The 2018 All Employee Photo at Joshua Tree National Park Headquarters | Photo by NPS/Hannah Schwalbe | Public Domain | Source
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Jacqueline GuevaraExecutive DirectorJacqueline Guevara has nearly 30 years experience in non-profit management. Her passion for the desert, coupled with her extensive background in social services, makes her a strong advocate for protecting public lands while promoting education of diverse audiences about the lands and their historical, cultural, and recreational values. A 42-year desert resident, Jacqueline lived in the Morongo Basin for 20 years before relocating to Desert Hot Springs, where she currently lives with her family. Pronouns: She, Her, Hers |
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Marian L. Huff TremblayDirector of Business OperationsMarian Tremblay is a married mother of 3 and a grandma to 7. Marian has spent the last 13 plus years overseeing the Business operations of Joshua Tree National Park Association. "I am proud of the work that I do, but more proud of the work the Staff does to create fond memories for the visitor, either with great gifts or wonderful Interpretive information." Pronouns: She, Her, Hers |
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Sarah WittDesert Institute Program DirectorSarah is a grassroots educator, artist, and chef who values an exploratory, hands-on approach to how we perceive and interact with the world around us. Sarah moved to the high desert in 2016, and her natural curiosity about the environment sparked several projects that brought people together to explore our relationship to the land through botany, food, and hiking. In collaboration with the non-profit High Desert Test Sites, Sarah founded the monthly community wild-plant dinner and discussion event High Desert Test Kitchen, which later generated Hole in the Sand, her immersive platform for informal desert educational events focused around plant-identification hikes, overnight desert backpacking trips, and seasonal pop-up dinners. Most recently Sarah‘s been teaching culinary arts at Copper Mountain College and College of the Desert, and she‘s so excited to collaborate with the community and broaden her outreach by joining the team at JTNPA as Director of Desert Institute! |
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Cindy CarringtonBuyer and Inventory ManagerCindy Carrington is the Buyer for the Joshua Tree National Park visitor centers, and oversees all inventory. Cindy came to Joshua Tree National Park Association in 2014 after retiring from a position as Retail Sales Representative for Nestle USA. The things Cindy loves most in life are family, spending time with friends, and all the wonderful people she works with at the Joshua Tree National Park Association. "It's a wonderful feeling when you wake up in the morning and you can't wait to get to work!" Pronouns: She, Her, Hers |
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Neil XuFinance ManagerNeil Xu joined the Joshua Tree National Park Association in 2022. As the Finance Manager, Neil works on the financial analysis and improvement of the association. After graduating from UC Riverside, he enjoys new work and new life in the high desert. Besides his daily work, Neil is also an archer, leather craftsman, and music lover. |
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Kara MessinaDevelopment ManagerPrior to joining JTNPA, Kara Messina was the Development Officer at FIND Food Bank, the Patron Circle Associate at the Napa Valley Film Festival, and began her career in political fundraising. She also worked many years in advertising for companies including American Apparel, HD Buttercup, and Young & Rubicam. Kara is a California native and loves that she now calls the desert home. |
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Cindy CunninghamAssistant BuyerCindy Cunningham is the Assistant Buyer for Joshua Tree National Park Association, and has been with the organization since 2014. Part of Cindy's job is to bring in new and exciting products to our visitor centers. She also runs the JTNPA main Instagram account. "Making our visitors happy is our number one priority." Pronouns: She, Her, Hers |
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Patty Angel SomervilleMembership CoordinatorPatty Angel Somerville, a California native and resident of the Morongo Basin, is an animal lover, big sister, and is enamored with the desert night sky. She began working for the Joshua Tree National Park Association as an Information Specialist in 2016. She has been the Association's Office Assistant, Desert Institute Assistant, Office Manager and is now extremely thankful for the opportunity to serve as the Membership Coordinator. Patty loves learning, exploring, and researching ways to make the member and donor experience most pleasant, and enjoys engaging with park supporters on a daily basis. Pronouns: She, Her, Hers |
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Brandy DyessContent ManagerBrandy Dyess joined JTNPA in the spring of 2021. Prior to moving to Joshua Tree, Brandy worked as the administrative director at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Department of Photography & Imaging, as a grants analyst for The California Endowment and in the ABC Entertainment finance division of The Walt Disney Company. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Northwestern University and a certificate in fundraising from UCLA. Pronouns: She, Her, Hers |
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Jamie ColeVisitor Services ManagerPronouns: She, Her, Hers |
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Edgar EncisoInventory MerchandiserPronouns: He, Him, His |
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Benny LopezDesert Institute AssistantBenazir (Benny) Lopez is the mother of three beautiful children and one Weimaraner. She is currently obtaining her Associate in Science in Administration of Criminal Justice. She has always been outdoorsy and her love for the outdoors has only grown due to JTNP being in her backyard. She is mostly found outdoors when the opportunity presents itself, and her typical adventures include but are not limited to hiking, kayaking, shooting, archery, bowling, VR gaming, Seaworld, and random road trips. She started with JTNPA in July of 2021 working in the visitor centers as an Information Specialist. She is excited about her role as the Desert Institute Assistant continuing to work alongside her wonderful colleagues and DI volunteers. Pronouns: She, Her, Hers |
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Christine GrimesExecutive AssistantChristine Grimes is a Joshua Tree native, wife, and mother of two. Growing up here, she spent a lot of her outdoors, exploring and becoming familiar with the desert’s unique landscape. Prior to working with JTNPA, Christine worked for a prestige cosmetic company for over 11 years, where she developed her management, marketing, and merchandising skills. She takes great pride in working to protect and spread awareness about the importance of preserving sacred places like Joshua Tree National Park and is thrilled to be apart of JTNPA! Always live by the words of Margaret Mead “never doubt that a small groups of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.” |
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Angela Cutts |
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Cathy Johnson |
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Lori Davis-Richard |
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Oana Hoskinds |
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Jewell Garcia |
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Sonijah Hinkle |
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Jacob Juneau |
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Angel Bobbitt |
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Carter Limon |
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Jordyn Whitney |
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Kaliyah Cheek |
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Paige Lawrence |