Brent Rhees- BIO PAGE

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Alternate for Secretary's Designee

Brent Rhees, Bureau of Reclamation Upper Colorado Regional Director and Designated Federal Officer

Brent Rhees was appointed Regional Director of the Upper Colorado Region in April 2015. Prior to that, he served as Deputy Regional Director and Assistant Regional Director of the Bureau of Reclamation's Upper Colorado Region since October 2007. In his 35 years of federal service at Reclamation, he started in the Denver Office in 1980 as a rotation engineer in Canals and Diversion Structures. He moved to the Upper Colorado Regional Office in 1981 as a design engineer and later served as Engineering Services Office supervisor and construction liaison. He then transferred to the Provo Area Office in March 1993 as the Field Engineer to complete construction of Jordanelle Dam and associated facilities. While in Provo he served in several key management positions, including various division manager positions and as the Deputy Area Manager from June 2004 to 2007. Rhees is a recipient of the Department of the Interior's Superior Service Award in recognition of his significant contributions and leadership in western water issues.

Rhees now oversees all of Reclamation operations in most of Utah, New Mexico and western Colorado, as well as northern Arizona, a portion of west Texas, the southeast corner of Idaho and southwestern Wyoming. The responsibility includes oversight of Reclamation programs, projects and facilities, and encompasses 62 dams with a reservoir capacity of more than 32 million acre-feet, 28 hydroelectric power plants that meet electricity needs of more than 1.3 million people and multiple recreation opportunities for over 11 million visitors each year.

Rhees holds a bachelor's degree in civil and environmental engineering from Utah State University and is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Utah.

• Last Updated- 2018