Lake Mead superintendent chooses retirement over promotion

The first woman to serve as superintendent of Lake Mead National Recreation Area has decided to retire rather than accept a National Park Service promotion.

Lizette Richardson was recently tapped to become the new director of the agency’s Denver-based Intermountain Region, which covers eight states and includes such iconic national parks as Zion, Grand Canyon and Yellowstone.

The 55-year-old opted instead to end her career in federal service.

“I had the tough decision to choose from two exciting opportunities, and after weighing all factors I decided to retire,” Richardson said in a written statement. “Being superintendent of Lake Mead has been the highlight of my career, working side by side with a talented and dedicated team, delivering first class programs and having the support of many partners who care deeply about this special place.”

Richardson worked as a civil engineer in the private sector and as a project manager for the U.S. Corps of Engineers before joining the park service in 2004 as chief of maintenance and engineering at Lake Mead.

She went on to serve as acting superintendent at Joshua Tree National Park in California and as chief of the park service’s Construction Program Management Division in Denver before returning to Lake Mead as superintendent in 2015.

Since then, she has overseen about 200 staff members and 7 million annual visitors at a park that covers 1.5 million acres of land and water in two states, including the nation’s largest man-made reservoir.

Richardson announced her decision in an email to Lake Mead staff members on Tuesday. Her last day on the job has not yet been determined.

Contact Henry Brean at hbrean@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350. Follow @RefriedBrean on Twitter.