Cory Styron, CPRP, Community Services Director of Los Alamos County, NM is nestled in the northern mountains of New Mexico, Los Alamos County is most famous for its role in the Manhattan Project. It’s an intelligent community boasting a disproportionate number of scientists and engineers that are warm, welcoming, and often focused on getting away from computer screens to find recreation opportunities outdoors.
As the Community Services Director, Styron leads a diverse team focused on improving the quality of life through a wide range of divisions: Parks, Recreation, Open Space, Aquatics, Golf, Ice, Libraries, Culture and Social Services. With extensive outdoor recreation experience, Styron came to Los Alamos after leading other communities through quality-of-life improvements in northern New Mexico as well as in Texas and Florida.
Over his career, Styron has developed a culture of continuous improvement for each organization and led two agencies through the CAPRA process and spent the last 15 years sharing that knowledge with others and improving the process at the national level.
For Styron, working with communities to discover the best they can be and leading them to incorporate that into their everyday practices is very rewarding. A community’s social, mental, physical, and economic health are elements that provide the “quality of life” intangible that sets it apart from other communities. This intangible builds pride and resiliency in cities, counties, and states.
Styron is a life-long outdoor enthusiast. Many of his most treasured memories with family and friends occurred outdoors in natural settings. He enjoys camping, hiking, kayaking, fishing, and wildlife viewing. If you are in New Mexico, you might spot him with his wife Madeline and their two furry kids, Radar and Zoey, in their recently purchased 22-foot travel trailer as they take advantage of the outstanding natural areas in the region.