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High Plains District Manager Stephanie Connolly Sworn In

By Lesley Collins, Public Affairs Specialist, High Plains District

(L-R) High Plains District Manager Stephanie Connolly, her husband Don Connolly and BLM Wyoming State Director Don Simpson.

An installation ceremony for the new District Manager of the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) High Plains District was held Dec. 8, 2009, at the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center (NHTIC).

BLM Wyoming State Director Don Simpson officially inducted Stephanie Connolly, as District Manager of the High Plains District.

“We are here today to formally administer the oath of office to your new High Plains District Manager Stephanie Connolly, and to mark a new beginning for the Wyoming BLM with the change to a new three-tier structure,” noted Don Simpson.

To commemorate the event and the upcoming 150th anniversary of the pony express, the NHTIC loaned Connolly a historic Bible from the 1800s for the installation ceremony.

NHTIC Director Michael Abel read the following quote as he presented Connolly with the Bible,

"There was an oath I had to make when they swore me in. They handed me a little leather bound Bible, the kind they gave to all the riders, and a six shooter. I was told to use the Bible all the time and the gun only in case of necessity." Bronco Charley (Charles B. Miller, rider)

Stephanie began her federal career in eastern Kentucky as a forester with the U.S. Forest Service, and has served most of her 20-year career in the western states. She served as a planning and environmental coordinator in Utah and then a recreation specialist in Nevada.

After 11 years with the Forest Service, Stephanie worked as a project coordinator for Washoe County, Nev. For two years her role included developing partnerships with the BLM and U.S. Forest Service by planning and constructing parks and trails along the Sierra Front. In addition to working with the federal agencies, she also worked with other local governments along the Sierra Front to secure critical public access to public lands.

In 2003, she joined the BLM in Ely, Nev., where she served as the associate district manager for over four years. She was appointed to Cottonwood Field Office manager in Northern Idaho in 2007.

Stephanie attended the University of Kentucky where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in forest management.

"I sincerely appreciate the support of BLM and the community,” noted Connolly. “I want to thank everyone for attending and thanks to the NHTIC staff for making this such a memorable event.”