New manager for the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area

The Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest recently welcomed Deborah MacNeill as the area manager for the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area.

In her new position, MacNeill will provide oversight of the staff and resources needed to manage nearly 316,000 acres of National Forest System lands in Southern Nevada.

“We are excited to welcome Deb to the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest,” Forest Supervisor Bill Dunkelberger said in a news release. “Deb brings a great deal of experience to the Forest, including her vast knowledge of the Las Vegas community having worked in the area for both the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and United States Air Force.”

MacNeill began her federal career as a civilian employee with the Air Force as a clerk/typist, while her husband was stationed at Clark Air Base in the Republic of the Philippines. As she continued to work for the Air Force, she served in increasingly more complex positions.

She has worked as a budget analyst at Eglin Air Force Base (AFB) in the Florida panhandle and as the Material Support Division chief at Seymour Johnson AFB in eastern North Carolina. In 2001, MacNeill moved to Las Vegas to work at Nellis AFB where she held several positions, including senior budget and financial analyst.

MacNeill started her career in land management in 2004 when she was hired as the Resources Flight Chief and was responsible for real property (2.9 million acres) and community planning for Nellis AFB, Creech AFB, and the Nevada Test and Training Range.

She expanded her experience when she was selected in 2008 to serve as the Public Partnerships Office Director for Nellis AFB, Creech AFB, and NTTR where she worked with the other agencies, local communities, and developers to keep growth compatible with the Air Force’s mission and community interests.

MacNeill moved to the BLM in 2012 as the Field Manager for the Pahrump Field Office in the Southern Nevada District. She most recently served in a four-month detail as the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest’s Acting Area Manager for the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area.

“I am excited to be working with a dedicated and professional group of employees” on the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area, MacNeill said. “I am also looking forward to engaging with local stakeholders and the many visitors who come to enjoy the incredible natural resources.”

MacNeill, a California native, earned a bachelor of science in management from Golden Gate University in San Francisco, California. Deb, her husband Barry, and their three children enjoy exploring all the beautiful Nevada public lands.

She succeeds Donn Christiansen who served as the area manager for three years. Christiansen recently accepted a new position as a Field Manager on the BLM’s Owyhee Field Office in western Idaho. MacNeill began working on the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area.