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Grand Canyon National Park's 1st female leader is resigning

Posted at 12:32 PM, Mar 14, 2019
and last updated 2019-03-14 15:33:10-04

GRAND CANYON, Ariz. - The departing superintendent of Grand Canyon National Park says she'll work to promote social justice and empower women after she leaves the job this month.

Christine Lehnertz announced Thursday that she's retiring from the job she's held since August 2016. She was tasked with changing what federal investigators said was a pervasive culture of sexual harassment at the park.

Lehnertz says in a statement that she's proud of the progress employees have made to create a more respectful and inclusive workplace.

In the past few months, she was reassigned, cleared in a federal investigation and decided against returning to the Grand Canyon.

She says she's reassessed her priorities. She says she'll now work to empower women, promote social justice and support families challenged by Alzheimer's. Her mother had the disease.