PUBLIC LANDS -- The supervisor of the Colville National Forest is leaving town to take Forest Service job in Arizona.

Laura Jo West, a 26-year career Forest Service employee, has been named Forest Supervisor of the Coconino National Forest in northern Arizona. 

She replaces Earl Stewart, who accepted a position as the forest supervisor for the Tongass National Forest in Alaska beginning mid-April.

“We are very happy to welcome Laura Jo back to this region,” said Southwestern Regional Forester Calvin Joyner.  “Her experience working with diverse stakeholders on a collaborative approach to forest management in Washington will serve us well as she helps oversee the largest restoration project on any of the National Forests.”

West has been Forest Supervisor of the Colville National Forest since 2010.  She will head to Flagstaff, Arizona, later this summer.

When West’s selection was announced, Pacific Northwest Regional Forester Jim Pena said, “Laura Jo has done an outstanding job on the Colville, establishing close ties with the community and working extremely well with the public."

A Pennsylvania native, West graduated from Utah State University in 1982 with a degree in Recreation Resource Management.  She also holds an M.A. in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University.  Prior to leading the Colville National Forest, West was a District Ranger on the Prescott National Forest in Prescott, Arizona.