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Lorri Gray and Larry Walkoviak Named Regional Directors of the Bureau of Reclamation
Media Contact:
Kip White, (202) 513-0684, kwhite@usbr.gov
For Release: September 04, 2007
Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Robert W. Johnson today announced the selection of two Reclamation Regional Directors. Lorri Gray, current Lower Colorado River-Multi-Species Conservation Program (LCR MSCP) Manager, and Larry Walkoviak, current Deputy Regional Director of the Bureau of Reclamation's Lower Colorado Region. Gray will serve in Boulder City, Nevada as Regional Director in Reclamation's Lower Colorado Region and Walkoviak will serve in Salt Lake City, Utah, as Reclamation's Upper Colorado Region Director.
"The skills that both Larry and Lorri have demonstrated throughout their careers are central to the management of these two regions in Reclamation. Both regions are dealing with issues of national significance and I am confident that these individuals will continue the work of their predecessors without missing a beat", said Bob Johnson, Commissioner of Reclamation.
Lorri Gray has 24 years of federal service, all with Reclamation's Lower Colorado Region. She has held several management positions, and also represented the Region on the Commissioner of Reclamation's staff in Washington, D.C.
Prior to being named MSCP Program Manager, Gray was the Region's Deputy Regional Director for more than three years, where she played a key role in negotiating the details of the LCR MSCP. She also managed the Region's financial and security programs, Salton Sea Restoration study program, and Coachella Canal lining program, among others.
Gray also has worked on key regulations affecting management of the lower Colorado River. Trained in facilitation and mediation, she has coordinated and collaborated with federal, non-federal, and non-government organizations on Colorado River issues.
Gray has received numerous awards during her career, including the Superior Service Award, and the Meritorious Service Award, two of the Department of the Interior's highest for career employees. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix.
A native of southwestern Colorado, she and her family enjoy sports, camping and fishing.
Larry Walkoviak was appointed Deputy Regional Director of the Bureau of Reclamation's Lower Colorado Region in August 2005.
In his more than 32 years of federal service, all with the Bureau of Reclamation, Walkoviak has served in several managerial positions. Prior to his appointment with the Lower Colorado Region, Larry held positions in Reclamation's Great Plains and Upper Colorado Regions, having spent seventeen years in the Upper Colorado Region. He was area manager of Reclamation's Oklahoma-Texas Area Office where he administered programs and projects in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. His previous tenure in the Upper Colorado Region included assignments in Farmington and Albuquerque, New Mexico and Salt Lake City, Utah where he was responsible for Reclamation activities ranging from planning studies and environmental compliance to daily operations and maintenance for projects in Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming and Utah.
Born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and raised on a dairy farm in east Texas, Walkoviak holds a bachelor's degree in agricultural engineering from Texas A&M University.
Walkoviak has received numerous awards during his career, including the Department of the Interior's Superior Service and Meritorious Service awards.
He and his wife Jo have been married almost 33 years, and have four sons and four grandchildren.
Walkoviak will assume his position on the retirement of Rick Gold, the current Regional Director.
Johnson said, "I have every confidence that these two executives will help make the Upper and Lower Colorado Regions responsive to their customers and effective in carrying out Reclamation's mission. It's a great pleasure for me personally to name Larry and Lorri to two of our top leadership positions."
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