The Columbia River Gorge Commission has hired Krystyna Wolniakowski as its interim executive director to lead the agency while it seeks a permanent replacement to departing director Darren Nichols.
Wolniakowski previously spent 14 years as director of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s regional office in Portland. She’s also recently served as a special advisor to the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board.
The commission voted last week to appoint Wolniakowski to the interim post. Her contract continues through June 30 — the end of the agency’s budget year — but could be extended, if needed, according to the commission.
Wolniakowski will help shepherd the Gorge commission through its budget process and help recruit the person who will ultimately take over for her. She called the interim post a “wonderful opportunity” to assist an agency that has a lot to offer, and a lot of challenges.
“I think that the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Area is a really important place for Oregon and Washington, as well as a national treasure,” Wolniakowski said.
Wolniakowski isn’t the first interim leader to step in during a transition period for the Gorge commission. The agency has tapped temporary directors in the past, including before Nichols was hired in 2012.
“The main reason is there’s a lot of work to do, and not very many people to do it,” said commission member Jim Middaugh of Multnomah County.
Wolniakowski joins the Gorge commission at a crucial time as the agency makes a renewed push for more funding from Washington and Oregon with both Legislatures in session. The agency has recently operated with a staff of just six people and has long struggled with tight budgets. The Gorge commission currently functions on less than $900,000 per year.
In Oregon, former Gov. John Kitzhaber recommended nearly doubling his state’s contribution to the agency. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee recommended essentially flat funding. But the decision will ultimately be up to lawmakers in both states.
By law, the Gorge commission must be funded in equal parts by Washington and Oregon.
Nichols announced last month that he’s leaving the Gorge commission to become associate director of the William D. Ruckelshaus Center, a public policy institute in Seattle. Though Nichols’ last day isn’t until April 22, he has largely stepped away from the agency’s day-to-day operations during the transition. Nichols has said he remains available to assist during that time, however, and testified before Oregon lawmakers in Salem earlier this week.
Commission members Keith Chamberlain and Bowen Blair, the group’s chair and vice chair, respectively, led the process that resulted in Wolniakowski’s hiring. The commission is fortunate to have her at the helm, Middaugh said.
“She has a really great skill set and experience,” he said, later adding: “She’s just well-versed in a range of issues.”
Wolniakowski started work on Friday, and spent her first day in the agency’s White Salmon office on Tuesday, she said.
The Gorge commission hopes to hire a permanent director in the next few months. The agency, led by a 13-member body of appointed leaders, oversees policy and land-use decisions in the Columbia River Gorge.
