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Staff

About Us

The 2018 All Employee Photo at Joshua Tree National Park Headquarters

The 2018 All Employee Photo at Joshua Tree National Park Headquarters | Photo by NPS/Hannah Schwalbe | Public Domain | Source

Administrative Staff

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	Jacqueline Guevara Executive Director Jacqueline 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
	Sarah Witt Desert Institute Program Director Sarah 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! Pronouns: She, Her, Hers
	Lizette Bautista Buyer Lizette joined JTNPA in 2023. She has nearly five years of experience in retail buying and over 20 years of experience in customer service, account management, and retail operations. Frequent visits to Joshua Tree National Park were the catalyst to her becoming a permanent resident of the high desert. Lizette loves music, hiking, and traveling to new places. She is excited about her new role with JTNPA and becoming more involved with the park and her new community. Pronouns: She, Her, Hers
	Neil Xu Finance Manager Neil 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. Pronouns: He, Him, His
	Christine Grimes Development Manager Christine 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! Pronouns: She, Her, Hers Always live by the words of Margaret Mead “never doubt that a small groups of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.”
	Erin Campbell Director of Retail Erin Campbell fell in love with Joshua Tree during a visit in 2018. She and her husband were so drawn to the area that they immediately relocated and made a home in Landers. Erin is a wife to Joe Alvarez and has 5 daughters and 5 grandchildren. She is a retail expert with over 25 years of experience in her field. She is also a fashion designer and is heavily involved in the local artist community. Her passion for wildlife and nature gives her a strong calling to help protect our beautiful surroundings. Erin is extremely honored to be a part of the JTNPA team. Pronouns: She, Her, Hers
	Cindy Cunningham Assistant Buyer Cindy 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
	Patty Angel Somerville Membership Coordinator Patty 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
	Brandy Dyess Content Manager Brandy 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
	Jamie Cole Visitor Services Manager Pronouns: She, Her, Hers
	Edgar Enciso Outreach Coordinator Edgar Enciso has been part of JTNPA since February of 2017. He began his affiliation with us during the busiest time of the year as an Information Specialist at Joshua Tree Visitor Center. As Joshua Tree National Park’s popularity continued to grow and business operation's needs arose, Edgar's role developed to the Merchandiser of the park's six retail stores that directly provide support to the park. He is a desert native and loves the outdoors. Edgar's passion for the preservation and conservation of the desert made him the perfect fit for our newest position, Outreach Coordinator where he assists with donor cultivation, events and fundraisers that benefit the park. Pronouns: He, Him, His
	Benny Lopez Desert Institute Assistant Benazir (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
	Tara Sunderland Executive Assistant Tara has been exploring Joshua Tree since 2013, and finally became a high desert resident last year. She has over 10 years of experience providing executive and administrative support across multiple industries. Tara loves hiking, camping, animals, and all things outdoors. Prior to settling here, she spent some time traveling on the road with her husband and 2 dogs in their truck camper. Pronouns: She, Her, Hers

Information Specialists

	Angela Cutts
	Cathy Johnson
	Lori Davis-Richard
	Oana Hoskinds
	Angel Bobbitt
	Kaliyah Cheek