Office of Chehalis Basin’s Director Steps Down After Five Years

Andrea McNamara Doyle has officially stepped down from her role as Office of Chehalis Basin’s (OCB) director. 

Her resignation was effective June 16. 

The move comes after five years in the position leading flood mitigation and habitat restoration efforts in the state’s second largest watershed. McNamara Doyle is moving on to work in the private sector, allowing her to move back to her hometown of Bellingham, according to an OCB news release. Doyle will now work as part of the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub initiative. 

“During my years as OCB’s first director, I am so proud of all that we’ve accomplished together,” McNamara Doyle said in the release. “None of this would be possible without thoughtful and committed collaboration from folks at OCB and the Department of Ecology, the Chehalis Basin Board, the Chehalis Basin Strategy’s incredible network of partners and local community members in the basin. That’s what I will miss the most — the relationships with so many talented, hard-working people dedicated to making this region healthy and prosperous for generations to come.”

OCB Principal Planner Nat Kale has stepped in as acting director and will be working alongside McNamara Doyle to ensure a smooth transition until she leaves at the end of June.

Since being chosen as the OCB director in 2018, Doyle oversaw the development and implementation of the Chehalis Basin Strategy and collaborated with various partners and board members to acquire over $213 million in state funding over the last three state budget bienniums. 

Those funds helped support more than 140 flood mitigation and aquatic species habitat restoration projects and $152 million in “on-the-ground investments,” according to the release. 

Kale has a background in water resource management and is committed to the OCB’s mission. As principal planner, he was already working closely with many Chehalis Basin Strategy partners to advance the Aquatic Species Restoration Plan and family and property-scale flood assistance programs. 

“Thank you to Andrea for her incredible contributions toward protecting and stewarding the Chehalis Basin’s communities, fish, and wildlife,” the release stated.  

The OCB works in conjunction with the Chehalis Basin Board to develop and implement plans to the Chehalis Basin Strategy. For more information, visit https://ecology.wa.gov/About-us/Who-we-are/Our-Programs/Office-of-Chehalis-Basin.