McNamara Doyle leads Office of Chehalis Basin

Dept. of Ecology oversees office

The Office of Chehalis Basin has a new director.

Andrea McNamara Doyle has been tabbed to lead the agency by the state Department of Ecology.

McNamara Doyle has a long resume of past government work. She recently served as executive director of the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition. Prior to that, she was executive director of the Washington Public Disclosure Commission, director of the Environmental Hearings Office and chair of the Pollution Control and Shorelines board.

The Office of the Chehalis Basin, which started operating in 2017, oversees the state’s effort to address flooding and habitat restoration throughout the Chehalis River Basin. McNamara Doyle will act as the liaison to the Legislature and she will report to state Department of Ecology director Maia Bellon.

“Andrea brings a wealth of experience and understanding to this office,” Bellon said in a press release. “She has an impressive record of working with a wide variety of stakeholders to achieve sustainable environmental outcomes based on consensus and science. She is particularly adept at building important partnerships with members of the public, tribes, elected officials and environmental groups, which is crucial to finding solutions in the Chehalis River Basin.”

The Office of Chehalis Basin Board consists of seven voting members. Two members are appointed by the Governor, one member each for the Quinault Indian Nation and the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis, and three members appointed by the Chehalis River Basin Flood Authority.

The seven voting members are Steve Malloch (Governor appointed), J. Vander Stoep (Governor), Dave Burnett (Chehalis), Tyson Johnston (Quinault), Edna Fund, Jay Gordon, and Vickie Raines (all Flood Authority appointed).

Five state agency directors also serve as ex officio members.