy Council, she has coordinated federal efforts on a range of wilderness protection and management issues, including a focus on the nexus between protected areas and the impacts of climate change. Among her notable accomplishments is the signing last month of an interagency Memorandum of Agreement between Mexico, Canada, and the United States, creating a framework for cooperation and coordination with the three nations for transboundary wilderness conservation.
Taylor-Goodrich’s international work experience includes assignments as a ranger at Kosciusko National Park in Australia, project team leader in the Maasai Mara region of Tanzania, and U.S. case manager for the Cambodian Refugee Resettlement Program in Thailand. “I’m excited about the many challenges and opportunities Sequoia and Kings Canyon presents. I look forward to getting to know and working with the park staff, the local communities, my interagency colleagues, and our other partners to protect and conserve this very special region,” said Taylor-Goodrich, who is scheduled to start at the park in early February.
Taylor-Goodrich received a Bachelor of Science degree in Geography from Portland State University in Portland, Oregon, followed by graduate work in natural resource management.
