COCONINO COUNTY — Coconino County Manager Andy Bertelsen appointed Forest Restoration Director Jay Smith to the role of Interim Flood Control District Administrator following the retirement of Lucinda Andreani.
“Jay Smith brings valuable leadership experience and a strong understanding of Coconino County’s natural resources and land management challenges to this interim role. His work as Forest Restoration Director has given him important insight into the interconnected issues of watershed health, forest management and community resilience,” Bertelsen said. “I appreciate Jay’s willingness to take on this additional responsibility and am confident he will help ensure the Flood Control District continues to meet its mission of protecting our communities and residents.”
Smith has been developing and implementing the District’s Forest Restoration Initiative to assist in accelerating forest restoration activities on National Forest land within the County. Jay has worked closely with U.S. Forest Service, Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, non-profits like National Forest Foundation and The Nature Conservancy and other partners to reduce the threat from catastrophic wildfire and post-wildfire flooding, especially on steep slope acres within the county.
“I am excited to continue moving the Flood Control District forward, building upon an exceptional foundation that Lucinda built during her time as Administrator,” Smith said. “She leaves big shoes to fill, and our team is ready to carry on with the mission of the Flood Control District as we serve our communities in Coconino County.”
Smith has a Bachelor of Science degree in Forestry from Northern Arizona University’s School of Forestry. He has since worked in the forest industry for 23 years running logging and sawmill operations in the Southeast and Southwestern United States before coming to the District in 2018. During his time with the District, Smith has been engaged in post-fire flood response for the Museum and Pipeline fires and overseen the Flood Director program that monitors rain gauges and potential flooding during the monsoon for the Museum and Pipeline flood areas.
For more information on Flood Control District, visit coconino.az.gov/FloodControlDistrict