New Mexico Historic Sites brings on new regional manager for Fort Stanton Historic Site and Lincoln Historic Site

July 28th, 2022

Lincoln, NM – New Mexico Historic Sites (NMHS) is ecstatic to introduce Kari Richards as the regional manager for Fort Stanton Historic Site (FSHS) and Lincoln Historic Site (LHS). Her first day in the role was July 11.  

In recent months, NMHS has brought several new staff members on board throughout the state, many of them in southern New Mexico. NMHS plans to highlight and celebrate each of them in a series of releases leading up to Old Lincoln Days, which runs August 5-7.  

“Finding the ideal mix in a manager to oversee these two incredible and beloved sites was no easy task,” said Dr. Patrick Moore, executive director of New Mexico Historic Sites. “Completing the search in tandem with New Mexico State Historic Preservation Officer Jeff Pappas and New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs Chief Financial Officer Greg Geisler helped us find the ideal candidate with extensive experience in historic preservation, interpretation, personnel management, and operations. We are thrilled that Kari comes to us with all these skills.”   

Richards brings expertise and grit to FSHS and LHS. In 2014, she received a graduate certificate in Cultural Resource Management from New Mexico State University, and in 2015, she went on to receive her Master of Arts in Anthropology and Cultural Resource Management from the same program. While working with the Bureau of Land Management, she worked on the Boyd / van Patten area of the Dripping Springs Natural Area (DSNA), and even contributed to the initial push to have DSNA added to the National Register of Historic Places. Richards also assisted the superintendent of Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park with administrative functions alongside her work developing interactive and interpretive programming, like a touch table for kids and ranger-led talks, for the park.  

For the last six and a half years, Richards has served as the manager of a New Mexico Motor Vehicle Department office, where she regularly engaged directly with the public and was often tasked by the director’s office to help with larger statewide functions and issues. Richards and her husband are also training counselors with the National Rifle Association, helping educate New Mexicans on firearms safety and responsible gun ownership, and looks forward to leaning on that expertise for firearms demonstrations at FSHS and LHS.  

“I am excited to join New Mexico Historic Sites during this expansive time,” Richards said, “and I look forward to working with the staff and residents down in Fort Stanton and Lincoln to share the stories of these places and their place in our state’s history far and wide.”  

In her personal life, Richards enjoys spending time with her grandkids and rockhounding with her husband.

About New Mexico Historic Sites  New Mexico Historic Sites is a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, under the leadership of the Board of Regents for the Museum of New Mexico. Programs and exhibits are generously supported by the Museum of New Mexico Foundation and its donors. The New Mexico Historic Sites system was established in 1931 by an Act for the Preservation of the Scientific Resources of New Mexico. The eight Historic Sites include Coronado, Fort Selden, Fort Stanton, Bosque Redondo Memorial at Fort Sumner Historic Site, Jemez, Lincoln, and Los Luceros.