Leisa Cook has assumed the role of Area Supervisor for the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area in Kentucky and Tennessee.
The Land Between the Lakes, one of only two national recreation areas in the U.S. Forest Service’s Southern Region encompasses more 170,000 acres of forest, wetlands and open lands. The peninsula straddles the Kentucky and Tennessee border between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley with the supervisor’s office located in Golden Pond, Ky.
“I am honored to be given this opportunity to lead the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area and join the Southern Region of the Forest Service,” said Cook. “I am excited about the prospect to work together to steward this incredible forest unit with the passionate employees, partners, and volunteers of western Kentucky and Tennessee.”
Cook most recently served as a Deputy Forest Supervisor on the Malheur National Forest in Oregon. Leisa brings experience from a wide variety of roles including Director for Tribal Relations in the Washington, D.C. Office, State and Private Forestry, Forest Supervisor for the Olympic National Forest in Washington, Branch Chief for Community Nutrition Programs with the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service in the Southeastern Region in addition to positions with the Health and Human Services’ Indian Health Service, the National Park Service and Center for Disease Control.
“The Southern Region is pleased to welcome Leisa as the new Area Supervisor at Land Between the Lakes,” said Ken Arney, Regional Forester for the Southern Region. “Leisa brings a wealth of knowledge from her experiences in the Forest Service and the USDA, which has well prepared her to work with a diverse set of stakeholders. Her dedicated work across public lands will prove Land Between the Lakes is truly in good hands.”
Cook was one of the first graduates of a newly established and accredited Environmental Health Degree Program at Wright State University. She continued her learning by gaining a Masters’ Degree in Business Administration and a Masters’ Degree in Public Health.
Her career has included work in the fields of land, cultural, and natural resource management; social entitlement administration and homelessness; public/behavioral health and injury prevention; emergency management and response; contract/grants management; human capital oversight; regulatory enforcement; and EEO and Civil Rights assurance.
Cook officially began her duties at Golden Pond September 26.