Drew Becker brings fresh leadership to regulatory role
Drew Becker officially took over as the new chief of regulatory in the St. Paul District in early April.
Becker first heard of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers when he became a fish and wildlife biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Based in Rock Island, Illinois, Becker learned about USACE through colleagues that had collaborated with the organization before. Though they mainly worked with the local division, his colleagues occasionally worked with the St. Paul District.
“Part of what attracted me to this job was the really good things they said about the St. Paul District and the team here,” explained Becker. He gained an appreciation for USACE’s permitting process — the intricacies involved and the fair and balanced approach to permitting decisions — when he personally began working with the district during his next stop with the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Looking to further understand these intricacies, Becker made it a point in his first few weeks as chief of regulatory to visit the district’s eight regulatory offices, scattered throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin. “One mistake that’s easy to make is getting stuck in the district office,” Becker said, “I want to make sure I meet all of our regulatory employees, whether they happen to be located in the district office or another site.” These site visits left Becker impressed — both with how well the program worked and how motivated the staff was.
Becker recognizes the importance of relationships in his role, noting that his favorite part of the job is connecting with people. “I’ve had the opportunity to do some really cool things — from catching eagles, to flying in helicopters and diving for mussels,” Becker said, “But these memories will fade eventually, and what you’re left remembering is the relationships you’ve made with people and the impact they’ve had on your life. It’s important, as a regulatory division, that we remember that we are impacting people’s lives with the decisions we’re making.”
Becker grew up in Watseka, Illinois, and attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in natural resources and environmental sciences with a concentration in fish and wildlife conservation. Becker loves being outside and enjoys upland bird hunting with his dog.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
