Women of the Mississippi: Linda Valois

By Karen Katz, Outdoor Recreation Planner, Mississippi National River and Recreation Area

Linda Valois, Budget Analyst, Mississippi National River and Recreation Area
First year working for NPS: 2003
First year working at MISS: 2014

Linda grew up in Minnesota. She could see the river from her house in Saint Paul near the airport yet she never really got closer than that. “It was down there, we only really noticed it when it flooded. We had this nice view of the river. My whole life growing up the river really had no part in it….I don’t think I really ever walked alongside it.” Flash forward to the present, and Linda says “I’m always the one trying to get my relatives and friends [to the river].” 

Before working for MISS, Linda moved away to the sunny state of California. She and her husband, Tony, were campground hosts at Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area for 12 years. As she was living there, she spent time working for the Minerals Management Service. However, Linda really had her eye on jobs at the National Park Service. The NPS agency clicked with her values. 

“I don’t know that I’ve ever met anyone that works for the national park service that doesn’t pull their weight . . . People are usually giving above and beyond . . . [NPS employees] are dedicated to serving the public and serving the land . . . you get an opportunity to get out in the wilderness. Your facility . . . is nature.”

When a job as the Assistant for Planning Science and Resource Management Division opened at Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, Linda’s employment with the other federal agency meant she was eligible to apply and made her a competitive candidate! She describes her responsibilities as “keeping everything moving”.  She did payroll, purchasing, budgeting, oversaw contracts and purchase agreements, among other business administration related tasks. While in this position she got into an employee development program for entry level employees that required her to complete a project in an area of interest. She chose cultural resources, and as she was working on a project completing an evaluation of a historic building, she started doing work with the museum at the park. Linda discovered she really preferred the museum and archive world! So, she began a masters graduate program in museum studies through the University of Oklahoma. She completed details, which are temporary stints in different jobs at the park service, often with a pay and grade promotion. 

Linda moved back to Minnesota to be near to family and began working at MISS. It was then she started to explore all the parks and trails that weren’t around when she was growing up. “When I came back and [MISS] was my park, I was much more inspired by all the development that promoted the park and upgraded it and made it accessible, All these trails weren’t here before . . . You can get down to the river by hiking or biking.” Linda enjoys recreating on the miles of trails in the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area; Kaposia park in South Saint Paul to the 494 bridge is one of her favorite spots to rollerblade. She knows the Mississippi is a valuable asset to the Twin Cities communities; the amount of green space adjacent to the river is a stark contrast to the cement channel of the Los Angeles River she knew from her time in L.A. “Everybody knows . . . the [Mississippi] river but they’re not quite sure of all the recreation activities there.” 

Linda takes particular pride in some of the trails because she’s had a hand in bringing them into existence. A regular part of her job is to oversee contracts between the park and local municipalities. As a technical representatives for grants, she guides planners and project leaders through the legal requirements of contracts, ensuring government money is spent responsibly. 

“It amazes me the amount of funding that the park has given to other cities to improve and get these [trails] done . . . When [a] project is done I [know] I helped get the money to these people . . . It’s good to see the partnership that is going on there. I’m proud of my little contribution to the process.”

As the park’s budget technician, Linda is still the one that keeps things moving. She oversees park spending and balancing 5-year budget proposals. Her extensive knowledge of federal laws, ethics, and records management is invaluable; staff at MISS wouldn’t be able to achieve as much as we do without her.