New field manager for Monticello BLM Office

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is pleased to announce Amber Denton Johnson is the field manager for the Monticello Field Office in the Canyon Country District.

Over the past year, Amber served in a temporary assignment as the Acting Monticello Field Manager but assumed the position permanently in November, the day before the desert monolith became an international sensation on a portion of BLM land in Lockhart Basin.

“We are thrilled to welcome Amber as the permanent Monticello Field Manager,” said Canyon Country District Manager Gary Torres. “She has shown amazing leadership during her acting role.

“With this permanent appointment, she will continue to assist the Monticello Field Office in serving visitors and local communities while carrying out vital land stewardship responsibilities.”

Amber began her federal career as a seasonal employee with the U.S. Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research station in Logan, UT, while finishing her degree from Utah State University in Environmental Studies.

She and her husband joined the Peace Corps as newlyweds for two years in Bolivia.

After completing an MS in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Iowa State University, Amber worked for the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Richfield and Manti.

She and her family moved to Monticello in 2011, where she spent five years as an NRCS soil conservationist.

In 2016, she saw an opportunity to make a difference in local public land management and jumped at the chance to take a leadership position in the Monticello Field Office, managing the recreation and visitor services program.

“I was raised to believe in the importance of public service and the value of doing what you can to contribute to improving the world around us. I am proud to be a public servant,” said Johnson.

“I have absolutely loved leading the great Monticello BLM team and building relationships with local stakeholders and governments. I look forward to continuing the work on a permanent basis.”

Growing up with a home base in Sanpete County, Amber comes from strong roots. She was born into a farming and ranching family.

She spent happy summers enjoying public and private lands with her siblings and cousins on horses, bikes, and four-wheelers.

As a young child, Amber and her family followed her father’s academic career which included attending elementary school in Somalia and going to high school in Sanpete while the rest of her family was in Uganda.

Amber credits her parents and her nomadic formative years to helping her to understand and relate to a wide variety of experiences and viewpoints.

Married nearly 25 years, Amber and her husband Jason have four incredibly smart children, an enormous friendly and fluffy labradoodle, and a cantankerous old man cat.

She loves hiking and cross-country skiing with her family, is an avid reader, loves to sew and garden, and hopes to have more time to devote to hobbies.