Professional Portfolio
Welcome to my portfolio! My name is Hannah Lenkowski (née Cowan) and I am a communications leader with over 10 years of experience; much of that experience has been with the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service. As you explore this space, you will see examples of my work that are publicly available. As a federal employee, much of my work is confidential government documentation, including communication plans, hot topic documents, congressional letters, legislative reports, policy reviews, instruction memoranda, agreements, briefings, and budgets, and therefore, cannot be showcased.
I have spent the last couple of years leading communication teams where I developed strategies and work plans, and reviewed all materials prior to their release. I am currently leading Forest Service internal planning efforts for the 2034 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
My contact information is available in the tab at the top of the page, as is my resume. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions.
Leadership
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As the Director of Strategic Communications for the Forest Service Intermountain Region, I supervised three supervisory public affairs specialists, four state liaisons, and led a team of 33 public affairs specialists across the region. I created work plans, approved all creative concepts, and reviewed final products before dissemination. In addition to leading external communication strategies, I also oversaw the regional partnership program and developed internal guidance that enabled program reorganization to capitalize on skill set and develop employees.
I led communication strategies for 12 national forests and one national grassland , as well as the region as a whole, encompassing video production, photography, feature stories, media engagement, news releases, social media, and presentations. I coordinated quarterly congressional meetings for Utah, Nevada, Wyoming, and Idaho and reviewed legislative reports, maps, and testimony. I developed briefings for senior leaders and provided advisory services. Under my leadership, the program began to track legislative items, news, and partner content. We grew our social media presence, led interagency communications projects, and provided subject matter specialists for panels and conferences.
Finally, I led a multi-region effort to develop a loss-of-life communication strategy and served as the leading expert in the region for crisis communications. -
As one of three supervisory public affairs specialists for the Forest Service Intermountain Region, I serve as the region’s communications director on a rotating basis. When not acting as the director, I oversee the region’s partnership program and secure national funding for partner projects. To date, I have secured over $30 million, which has been applied to projects that support the Wildfire Crisis, habitat restoration, and recreation. I supervised two employees and led a team of 16 partnership coordinators across 12 national forests and one national grassland.
I coordinate all partnership communications materials and collaborate with partners on news releases, videos, and stories. I advise the forest public affairs specialists and partnership coordinators on best practices for storytelling with partners and building awareness of projects.
Communications-specific projects include fine-tuning partner agreement language and developing a communications structure for the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree with the Society of American Foresters and Sierra Forever, expanding awareness of the Saw Program, and highlighting the Wood for Life Program with the National Forest Foundation. I also lead internal planning efforts for the 2034 Winter Olympics, which have a communications, marketing, and partnerships component.
In addition, I lead trainings with public affairs specialists on social media, communication plans, fire public information officer best practices, and crisis communications. I serve on the communications leadership team and often lead national rollouts, dignitary visits, congressional meetings, strategy development, regional senior leadership discussions, briefings, and employee engagement sessions. -
As a Deputy Chief of External Affairs for the Bureau of Land Management, Fire and Aviation Program, I acted as Chief of External Affairs on an ad hoc basis, supervising the team of 6 public affairs specialists. In this position, I oversaw the creation of several episodes of the Wildfire MattersPodcast, tutorial videos, Fire Chat Friday panels, National Wildland Firefighter Day graphics, and news releases. I led the development of talking points, briefing papers, legislative reports, testimony (see the section on wildland fire reforms), media pitches, social media campaigns, and a National Interagency Fire Center Tour Booklet. I hosted a nationwide public information officer annual briefing and traveled to meet with incident command teams and provided best practices training with their public information officers.
In the deputy position, I served as the lead media contact and coordinated responses to media queries from national outlets, including The Washington Post and NBC. I coordinated the filming of documentaries on various aspects of the fire program and led media training for leadership and specialists. Finally, I coordinated tours of the National Interagency Fire Center for international dignitaries in coordination with the Department of Interior and White House.
