Kitsap County Commissioner Josh Brown will become the new Executive Director of the Puget Sound Regional Council. Brown was selected after a nationwide search to succeed Bob Drewel, who is retiring at the end of this year. Brown was named to the position by PSRC’s Executive Board in a unanimous vote today and will start work on January 2, 2014.

“Josh brings the perfect mix of energy, experience, and commitment to regional collaboration to the role of PSRC executive director,” said Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy, PSRC President. “He is deeply familiar with all aspects of PSRC and has shown outstanding ability to bring people together on transportation, growth, and economic development issues.”

Executive McCarthy chaired the executive director search committee, which included 11 other PSRC board members representing the region’s counties, cities, ports, and transportation agencies. Brown was selected from a group of 115 candidates applying for the job.

“I am honored and humbled to have been selected as PSRC’s Executive Director. The challenges confronting our region-from economic competiveness to protecting our quality of life-can only be solved with collaboration and partnerships. I am excited at the opportunity to work with the leaders of our region as PSRC’s Executive Director,” said Brown.

PSRC coordinates regional growth, transportation and economic development planning within King, Pierce, Snohomish and Kitsap counties. The agency selects projects to receive federal transportation funding and is a key resource for data and forecasts on population, transportation, and the economy. PSRC is also the lead regional economic development planning organization and home to the Prosperity Partnership.

“Josh is a terrific choice for executive director. He possesses a remarkable understanding of the complex transportation, land use, and economic challenges facing local governments and a proven track record of forging strong partnerships to find solutions to regional problems,” said Redmond Mayor John Marchione, vice president of PSRC.

“As Kitsap County Commissioner for the past seven years, Josh has shown the patience, perseverance and leadership qualities needed to improve the management of county affairs and encourage productive relationships,” said Kitsap County Commissioner Charlotte Garrido, member of PSRC’s Economic Development District Board. “In addition to his work at the county, he has become well known as a regional leader on transportation, economic development, and growth management. We wish him all the best in his new role as executive director of PSRC.”

“Effective transportation is essential to the region’s economic prosperity and a foundation for the great communities we’re all trying to achieve,” said Mukilteo Mayor Joe Marine, member of PSRC’s Transportation Policy Board. “With his knowledge of transportation issues, Josh is superbly qualified to assume the executive director role. I look forward to working with him on helping the region come together on transportation solutions.”

“As PSRC President, Josh showed time and time again an exceptional talent for fostering the kind of collaborative atmosphere that encourages productive working relationships in a very diverse region,” said Bob Drewel, PSRC’s outgoing executive director. “I know what this position demands and what our members expect. Josh is perfectly matched to the agency’s needs and will do a fantastic job.”

Brown is the senior member of the Kitsap County Board of Commissioners, representing the Central Kitsap District which includes the unincorporated communities of Silverdale, Tracyton, Seabeck, Illahee, Brownsville, Crosby, Holly, Rocky Point, and the majority of the residents in the City of Bremerton.

He has previously served as PSRC President, and as a member of PSRC’s Transportation, Growth Management, and Economic Development District boards. He attended the University of California, Berkeley, earning a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and a minor in City and Regional Planning. Prior to being elected as Kitsap County Commissioner, Brown worked as a commercial real estate broker for five years.

Born and raised in the Puget Sound region, he is the son of a Puget Sound Naval Shipyard worker and graduated from North Kitsap High School in Poulsbo.

Josh Brown’s annual salary at the PSRC will be $185,000.

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