Imgrund to Change Jobs from Harrisburg, PA to Washington, DC

Lauren Imgrund, who worked for the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) from 2008-2023, announced she’s accepted a position with the National Park Service. With DCNR, Imgrund served as a Coordinator for the Conservation Landscape Initiative (2008-2011), Director of the Bureau for Recreation and Conservation, or BRC (2011-2016), and as the Deputy Secretary for Conservation and Technical Services (2016-2023). With the National Park Service, she will serve in the role of Associate Director of Partnerships and Civic Engagement.

From Imgrund’s DCNR bio:

Lauren Imgrund

Lauren Imgrund was appointed DCNR’s Deputy Secretary for Conservation and Technical Services on August 1, 2016. Since her arrival at DCNR in 2006, Imgrund has held several important roles, including managing the Conservation Landscapes program.

Beginning in October 2011, prior to becoming deputy, she was the director of the Bureau of Recreation and Conservation. This bureau builds connections between citizens and the outdoors through recreation enhancement, natural resource conservation, and community revitalization efforts.

It also partners with communities and organizations across Pennsylvania to provide grants and technical assistance support for local recreation projects, trails and greenways, heritage parks, open space and river conservation, and environmental education programs.

Imgrund has more than 25 years of experience in building collaborative partnerships to develop place-based solutions and strategies for land conservation, outdoor recreation, community re-vitalization, water quality improvement and natural resource conservation.

Prior to coming to DCNR, she was Director of the Alliance for Aquatic Resource Monitoring at Dickinson College for 10 years, and served as Assistant Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Wildlife Federation.

Imgrund holds a bachelor of science in biology from Juniata College and a master of arts in community psychology from Pennsylvania State University.

Well Wishes for Washington

While she will certainly be missed at DCNR and by the many folks in the larger Pennsylvania conservation community she worked with (including those of us with WeConservePA and many of our member land trust organizations), we wish Imgrund well as she brings her skills into the national conservation arena.

“From her first role as a recreation and park advisor managing over 400 projects, to her last as Deputy Secretary, Lauren rose to every challenge, adding creativity, substance, and insight to each endeavor,” DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn said. “She was the face of DCNR at many events and on various committees, assignments and hearings, and was well respected by her peers and colleagues.  She’ll be missed at DCNR, but it will be good to have her shaping the direction of the NPS and growing conservation, recreation and partnership work across the country!”

“Lauren has been an awesome leader, outstanding peer, great friend, and the best ‘boss’ I have ever worked with in my 33-year Commonwealth career,” BRC director Tom Ford said. “She is crazy smart, dedicated, tenacious, and one of the hardest working individuals I have ever met. She has taught me so much and I am going to deeply miss her support and advice.”