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I served as the Bureau of Land Management California Congressional and Legislative Liaison during the transition from the Trump Administration to the Biden Administration. I covered the Communications Director position on an ad hoc basis and oversaw seven public affairs specialists and communications for several high-profile projects. Communication materials included news releases, social media (#Trackthebloom), photos, graphics, and presentations.
In addition, I led all communications with 54 congressmen, planned congressional tours, responded to legislative requests, developed legislative reports, reviewed congressional maps, interpreted policy, led briefings, and supported the development of testimony and talking points for the Bureau of Land Management Director and Secretary of Interior.
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West Valley City, Utah -- The Bureau of Land Management West Desert Fire Zone has scheduled fuels management projects on approximately 23,500 acres of public land for fiscal year 2019. With over 7.7 million acres of land to manage in the BLM West Desert District, the fuels program is taking actions to reduce hazardous fuels and risks to human communities, as well as, improve land health by creating fire-resilient landscapes and restoring fire-adapted ecosystems.
"This year’s treatments are intended to protect important and valued public lands from the threat of large catastrophic wildfire,” said BLM West Desert Fire Zone Fuels Program Manager Erik Valdez. “While fire plays an important role on many Utah landscapes, these projects will reduce the negative impacts that wildfire often has on our more arid ecosystems."
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SALT LAKE CITY—Today, the Bureau of Land Management Salt Lake Field Office and the Ogden Ranger District of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest (USFS) released respective final decisions for the Three Creeks Allotment Consolidation Project Environmental Assessment. The project represents a joint effort between livestock operators and local, state, and federal agencies to improve rangeland health on 135,350 acres in Cache and Rich Counties.
“We look forward to working with permittees, and other agencies involved in this effort, as we implement an efficient and effective grazing system,” said Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest Supervisor Dave Whittekiend.
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Consistent with the Administration’s priority of being a good neighbor and better serving local communities, the Bureau of Land Management has released a Notice of Decision (NOD) for the exchange of public and private land in Skull Valley, located in Tooele County, Utah. The exchange provides the public with its first-time right to access certain recreation areas, including those for big game hunting, preserves wildlife habitat and historical resources, and improves management of Utah’s public lands. The NOD initiates a 45-day public protest period, ending at 4:30 p.m. MST on Sept. 14, 2018.
“Land exchanges like this reflect the BLM's commitment to being a good neighbor in a way that mutually benefits federal and private lands,” said BLM Deputy Director Brian Steed. “This is an agreement in which everyone, especially those seeking increased public land access and recreational opportunities, comes out ahead.”
Read more -
WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Salt Lake Field Office has designated 17,927 acres of public lands in Fivemile Pass, located in Utah and Tooele Counties, as a special area that will allow for recreation developments and improvements, and a potential future permit and fee system. Fivemile Pass serves 65,000 visitors annually who enjoy OHVing, horseback riding, mountain biking, camping, and hiking.
“Fivemile Pass has seen a steady increase in visitation, with 120,000 visitors in 2020 alone,” said BLM Salt Lake Field Manager Jessica Wade. “In order for this area to support high levels of visitation, future developments are needed to improve visitor safety, enhance user experience, and ensure environmental protections are in place.”
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WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) today finalized the conveyance of an 80-acre parcel to the City of Hyde Park in Cache County, Utah. The BLM’s issuance of the patent to the city is the final step in fulfilling John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, which President Donald J. Trump signed into law on March 12, 2019.
“We are pleased to see this conveyance completed for the community of Hyde Park. The Administration has prioritized restoring trust with our neighbors and this partnership is an example of what we can accomplish together,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Casey Hammond.
News Releases
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When the Idaho Capitol Sun expressed its interest in learning more about the smokejumper program based out of the National Interagency Fire Center, I saw an opportunity to invite a reporter out to the smokejumper base.
In preparation for the interview, I recruited a smokejumper, developed talking points, and provided interview training. I was present for the interview with the smokejumper and provided context, background, and imagery, and coordinated a follow-up interview with a meteorologist from the fire center.
Read story here -
In partnership with the Air Force, I facilitated the development of a Memorandum of Agreement to temporarily close 700,000 acres of public land just outside the Utah Test and Training Range for military testing of hypersonic weapons. The proposed closure required public notification and an opportunity for public comment.
