TRPA Names Paul Nielsen as New Chief Planning Officer/ Deputy Director

TRPA Chief Planning Officer and Deputy Director Paul Nielsen. Photo by Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) announced the promotion of staff member Paul Nielsen to the role of Chief Planning Officer and Deputy Director at its Governing Board meeting today.

Nielsen has served TRPA for 30 years in myriad positions and was selected through a competitive recruitment process that included multiple qualified candidates, according to TRPA. Nielsen takes the place of Deputy Director John Hester, who is retiring, and will work alongside Chief Partnerships Officer/Deputy Director Kim Caringer.

“Throughout his career at TRPA, Paul has demonstrated a deep understanding of the complex issues facing the Lake Tahoe Basin and has consistently shown a collaborative, thoughtful approach to advancing the agency’s work,” TRPA Executive Director Julie Regan said. “His knowledge, dedication, planning expertise, and passion for protecting and restoring Lake Tahoe make him an outstanding choice for this leadership role.”

Nielsen has held multiple roles at the agency, from managing the Environmental Improvement Program division to developing incentives for environmental redevelopment during the 2012 Regional Plan Update to managing large projects such as the Tahoe Blue Event Center project on the South Shore. Most recently, he led the collaborative process to amend the Homewood Mountain Resort Master Plan that ensured the resort will remain open to the public.

“I have appreciated the opportunity to combine natural resource protection and land use planning at the watershed scale,” Nielsen said. “I look forward to continuing to help TRPA achieve its mission to protect Lake Tahoe through environmental redevelopment projects that deliver important water quality, transportation, and other environmental benefits.”

Nielsen is an avid backpacker and fly fisherman and served as a volunteer firefighter and captain for Eastern Alpine Fire/Rescue Department in Alpine County, Calif. for 13 years.

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The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency leads the cooperative effort to preserve, restore, and enhance the unique natural and human environment of the Lake Tahoe Region while improving local communities and people’s interactions with the environment. For additional information, contact Public Information Officer Jeff Cowen by email or at (775) 589-5278.