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PHOENIX, Nov. 16, 2023 – The Tonto National Forest is pleased to welcome Ericka Luna as their new Deputy Forest Supervisor.
Prior to assuming her position on the Tonto, Luna served as the Deputy Forest Supervisor on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests. She has worked extensively throughout the Southwestern Region for most of her career in the USDA Forest Service.
Luna grew up in Los Lunas New Mexico and graduated from New Mexico State University. Following graduation, she began her career as a Program Liaison Specialist in the Secretary’s office at the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) where she gained extensive knowledge about all the agencies under USDA including the Forest Service.
In 2012, she accepted a position as a Policy Analyst in the Office of Tribal Relations with the Forest Service and after four years, decided she wanted to get out of Washington, D.C. to be in the great outdoors, accepting a detail as the deputy forest supervisor on the Black Hills National Forest.
Following her assignment at the Black Hills, she accepted a permanent position with the Southwestern Region in Albuquerque as the New Mexico Government Relations Liaison and then the State Government Liaison for both Arizona and New Mexico, engaging with both state and congressional elected representatives.
“I love working with local elected officials to figure out ways to serve the public,” said Luna. “Our mission really resonates with me, and I look for ways to incorporate our ‘Caring for the Land and Serving People’ ethic into my collaborations with partners.”
Luna brings a vast amount of experience serving at various levels on different forests throughout the region, including the Carson, Gila, Apache-Sitgreaves and most recently the Lincoln national forests. She worked extensively on 4 Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI) projects for the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests and looks forward to working on the Tonto’s 4FRI and San Carlos landscape projects to support the Forest Service Wildfire Crisis Strategy to reduce the risk of wildfires to communities and restore forest health.
Luna and her family enjoy spending time with family and friends, mushroom hunting, camping, traveling, and exploring the Tonto National Forest. “I was born and raised in New Mexico, and while that is where my roots are, after falling in love with Arizona landscapes and an Arizona man, my heart is in Arizona,” said Luna.
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