Interim tag taken off as Rugwell named BLM director
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CHEYENNE — Bureau of Land Management Director Neil Kornze announced today that Cheyenne native Mary Jo Rugwell has been selected as the new BLM Wyoming State Director.
Rugwell has served as Acting BLM Wyoming State Director since January 2015, overseeing the management of 17.5 million surface acres of public lands and more than 40 million acres of Federal sub-surface mineral estate. As BLM Wyoming State Director, Rugwell will be responsible for more than 600 permanent staff and 150 seasonal employees who help manage a myriad of public land uses and resources, including energy development, livestock grazing, outdoor recreation and the protection and control of wild horses and burros.
“Mary Jo is a results-driven leader who brings more than 30 years of federal land management experience to her job,” said Director Kornze. “She has a track record that shows her dedication to working collaboratively with BLM partners and stakeholders.”
Rugwell served for more than two years as BLM Wyoming’s Associate State Director, the number two position in BLM Wyoming. Rugwell came to Wyoming in August 2012 from Nevada, where she had worked as District Manager for the Southern Nevada District Office since 2008. She previously served in field manager capacities for the Kemmerer Field Office in Wyoming and the Carlsbad Field Office in New Mexico.
In 2014, Rugwell detailed to the BLM Washington Office as the Acting Deputy Assistant Director of the Human Capital Management Directorate, where she directed a staff responsible for multiple human resource functions, including staff and recruitment, civil rights, ethics, diversity and inclusion, and health and safety.
“I look forward to serving as the BLM Wyoming State Director and meeting the challenges ahead,” Rugwell said. “Managing natural resources is a task that can’t be done alone. I plan to build on the solid partnerships that the BLM has in Wyoming so that together we can continue to be successful in managing the public lands.”
Rugwell holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Wyoming in Laramie; she earned her B.S. in business administration from Chapman University in Orange, California. Rugwell’s family includes her husband Darrell, daughter Wendy, son-in-law Eric, son John and grandson Jameson. Her interests include travel, the theatre, sports, reading, and interior design.
