SEATTLE— Snohomish County Executive Bob Drewel will become the new Executive Director of the Puget Sound Regional Council. Drewel emerged as the leading candidate from a nationwide search launched last summer. He was named to the position by the PSRC's 26- member Executive Board in a unanimous vote today and will assume his new post in January 2004.
"Bob brings a wealth of experience and an unmatched enthusiasm to regional affairs," said Pierce County Executive John Ladenburg, Vice President of the Regional Council. "Transportation, growth and economic planning all come together at the PSRC. Bob knows the issues and the people, and he shares our vision for the future of the region."
The Regional Council coordinates long-range growth, economic and transportation planning for King, Pierce, Snohomish and Kitsap counties, its 82 cities and towns, transit agencies, ports and state agencies. It is a conduit for federal funding for transportation projects, a regional resource for data and forecasting, and it supports the work of the region's Economic Development District. The agency was created in 1991 and has had one previous Executive Director, Mary McCumber, who is retiring later this month.
"We've built one of the nation's premier regional planning agencies and I am delighted to be selected to advance this work and help bring this region forward together," said Drewel. "I'm bullish about our future. And I'm excited to work on behalf of the entire region. We have leadership in the region that wants to work together to accomplish great things, making traffic better, keeping and growing good jobs and healthy vital places to live and work."
State and regional leadership applauded Drewel's selection.
"For well over a decade, Bob Drewel has been a true leader on critical issues facing central Puget Sound, especially in transportation and economic development," said Washington Governor Gary Locke. "He is an outstanding choice to head planning and support economic development efforts in the region."
"Bob Drewel will be a fantastic Executive Director of the Puget Sound Regional Council. He is a patient, effective, and determined leader who brings people together to get the job done," said Washington Senator Patty Murray. "His experience in transportation and economic development make him the perfect person to lead such an important regional agency. I look forward to continuing to work with Bob to help make progress for the people who live and work in the Puget Sound."
"Bob Drewel is the right person at the right time to lead the Puget Sound Regional Council," said Washington Congressman Norm Dicks. "In more than a decade of leadership in Snohomish County, he has demonstrated a unique ability to work beyond jurisdictional boundaries, developing regional solutions to regional problems. I can't think of anyone who is more qualified to bring about regional consensus on growth management and transportation planning."
"Our region works best when business, government and the non-profit sector are united in our goals and working together to achieve them," said Steve Leahy, President and CEO of the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce. "Bob's led the development of this partnership for the last 12 years as Snohomish County Executive and will be a great leader in his new capacity at PSRC. I'm looking forward to working with him."
Bob is a 1970 graduate of the University of Washington. Prior to his election as Snohomish County Executive he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Everett Community College. He lives in Arlington with his wife, Cheryl. They have two grown daughters.
Drewel's annual salary at the PSRC will be $160,000.
The Regional Council develops policies and coordinates decisions about regional growth and transportation planning in King, Pierce, Snohomish and Kitsap counties. The Council is composed of over 80 county, city, port, transit, tribal and state agencies serving the region. It coordinates the distribution of about $150 million in Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration funds each year. The Regional Council sets priorities and evaluates the most efficient ways to target those funds to support state and local transportation and growth management plans.
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