A new Santa Barbara County assistant county executive officer has been hired and will join the leadership team effective Jan. 9, according to a news release issued Thursday from county CEO Chandra Wallar.
Renee Bahl, executive director of the Arizona State Parks Board, was chosen for the position and will help with management and oversight of six county departments, including Agricultural Commissioner’s Offices, Community Services, General Services, Planning and Development, Public Defender and Public Works.
Bahl has been with the Arizona State Parks Board since 2009, and served previously as the director of parks and recreation for San Diego County, assistant parks director for Arizona State Parks and fiscal analyst to the Arizona Joint Legislative Budget Committee, according to Wallar’s statement.
Bahl also serves as a board member on the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration.
She earned a master’s degree in public administration with an emphasis in policy analysis, environmental policy and national resource management from Indiana University, and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Emory University in Georgia.
“I am pleased and excited to have Renée join the county’s leadership team,” she said. “She is known as an excellent leader who possesses a strong business and financial acumen, and is well-respected for her highly successful communication skills as well a proven results-oriented track record.”
Bahl said in the statement that she’s looking forward to the opportunity and to “becoming a member of such a rich and diverse community.” She will be officially introduced to the public at the Board of Supervisors meeting on Jan. 10.
— Noozhawk staff writer Lara Cooper can be reached at lcooper@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.