UPDATED: City of Redmond Appoints Interim Planning Director

Redmond, WA – Redmond Mayor John Marchione has announced the appointment of Erika Vandenbrande as the interim Planning Director, due to Karen Anderson’s resignation in late March.

Erica Vandendbrand

Vandenbrande started with the City of Redmond in 2001 and currently serves as the Deputy City Administrator. She will continue operating in both positions until a new Planning Director is hired. Vandenbrande has held various management positions in her seventeen years with the city including Transportation Demand Management Manager and Economic Development Manager. Before joining the City of Redmond, Vandenbrande held planning roles at the US Environmental Protection Agency and South Coast Air Quality Management District. She was also a manager at Southern California Association of Governments where she was responsible for developing the local government portion of the regional Air Quality Management Plan.

Erica's extensive knowledge and understanding of city planning projects in addition to her passion for the Redmond community make her an ideal fit for the interim Planning Director, stated Mayor John Marchione.  We re in the process of conducting a national search.

Vandenbrande is a graduate of the University of Rochester with a Master of Public Policy Analysis and a Bachelor degree in Geology.

It is interesting to note the Mayor appointed Parks and Human Services Director Maxine Whattam as interim Planning and Public Works Director due to Linda DeBolt's apparent resignation in February. Ms. Whattan now has a duel role.  Mr. White is running the Public Works operations. (Over the years he's presented to council on Redmond water.) The Redmond Natural Resource Manager oversees 30 employees many of them involved with the management of the city aquifer, including Redmond's geologist.  In my opinion, the Planning and Development Director (Karen Anderson) and Planning and Public Works shake up might be attributed to development problems associated with the aquifer. 

B. Yoder