State park employee named “Manager of the Year”

One Grand County resident is holding her head a little higher after she was recognized last week for her outstanding job performance at Dead Horse Point State Park.

Crystal White, the assistant park manager at Dead Horse Point, was nominated for and received the Manager of the Year Award for her work in 2015 at the Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation.

Park manager Megan Blackwelder said that White has continuously worked on her leadership skills and that she has been an outstanding employee to have at an increasingly busy park.

“Crystal has an incredibly strong work ethic and sets a high standard for hard work and getting things done,” Blackwelder said. “This is evident when she trains new staff and sets an example for others to follow.”

It is because of people like White, Blackwelder said, that the park has been able to keep operating at peak performance. She has developed a strong partnership with the National Park Service, created control plans for resource monitoring and weeds, and drafted a new resource management plan and visitor survey.

With all that she did in 2015, Blackwelder said, White has helped both full-time and part-time staff to learn and assist in completing project tasks.

“Crystal goes above and beyond her duties to reach staff and provide them with the support needed to operate a successful park,” Blackwelder said. “Because of this, I feel she is deserving of the 2015 Manager of the Year Award.”

Crystal White honored for work at Dead Horse Point