Jennifer Stephens Haley

Jennifer Haley, 69, passed away on May 26, 2024 at her home in Boulder City Nevada.  She was born on September 20, 1954 in Rural Shields Township Illinois and grew up in the east bay area town of Alamo where she graduated from San Ramon High School in 1972.  She received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from Santa Clara University in 1976 and a Master of Science degree in 1980 from the University of Nevada Reno.  She then worked as a biologist for the Nevada Department of Transportation before coming to southern Nevada where she worked for the University of Nevada Las Vegas Limnology Center on fisheries research projects at Lake Mead.

Jennifer joined the National Park Service (NPS) as a Natural Resource Specialist in October of 1990, and was promoted to Supervisory Resource Management Specialist in 1995.  In October or 2002 she became the first Executive Director of the Southern Nevada Interagency Land Management Partnership where she coordinated interagency projects funded through the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act on National Forest lands on Mount Charleston, U.S.  Fish and Wildlife Service lands at the Desert and Moapa National Wildlife Refuges, Bureau of Land Management lands, and National Park Service lands at Lake Mead National Recreation Area (LMNRA).  In 2009 she became the Chief of Visitor Services at LMNRA and became the first Chief of Resources and Visitor Services in 2013.  She retired from that position on September 30, 2016 after 26 years in federal service.

In addition to the distinguished career outlined above, Jennifer will be remembered by everyone that knew her from her work, school, or her many interests and activities as an extraordinarily positive person who loved life and loved helping others. She was an inspiration and a mentor to many, but most recently she has been helping others cope with protracted illnesses while she fought her own cancer for the past 9 years.  She loved to travel, and boasted of having visited 29 countries, many of them during periods of remission during her battle with cancer.

Jennifer is survived by her husband Ross whom she met while attending graduate school in Reno in 1978 and married in 1983.  He also worked as a biologist with the NPS until his retirement in 2017. He still lives in Boulder City.  Together, they had two sons, Spencer and Zac, who grew up and attended schools in Boulder City.  They now live in Las Vegas and Carson City, respectively.  She is also survived by two sisters, Laurie Stone of Boulder City and Bonnie Stephens of Arcata, CA.

There will be an open house celebration of life at her house in Boulder City on 6/15/24 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm.  Casual attire is expected.  No gifts or flowers please.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Cancer Society or the National Parks Conservation Association.