CHICAGO, IL – The nation’s leading voice for the national parks, the nonprofit National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) today announced that Lynn McClure has been hired as Mid-West Regional Director for the organization’s new office, set to open in Chicago this September.

“We are pleased and privileged to have Lynn as regional director to help us launch our new Mid-West office,” said Tom Kiernan, president of NPCA. “She has over 25 years of experience in the parks and conservation fields and brings her extraordinary enthusiasm and vision to the job at hand.”

“My staff and I are excited to congratulate and welcome Lynn McClure as the new NPCA Mid-West regional director,” said Ernie Quintana, National Park Service (NPS) Midwest Regional Director. “I invite Lynn to visit the NPS Midwest Regional Office, and look forward to discussing critical issues and our perspectives on those issues. I anticipate developing a long-term, positive relationship with this newest member of the NPCA directorate as a means to further strengthen our alliance with the NPCA.”

McClure is an award-winning public relations professional and strategic planning consultant and has provided services to many conservation and environmental organizations, public park agencies, state associations, and Fortune 100 companies. She is a former public relations director for the Illinois Association of Park Districts where she developed award-winning public-consensus building programs that resulted in securing state funding for open space and natural areas acquisition in Illinois.

“We have many national treasures in the Mid-West, including national parks and historic sites,” said McClure. “It is our responsibility to protect and preserve these assets for the future.”

NPCA’s Mid-West Regional Office, opening in September, will protect and represent national parks in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin such as Isle Royale National Park, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, and Voyageurs National Park.

Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association has been the leading voice of the American people in protecting and enhancing our National Park System. NPCA, its 330,000 members, and partners work together to protect the park system and preserve our nation's natural, historical, and cultural heritage for generations to come.

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