OLYMPIA - Governor Jay Inslee today named Maia D. Bellon as the new director of Washington State's Department of Ecology. Bellon currently heads the Water Resources Program at the Department of Ecology, where she has worked since 2010.
Bellon led efforts to bring Lean management practices to state's water management program. This year she was honored with the department's Director's Choice Award.
"Maia will be an effective leader in our efforts to work on natural resource and regulatory issues that are of huge importance to many in our state," said Inslee. "She brings a keen understanding of key issues such as water management that have implications for both our quality of life and our economy."
Bellon will also play a key role in shepherding Inslee's first piece of executive request legislation, the Yakima River Basin Water, Jobs and Fish Bill. The bill implements a consensus plan that addresses a broad array of water issues in the basin, posing threats to area salmon stocks and to Yakima's agricultural and food industries.
"Although work in the natural resource arena faces complicated challenges, there are many opportunities we can all work towards," Bellon said. "Under the governor's guidance, we will look to shape balanced solutions that preserve the quality of life Washingtonians expect."
As the program manager for Ecology's Water Resources Program, Bellon oversees management of the state's water resources, including allocation of water and protection of water rights.
Before working for Ecology, Bellon was an Assistant Attorney General assigned to Ecology's Water Section. She is a graduate of the Evergreen State College and the Arizona State University College of Law.