Contact and Trip Leaders

 Mackenzie was born and raised in Gainesville, Florida. She attended Southern Utah University, and majored in Outdoor Recreation in Parks and Tourism with an emphasis in Outdoor Education. 

After college, she began working for the National Park Service, spending seasons at Cedar Breaks National Monument, Zion National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, Cape Cod National Seashore, and even Mount Rainier National Park. Throughout those years, she focused on trail work, maintenance, education, interpretation, and helping visitors connect with the landscapes we love while caring for the places that make those experiences possible. No matter where she went, Mackenzie always found herself drawn back to southern Utah and the desert she loves so much. She is so excited to be here and to meet new people as we work together to care for our public lands!

Mary is originally from Layton, Utah, and studied Interdisciplinary Studies at Southern Utah University, where she combined Outdoor Recreation, Hospitality Management, and Psychology. An academic blend that reflects her passion for connecting people with the natural world. From a young age, she struggled to fit into traditional societal roles and found a sense of belonging in nature. She believes the outdoors offers the freedom to be one’s authentic self, a feeling she experiences deeply in southwest Utah.

Over the past five years, Mary has worked in recreation with the U.S. Forest Service on both the Dixie and Huron-Manistee National Forests. Throughout a variety of recreation-focused roles, she has continued to build a career rooted in service, education, and public-land stewardship. Her guiding purpose is to help visitors see themselves as part of the landscape through a woven approach of being part of nature rather than separate from it. She believes this is best accomplished by fostering meaningful connections through education and connection.

Mary is thrilled to join GSEP and to work alongside others who care deeply about GSENM. She is grateful to be part of a team whose efforts make a lasting and positive impact on the land and the people who visit it.

“We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.”
— Aldo Leopold