Joe Alston, a 28-year NPS veteran, has been named the new superintendent of Grand Canyon National Park. Alston was the superintendent of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Rainbow Bridge National Monument for the last six years.

"I am grateful to be returning to the Grand Canyon," Alston said. "The power of this place is very personal for me because it is where I met my wife, Judy, and it is what inspired me to seek a career in the National Park Service. I look forward to moving ahead with the park's general management plan and to developing strong working relationships with Grand Canyon's friends and neighbors."

Alston began his NPS career as a firefighter on the north rim of the Grand Canyon as well as an inner- canyon ranger. He has served as superintendent of Curecanti National Recreation Area, assistant superintendent of Yellowstone National Park, and acting chief of the National Park Service Division of Concession Management in Washington, D.C. He has also been a wrangler, river ranger, and wildlife technician.

"Joe is an outstanding superintendent and brings tremendous knowledge and skill to his new position," said Karen Wade, director of the Intermountain Region of the National Park Service, in making the announcement on Dec. 18. "He is deeply committed to the innovations at Grand Canyon in transportation and the preservation of natural quiet and has a strong reputation as someone who will reach out to local communities and others who care deeply about the Grand Canyon."

Alston has a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of California-San Diego, and a master's degree in business administration from the University of Kansas. He is married to Judy Alston, and they have two sons, Thomas who is a senior at the University of Arizona in Tucson, and David, a senior at Page High School.