Tara Bushnoe will replace Ray Buck as the general manager of the Upper Guadalupe River Authority, the agency announced Thursday.
Bushnoe will be a guest on Friday's episode of The Lead Live with Jeremy Walther. Watch it live on Facebook.
Bushnoe, who has worked at UGRA for 15 years, will officially succeed Buck on Oct. 1 — as they work together through the transition. Buck served as general manager for 17 years.
Bushnoe was unanimously approved during the June 8 meeting of the UGRA board of directors.
With Bushnoe, UGRA gets stable leadership and is one of Kerr County's most respected water quality voices. Bushnoe manages all water quality monitoring and outreach and education activities and serves as a technical director for the Environmental Laboratory.
A graduate of Cornell University, Bushnoe leads the messaging on Guadalupe River cleanup and creating or restoring riparian areas to improve the river.
"UGRA is fortunate to have a highly qualified candidate already on staff," said Diane McMahon, president of UGRA's board of directors. "Tara Bushnoe is well known in the community, thoroughly experienced in all our programs, and very capable of successfully guiding UGRA as it moves forward."
Bushnoe serves on the board of Riverside Nature Center and is a member of Kerr County Women's Chamber, the Guadalupe Regional Flood Planning Group, and the City of Kerrville Code Review Committee. She is a past participant in the Kerrville Independent School District Leadership program and served on the Kerrville 2050 subcommittee for water, wastewater, and drainage.
"It has been my privilege to contribute to the stewardship of the Guadalupe River over the past 15 years and I look forward to continuing to serve our community, "Bushnoe said. "I am grateful to the UGRA Board for the opportunity to lead our exceptional organization of dedicated and talented professionals as we remain focused on the conservation of the upper Guadalupe River."