PACIFIC NORTHWEST – The Bureau of Reclamation announces Talmadge Oxford as area manager for the Columbia-Cascades Area Office in Interior Region 9: Columbia Pacific Northwest. Headquartered in Yakima, Wash., Oxford will oversee major field offices in Yakima and Ephrata, Wash., and Bend and Hermiston, Ore. He will manage Reclamation projects in Washington State, northern Idaho and western Montana, as well as central and western Oregon.
“Talmadge’s diverse background will bring new perspectives as we continue to make progress in water and power management and delivery in this basin,” said Regional Director Lorri Gray.
Prior to his new assignment, Oxford served as Interior Region 7: Upper Colorado Basin Power Area Office Manager. While there, he oversaw the operation and maintenance of four field offices associated with Colorado River Storage Project hydroelectric facilities: the Glen Canyon Field Division, Page, Ariz.; the Curecanti Field Division, Montrose, Colo.; the Flaming Gorge Field Division, Dutch John, Utah; and Elephant Butte Field Division in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico.
A native of Dallas, Texas, Oxford began his Reclamation career in 2006 and has served in Boulder City, Nev.; Denver, Colo., and Salt Lake City, Utah. His previous assignments included Hoover Dam Operations Director, Program Manager, and Deputy Power Manager.
“The Columbia-Cascades Area Office is doing great things to help fulfill Reclamation’s mission as water managers in the West,” Oxford said. “I look forward to working with our stakeholders to plan for future water needs through the most efficient uses of water resources,” he added.
Oxford brings over 36 years of experience to the Columbia–Pacific Northwest Region. He will begin serving in his new role in March.
