WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Department of the Interior announced today that Kirk Rowdabaugh has been selected to serve as the Director for the Office of Wildland Fire Coordination.
Rowdabaugh comes to Interior with more than 20 years of federal fire and
land management experience. He began his career as a firefighter in 1970
in southern New Mexico, and has held positions with Interior’s Bureau
of Land Management and the USDA Forest Service that have afforded him a solid
background in fire management. He has been the Arizona State Forester since
2004 and the Deputy State Forester for nearly six years prior.
Rowdabaugh has also held many state and federal key leadership roles, including
Chair of the National Wildfire Coordinating Group, Co-Chair of Wildland Fire
Leadership Council’s Blue Ribbon Panel, Co-chair of the Western Forestry
Leadership Coalition, and Co-chair of the Southwest Strategy Regional Executive
Committee. He has served as the 2008 President of the National Association
of State Foresters, as well as an active member of NASF’s Executive
Committee. Rowdabaugh received his graduate degree in Forest Management from
Colorado State University in 1978 and his undergraduate degree from the University
of New Mexico in 1975.
The Office of Wildland Fire Coordination is responsible for the coordination, integration, and oversight of wildland fire management programs in the Department of the Interior (Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Park Service). The office staff coordinates wildland fire management with other federal agencies, particularly the USDA Forest Service, state foresters, tribes, state and local governments, and a variety of stakeholder groups including volunteer firefighters, industry, and non-governmental organizations.