Presenter: Lisa Hendy, retired National Park Emergency Response Ranger

Location: Guerry Reading Room
701 Oak Street
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Parking: Free
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies department invites all community members to attend a presentation and conversation with Lisa Hendy, former Chief Ranger of Big Bend and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in celebration of Women's History Month. The talk is "Responsible visitation and a passionate workforce: the future of OUR public lands."

Lisa is a Chattanooga native and began her National Park Service career in 1993 as a volunteer at Yosemite. She went on to serve in a wide range of law enforcement, emergency medical, and leadership roles across the country. She worked seasonal law enforcement at Rocky Mountain and Yellowstone National Parks, completed graduate and paramedic training, and even served four months as a paramedic in Nepal.
In 2004, she joined Grand Canyon National Park full time, serving as a backcountry ranger, supervisor, flight medic, and special response team member, earning the National Harry Yount Award for Excellence in Rangering in 2011. She later became Yosemite’s Emergency Services Program Manager, overseeing SAR, EMS, and helicopter rescue operations, and served in national incident management leadership roles, including presidential events and major disaster responses.
Lisa went on to serve as Chief Ranger at Big Bend and Great Smoky Mountains National Parks, contributed to federal SAR coordination and incident management teams nationwide, and eventually returned to Grand Canyon as Canyon District Ranger to conclude her 30-year career. She retired from the National Park Service in December 2026.
Contact: [email protected] with any questions.

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