Bureau of Land Management Director James Caswell announced today the appointment of James G. Kenna as the new director for the agency’s state office in Arizona. Kenna, a career natural resource manager, is currently the BLM’s associate state director for BLM’s Oregon and Washington office.

“Jim brings a wealth of experience to this important job,” Caswell said. “He has the understanding and the leadership skills needed to manage the challenging and complex natural resource issues in Arizona.”

Kenna, a native of Colorado, began his career 36 years ago in Arizona as a wildland firefighter and has since served in numerous positions throughout the nation. Prior to his current position as associate state director in BLM’s Oregon/Washington office, he was the deputy assistant director for resources and planning at BLM’s headquarters office in Washington, D.C. He has also held a variety of management positions in Palm Springs, Calif., Burns, Ore., Prineville, Ore., and Lakeview, Ore., and served as a recreation planner in Moab, Utah. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Prescott College.

Kenna will be moving back to Arizona with his wife Renee. “I appreciate Director Caswell’s confidence in me,” Kenna said. “I look forward to returning to Arizona to serve the public and carry out the BLM’s multiple-use mission in the state.”

In his new position, Kenna will oversee the management of BLM Arizona’s 12.2 million surface acres of public lands and another 17.5 million subsurface acres within the state. He will be responsible for about 600 employees in nine offices.

The BLM manages more land – 258 million surface acres – than any other federal agency. Most of this public land is located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM’s multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on the public lands.