My communications included social media, a news release, and a public open house to inform the communities about the project.
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On my final day working for the Bureau of Land Management, I collaborated with local media to help protect the Genola community from target shooting on public lands. Despite years of outreach to target shooters and increased law enforcement patrols, people and property were at risk. I filmed an interview with our law enforcement officer and provided it, along with B-roll and a quote to my contacts at local news outlets. This story was published that evening.
Read story here -
Every Easter Weekend, up to 20,000 public land users visit the Little Sahara Recreation Area to play on the sand dunes. The annual weekend celebration is high-risk due to the increased use of alcohol and drugs while operating off-highway vehicles.
I led all planning and execution of communications for the weekend, including coordination with county and state law enforcement and air med.For this particular story, we put a reporter in our sand car and transported her and the videographer around the dunes to capture content and experience the thrill of riding. All interviews were coordinated through me, and I served as the lead spokesperson.
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A land exchange an hour west of Salt Lake City opened up opportunities for big game hunting. After I issued a news release, the media picked up the story and conducted interviews with me and the proponent.
Read story here -
I was the public information officer for the Goat Canyon and Meadow Creek Fires. In addition to responding to media queries, I provided information to the public through social media posts, web updates, county and city official updates, congressional updates, and the posting of information in local communities.
Read story here
Media Engagement
Photography
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![A woman dressed in a yellow fire resistant shirt and pants, helmet, and gloves sprays water from a hose in a wooded area.]()
Engine Operator Academy
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![A man and woman stand on a boulder overlooking the Great Salt Lake during sunset. A tent is set up to the right of the boulder.]()
Northern Oquirrh Management Area
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![A person riding a horse stands in the distance looking at a historic stone building during sunset. The background is mountainous with a flat desert playa separating the rider from the mountains.]()
Simpson Springs, Pony Express National Historic Trail
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![Two men cycling on a gravel trail in a dry, mountainous landscape with sparse bushes and a few trees, wearing helmets and sunglasses under a clear blue sky.]()
Biking in the West Desert
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![A man wearing fire resistant clothing and safety gear holds a torch next to a burning pile of brush. The background is mountainous.]()
Prescribed burn
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![A young brown foal with black mane walking along a dusty path in the desert.]()
Foal from the Onaqui Herd
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![Woman jumps off a rock and extends her hands in the air. The surrounding landscape is red rock.]()
Bears Ears National Monument
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![A yellow and blue landspeed racing car bends the air as it races across salt flats.]()
Speed Week
Directing, Producing, and Filming
Storytelling
Goose Creek StoryMap
Wildfire is an unfortunate reality across the West, whether due to human actions or environmental and climatic causes. To mitigate the impacts of catastrophic wildfire, state and federal agencies identify “treatments” in targeted areas to reduce the spread of invasive species, create natural barriers, build resilient landscapes, and protect persons and special places.
We recognized a growing need to educate the public on the positive outcomes of fuels treatments and found an opportunity when the Goose Creek Fire burned through a previously treated area.
What I loved most about this project was the eagerness of the fire staff to collaborate with me on the platform, story, layout, and imagery. I was able to tap into their expertise, and they trusted my guidance. Even more special was my involvement, from informing the public of the fuels projects to covering the wildfire as a public information officer, and the full-circle storytelling with post-fire education.
This story has been used numerous times at conferences and is available to the public online.
Transcontinental Railroad TravelStory
Due to several special tour offerings to the public and media along the Transcontinental Railroad Backcountry Byway, there was growing public interest in driving the byway and learning from experts. Unfortunately, the Bureau of Land Management is not staffed with park rangers and canot offer the tour as a regular education event. The agency needed a solution to safeguard the irreplaceable historical resources along the byway while making the tour equitable.
Through collaboration with local historians and archaeologists, I developed a script for a georeferenced tour of the Transcontinental Railroad across northwest Utah. I worked with the narrator, confirmed the georeferenced points and timing, and collected imagery - including hiring a photographer to obtain additional content.
