GREENVILLE, Tn. — Lizzie Watts grew up an Army brat and has lived all over the world. But, the place she planted the deepest roots she said was West Virginia. Watts spent a total of 15 years working at the New River Gorge National River Area with the National Park Service during her 25 year career with the agency. This week she was named the next Superintendent of the three National Parks Units in southern West Virginia.
“I am thrilled. West Virginia is the most beautiful state in the country,” she said. “For me, it really is like returning home.”
Watts presently serves as the Superintendent of the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site and National Cemetery in Greenville, Tennessee. She’s served in a variety of positions during her career in five different park units. She believes that longevity coupled with the time spent at New River in the early days of her career are what landed her the job.
“Generally you don’t go back to a park where you’ve worked before, but I had been at New River when it was beginning so I actually got to learn a lot about the park as it was establishing itself,” she said. “I think that is part of it and the other part is that I’ve been a superintendent in the Park Service for a long time so I have quite a diverse background.”
Watts will be in charge of the day to day operation of the New River Gorge National River, the Gauley River National Recreation Area, and the Bluestone National Scenic River.
“All three have diverse resources,” she said. “They have the cultural resources telling the railroading, logging, and mining history of southern Appalachia and they also have just really unique water resources with the water and ecosystem.”
Watts will begin her new assignment in the West Virginia parks in January and can’t wait.
“For all of the visitors who come to the state of West Virginia they get the opportunity to see such rich diversity, whether it’s the river, the plants, the rock climbing, or the rafting. What a great place to call home,” Watts said. “I get to come home and that’s a rarity sometimes in the Park Service, so I’m very excited.”