NORTHERN COLORADO – The USDA Forest Service is proud to announce the selection of Chris Stubbs as the new Forest Supervisor for the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland. He replaces Monte Williams, who retired in June following 33 years of federal service.

“Chris brings a strong background in recreation planning, wildfire and disaster recovery, and partnerships,” said Troy Heithecker, Rocky Mountain Regional Forester. “He will be a great addition to the strong community of partners the forest has developed to share in stewardship of these incredible public lands.”

Stubbs joins the Arapaho, Roosevelt, and Pawnee from the Los Padres National Forest in Southern California, where he has served as the Forest Supervisor and, previously, Deputy Forest Supervisor, since 2019. At Los Padres, Stubbs built key partnerships on a 2 million-acre, urban-coastal National Forest, and led his staff through severe flooding and storm damage during the winter of 2022-2023.

Prior to his time with the Forest Service, Stubbs spent 22 years with the National Park Service, serving in five different National Parks, ending his tenure there as the Superintendent of the Monocacy National Battlefield in Maryland. He began his career with the Bureau of Land Management in Northern Nevada as a planner and environmental coordinator.

Stubbs attended the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech, earning a Master of Science in Forestry with a concentration in outdoor recreation planning.

“I’m excited to build on the partnerships the forest has established to address the enormous recreation pressures in Northern Colorado, to continue our critical work implementing the wildfire crisis strategy, and to help the community find meaningful ways to connect with their public lands,” Stubbs said.

Stubbs is expected to start his new position in mid-January 2025.