The free tour was published on the TravelStorysGPS app and is used by hundreds of visitors to the area, including descendants of the railroad workers. After the tour was published, I shared promotional materials, which included a news release, a Flickr album, social media posts, website postings, and flyers to inform the public of its availability.
Feature Stories
As Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist and Director for the Forest Service Intermountain Region, I facilitate the opportunity to tell unique stories through journalistic writing. Our team of public affairs specialists are tasked with visiting the 12 forests and one grassland within our region to meet with specialists and partners and take photos or video. The stories focus on various aspects of public land management, highlighting projects, initiatives, opportunities, and explorations. In my positions, I helped frame the stories, connected staff with partners and specialists, and edited or reviewed all stories prior to publication.
Examples include:
“To the Moon and Back,” a non-fiction piece about moon trees.
“National Forest trains with cooperators to combat wildfires,” a story about federal and local fire departments in and around the Caribou-Targhee National Forest preparing for wildfire.
“Making the cut,” a story and video about partners training new sawyers and supporting the region’s saw program.
Web Design, Content Development, and Management
When the Bureau of Land Management transitioned to the Drupal Content Management System, I served as the Webmaster and Social Media Manager for all agency lands in Utah. I reduced the Utah web presence from over 900 webpages to ~80 webpages and completed all copywriting and design for the new website. I managed this website for nearly three years and led training sessions for all web users across the state.
While the website has undergone a rebrand since my time as webmaster, and many of the state-specific webpages no longer exist, much of the existing content that I developed remains unchanged.
Testimonials
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"I've had the privilege of working with Hannah for nearly a decade, and she is consistently driven and proactive in every project she takes on. Hannah integrates seamlessly into new team environments and naturally steps into leadership roles where her guidance is both welcome and effective. As a communications professional, she demonstrates strong competency across traditional outreach methods while also leveraging modern platforms to expand impact and engagement. Hannah will be an asset to any organization seeking a skilled communicator and collaborative leader."
Samantha Storms, Chief of External Affairs, Bureau of Land Management Fire and Aviation
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"Hannah is a dedicated and hard-working leader. She always thinks three steps ahead, has a knack for considering all angles of a situation, and delivers thoughtful solutions to complex problems. Hannah applied those skills and more while serving as our regional communications director; her leadership was invaluable for addressing a wide variety of initiatives and politically sensitive issues associated with public land management on roughly 34 million acres of land."
Kelly Orr, former Deputy Regional Forester, Forest Service Intermountain Region and current Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest Supervisor
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"Hannah consistently demonstrates exceptional situational awareness, the ability to respond rapidly under pressure, and strong communication skills. Hannah is savvy on all aspects of sharing messages through TV, radio, newspaper, and social media. She is an experienced facilitator and a special advisor for senior leadership teams. I have observed Hannah to be intelligent and a quick study of any program or environment she is asked to operate. My experience is that she is an advocate for public information and outreach. A planner, organizer, and prepared always. Her professionalism and reliability makes her an invaluable asset."
Michael Gates, Bureau of Land Management West Desert District Manager
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"Mrs. Lenkowski would be an excellent leader or team member for any strategic communications office. She is uniquely talented in writing for a variety of audiences and platforms and has demonstrated excellent instincts and judgement when handling a variety of complex communications and supervisory issues. She possesses discretion and judgement when leading a team and values collaborative decision-making and impactful storytelling."
Kimberly Finch, former U.S. Geological Survey National Communications Director and former Bureau of Land Management, Utah Communications Director
Professional principles
I adhere to a strong set of principles in my profession, which extends from personal work ethic to leadership. I am committed, reliable, and disciplined in my work, and am respectful, caring, and fair in my leadership.
As a lifelong learner, I believe in the importance of continuing education and supporting employee growth to develop well-rounded professionals who can achieve their personal career goals.
I value collaboration and teamwork, as well as effective communication both internally and externally. Along that vein, I also value diverse perspectives and unique solutions.
And finally, I foster creativity and adaptability. Communications and marketing products must evolve as social environments change. I lead teams to anticipate change through strategic planning and remain poised to adapt when needed.
