The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

WALLA WALLA-The board of directors for Blue Mountain Action Council (BMAC) voted unanimously to hire Danielle Garbe Reser as BMAC's permanent Chief Executive Officer, effective March 1, 2023. Garbe Reser has been serving as Interim CEO since December 5, 2022.

"Over the last three months, BMAC has benefited tremendously from Danielle's leadership, team-building skills, and creative problem-solving. The feedback was clear from staff, board members, and community partners that Danielle brings the talent and vision we need now to build BMAC for the future," said board chair Amie Peterson. "We are delighted to continue working with her to support BMAC's team and advance our mission of building thriving communities."

Garbe Reser said, "BMAC has a critical mission and an amazing team that focuses every day on supporting our neighbors, providing opportunities, and transforming people's lives. I'm honored to be selected for this role and to have this opportunity to build on BMAC's long legacy of service to our region. I'm grateful to our board and BMAC staff for their trust and confidence in me, and I appreciate the wonderful collaboration and generosity across our region that makes our work possible."

The BMAC board began the CEO search in January by listening to feedback from the staff on BMAC's needs and opportunities for the future. Based on that feedback, they created the job description and announced the hiring process to internal candidates in early February.

The search committee included BMAC board members Amie Peterson, Trevor Dorland, Kip Kelly, Ruben Alvarado, and Cheris Current, and two staff representatives, Barbara Maxwell and Robert Randall. After multiple rounds of interviews with BMAC staff, management team members, and the board, the search committee recommended hiring Garbe Reser.

Originally from Moses Lake, Wash., Garbe Reser has over two decades of service to the country and community. A Whitman College graduate, she returned to Walla Walla in 2015 to serve as CEO of Sherwood Trust. During her tenure at the Trust from 2015-2020, Garbe Reser oversaw grantmaking across Walla Walla, Columbia, and Umatilla Counties, including grants for BMAC's Commitment to Community program and capital projects.

From 2001-2015, she served as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State with diplomatic assignments at the U.S. Embassies in Jakarta and Beirut. She held postings at the State Department, U.S. Senate, U.S. Department of Energy, and the National Security Council at the White House.

Garbe Reser has a master's in public administration from Columbia University. She has volunteered for Whitman College since 1999 and has been a Trustee since 2021. She and her husband, Todd Reser, live on the family's farm in Walla Walla County.

BMAC is a nonprofit community action partnership serving Walla Walla, Columbia, and Garfield counties since 1967. BMAC's mission is to alleviate poverty by providing food and housing security, job training, and other educational opportunities to low-income residents across our region. BMAC announced the departure of former CEO Cate Daniels on November 23, 2022.

For more information about BMAC's services or to donate to support their work in the region, visit https://www.bmacww.org.