Chris Hladick, Alaska’s Commissioner of Commerce, Community and Economic Development, has been named by the Trump administration to be director of Region 10 of the Environmental Protection Agency in Seattle.
Gov. Bill Walker said that Hladick would be stepping down from the state post and that he has appointed outgoing Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Mike Navarre as the department’s new commissioner. Navarre will assume the commissioner’s post when his job as mayor ends in early November.
Hladick came to DCCED from Unalaska, where he served as city manager for over a decade. Prior to that he was the city manager in Dillingham and city manager and public works director for Galena. He has been the DCCED commissioner since 2015.
Walker said that Hladick “has been an incredible asset in building a stronger Alaska.” He commended EPA administrator Scott Pruitt for appointing him.
The governor also said that Navarre’s “thorough understanding of Alaska’s economy, the challenges we face, and the bright opportunities in our future will be of great benefit to our team and the state as we continue to push towards solving our fiscal crisis, and building a stronger Alaska.”
Alaska’s congressional delegation meanwhile applauded Hladick’s appointment.
