News Release Archive

Reclamation’s California-Great Basin office hires two deputy directors

Media Contact: Shane Hunt, 916-978-5100, mppublicaffairs@usbr.gov

For Release: January 17, 2020

SACRAMENTO, California - The Bureau of Reclamation California-Great Basin office in Sacramento has two new deputy regional directors at the helm, starting this month.

“We found ourselves with two high-level leadership vacancies at the same time,” said California-Great Basin Regional Director Ernest Conant. “We were lucky to find both Michelle and Jeff available to fill these crucial roles, and I couldn’t be happier with their selections.”

Deputy Regional Director of Business Services Michelle Williams will oversee five California-Great Basin divisions: Financial Management, Information Management, Administrative Services, Acquisition Services, and Human Resources.

“Michelle’s unique experience in public-private partnerships as a federal program manager has afforded her opportunities to provide oversight and manage high visibility technology programs and infrastructure projects for more than 10 years,” said Conant.

Williams’ past oversight includes projects for: Department of Defense, Department of Commerce, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Agriculture, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Justice, Department of Labor, and other independent agencies.

Williams holds a master’s degree in business administration and a bachelor’s degree in science of management. She is a certified project management professional and completed the senior level federal acquisition certification for program and project managers. Williams also accomplished an executive leadership development program with a Fortune 500 finance company while in the private sector.

Jeff Payne joins as the new Deputy Regional Director of Technical Services, which will oversee area offices in Klamath Falls, Oregon and Carson City, Nevada. Payne will also manage regional divisions of Resources Management, and Safety and Emergency Management.

“Jeff has been extensively involved in several of Reclamation's highest-profile water issues and efforts in California and Nevada over the past two decades,” said Conant. “His familiarity with Reclamation, its customers, and our collective challenges comes as a tremendous asset for our region."

Jeff Payne holds civil engineering degrees from the University of Kentucky (B.S.) and the University of Washington (M.S.), and is a licensed California Professional Engineer. Payne joins Reclamation from the Friant Water Authority, where he served as its Director of Water Policy. Prior to Friant, Payne was a Principal Engineer at MWH Global in Sacramento, where he led the development of several Reclamation projects, including: risk assessments, feasibility studies, operations plans, and infrastructure investment strategies.

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