Erika Jostad selected as Grand Teton chief ranger

JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — Erika Jostad has been selected as Grand Teton National Park Chief Ranger and will begin her new duties in late August. Jostad is currently the chief ranger at Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska. She has over 25 years with the National Park Service.

As chief ranger at Grand Teton National Park she will lead a large and complex visitor and resource protection program, which includes law enforcement, emergency medical services, search and rescue, backcountry and climbing operations, structural and wildland fire, and an interagency dispatch center.

The park relies on close collaborative working relationships with Wyoming State Highway Patrol, Teton County Sheriff’s Office and Search and Rescue, Teton County Emergency Management, Town of Jackson Police Department and many other regional law enforcement and emergency services agencies.

Jostad will represent the park superintendent in maintaining and growing these relationships that are vital to serving the public and protecting the park. She will also work with other local and regional land management agencies.

“Erika is recognized nationally as an outstanding leader within the National Park Service,” said Grand Teton National Park Superintendent Chip Jenkins. “She is a forward-thinking professional, adept at collaborative relationships, and we are fortunate to have her join our community as a steward of this place.”

Jostad’s career with the National Park Service includes a variety of law enforcement and management positions. She served temporarily as deputy superintendent at Denali National Park and Preserve, as well as chief ranger and north district ranger. She has also worked at Kings Canyon National Park in California, Gates of the Artic National Park and Preserve in Alaska and Sequoia National Park in California. She worked seasonally and temporarily as a park ranger at Mount Rainer, Zion, Sequoia and Yosemite National Parks, and Glen Canyon and Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Areas.

She has been active in a variety of national efforts to support the National Park Service workforce, including serving as president of the Association of National Park Rangers.

Jostad moves to Grand Teton with her husband and son, and their golden retriever and matching orange cat. They enjoy many outdoor activities, including backpacking, cycling, rafting, kayaking and paddle boarding.

Jostad fills the position that was vacated by Michael Nash when he accepted a national law enforcement specialist position with the Washington Office of the National Park Service.