About the Area
Where is the Intermountain Region?
The Intermountain Region of the Forest Service encompasses nearly 34-million acres of National Forest System land. The Intermountain Regional Office in Ogden, Utah provides administrative oversight and support to 12 National Forests which are located in Utah, Nevada, western Wyoming, southern and central Idaho, as well as one National Grassland in Idaho and the Rocky Mountain Research Station in Colorado. The National Forest Supervisor's Offices are the headquarters for forest activities and provide oversight and support to the Ranger District offices within the forest boundaries. Ranger Districts are the units that directly manage the national forests and grasslands. Types of management that occur on each district vary significantly. Some districts manage ski areas, wilderness areas, wild and scenic rivers, and resource management programs and extensive recreational uses.
Four major geographic provinces come together to form the Intermountain West. They include the Great Basin, Colorado Plateau, Middle Rocky Mountains and the Northern Rocky Mountains. These provinces are the reason for the tremendous diversity of landscapes and ecosystems within the Intermountain Region.
Meet the Leadership of the Intermountain Region
Regional Forester
Presently, Mary Farnsworth serves as the new Intermountain Regional Forester. Mary joined the Intermountain Region after serving as the Forest Supervisor of the Idaho Panhandle National Forests for six years. She grew up in San Diego CA, and received a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Forest Management from Humboldt State University.
Mary’s Forest Service career began on the Umatilla National Forest working in timber planning, silviculture, and wildlife before she headed to the Tahoe National Forest working in Fire Management. She then transferred to the Eldorado National Forest as a District Fire Management Officer before heading to the National Headquarters in Washington DC, where she worked as staff for the National Fire Plan Coordinator. After more than 2 ½ years in DC, Farnsworth became a District Ranger on the Payette National Forest in western Idaho in 2003. She was promoted to the role of Deputy Forest Supervisor on the Deschutes National Forest in Bend OR in 2008, where she served for three years prior to being selected as the Forest Supervisor for the Idaho Panhandle National Forests.
When time allows, Mary likes to mountain bike, and travel to rock hounding sites collecting material for lapidary work to make small jewelry pieces.
Deputy Regional Forester
Christopher Campbell serves as a Deputy Regional Forester for the Intermountain Region. Chris began his career with the Forest Service in 2012 at the National Forest System in Washington, D.C., and most recently has been serving as the Director of Engineering in the Intermountain Region office.
“We are excited Chris has accepted the position to join the Regional leadership team,” said Intermountain Regional Forester Mary Farnsworth. “His diverse experience and leadership will help our region continue to be successful in our Forest Service mission.”
Campbell was previously a Legislative Affairs Specialist and the State, Private and Tribal Forestry Chief of Staff. Prior to his time in the Forest Service, Campbell served in the U.S. Air Force as an Engineering Officer and Director of Operations at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.
Originally from Washington, Campbell graduated from the University of Portland with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical engineering. He enjoys spending time outdoors with his family and friends.
"The Intermountain Region is an amazing team, doing amazing work across some of the most amazing forests in the whole country,” said Campbell. “I am thrilled to be a part of the team and getting to continue a career in service to the American public.”
Deputy Regional Forester
Deb Oakeson serves as a Deputy Regional Forester for the Intermountain Region. Deb was previously the Director of the Geospatial Technology and Applications Center and the Forest Service Geospatial Information Officer. Prior to her time at the Geospatial Technology and Applications Center Oakeson she worked at the Intermountain Regional Office as the Director of Information Management and served in several roles in the Chief Information Office including Assistant Director for Technology Architecture and Database Systems Program Manager.
Originally from the Salt Lake City area, Oakeson graduated from the University of Utah with an Honors Bachelor of Arts in English. Upon graduation she began working for the Federal Government as Programmer Analyst with the U.S. Army. Deb enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, reading, traveling, and volunteering with her church.
Deputy Regional Forester
Kelly Orr began her career with the Bureau of Land Management in 2010 as a program manager at the Southern Nevada District Office in Las Vegas, Nevada. She has recently served as Branch Chief for Outdoor and Heritage Resources at the BLM Utah State Office in Salt Lake City where she oversaw BLM Utah's recreation, wilderness, cultural, and paleontological resource programs.
“With Kelly accepting her role on the Regional leadership team we have a more diverse ability to meet the goals of our agency mission in the Intermountain Region,” said Intermountain Regional Forester Mary Farnsworth. “With her extensive experience with land management in this Region, we know that we are set to increase our cooperation across landscapes with our partners, cooperating agencies, Tribes, and volunteers.”
Prior to her time in Utah, Orr served as a policy advisor in the BLM Director's Office in Washington, D.C. She grew up in Boulder, Colorado, and attended Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, where she completed an undergraduate degree in Environmental Biology, Psychology, and Anthropology. Orr also holds a Master of Science degree in Environmental Biology.
“The Intermountain Region has incredible diversity in land management opportunities that makes this a dynamic and exciting place,” said Orr. “I am proud to be part of connecting people with the resources we manage.”
Between work and raising three young daughters, Orr also loves to hike, learn new things, and is always looking for the next best book to read.