(WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif.) Oct. 9, 2025 – The Delta Protection Commission has appointed Amanda Bohl as its next Executive Director. She is expected to join the Commission on Oct. 20.
Bohl currently serves on the executive management team of the Delta Stewardship Council, where she is the Special Assistant for Planning and Science. There, she leads the Delta Plan Interagency Implementation Committee (DPIIC) and guides cooperation among the 18 state and federal agencies – including the Delta Protection Commission – involved in the Delta Plan.
Prior to joining the Council in 2016, Bohl was the Economic Development Lead for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy. There, she managed the Delta Marketing Project and helped develop the Conservancy’s Proposition 1 Grant Program, which funded water quality and ecosystem restoration grants.
“The Delta is one of our greatest treasures, rich in natural resources, agriculture, history, and diverse communities,” said Diane Burgis, Chair of the Delta Protection Commission and Contra Costa County’s District 3 Supervisor.
“We were fortunate to have an outstanding pool of candidates. Moving forward, I’m excited about the Delta Protection Commission’s appointment of Amanda Bohl. She brings the vision, leadership, and understanding needed to navigate the complexities of this unique and vital region.”
Bohl has spent her career focused on people’s connection to the land. “When I think of the Delta Protection Commission, I think of landscapes, the land, places,” she said. “I also think of the best of public service and what government can do to protect places.”
She grew up in Amador County, but her childhood was steeped in Delta life. She enjoyed boating and camping in the Delta with her parents and grandparents, and still remembers the family’s drive to Rio Vista in 1985 to see Humphrey the Whale.
“I’m thrilled to be joining the Delta Protection Commission and to be serving the Delta in this new capacity,” Bohl said. “With new challenges and opportunities on the horizon, the Commission’s mission to protect, maintain, enhance, and enrich the overall quality of the Delta environment and economy has never been more important.”
Bohl has a bachelor’s degree in international studies from Southern Oregon University and a master’s degree in community development from the University of California, Davis. She is a 2014 Water Education Foundation Water Leader, and serves on the board of the Sacramento Valley Conservancy.
The program targets potential or emerging leaders in the Delta from all walks of life – agriculture, law enforcement, local government, non-profit organizations, local business, and the tourism and hospitality sectors, among others. It puts participants through an intensive curriculum to expand their knowledge of key issues and challenges in the Delta, teach them leadership skills and tools, build relationships and trust, and foster community.
The ultimate goal of the program, which has been operating since 2016, is to build a cadre of dedicated leaders to protect and improve the Delta. Alumni can be seen in leadership positions throughout the Delta and often appear in the news.
What’s Involved
Interested participants can apply through Nov. 21, participants are announced the week of Dec. 8, and the curriculum – five day-long seminars held on Fridays – runs January through April. Applicants must commit to 100% attendance on these dates to be considered for participation in the program:
Seminar 1: Jan. 9, 2026, in Sacramento
Seminar 2: Jan. 30, 2026, in Stockton
Seminar 3: Feb. 20, 2026, in Rio Vista
Seminar 4: March 20, 2026, in Oakley
Seminar 5: April 17, 2026, in Clarksburg
In addition to attending seminars, participants work on team projects designed to benefit the Delta, with some of the work occurring during seminars and some on their own time – about two hours per month. Participants also can take an air and water tour of the Delta in March or April, date to be determined.
The program concludes with a graduation at the Delta Protection Commission meeting tentatively scheduled for 5 p.m.May 21 at a location in the Delta. The exact date will be determined in November, when Commission sets its 2026 meeting schedule.
Applying
The application form can be completed online. The deadline is midnight Friday, Nov. 21, 2025.
The quality and content of the application is critical to the applicant’s success. Try to include specific examples and make sure you have included all of your civic and leadership experience and service.
People accepted into the program will be notified by the week of December 8, 2025.
The Delta Protection Commission (DPC) is teaming up with Honey, a design and marketing studio in Sacramento, to create a Tourism Brand and Marketing Plan for the NHA that will promote sustainable tourism and economic development in the region by encouraging responsible use of, and visitation to, the Delta’s unique resources and communities.
“This project is a significant step,” says Program Manager Blake Roberts. “For two decades, we collaborated with our Congressional delegation and the public to establish the NHA. Now we are excited to embark on an important effort that will demonstrate to visitors what a special place the Delta truly is.”
Honey “believes strong branding begins with listening,” says the agency’s president Maggie Hamilton Giordanengo. “We are honored to immerse ourselves in the voices, values, and lived experiences of the Delta communities to craft a brand that inspires sustainable tourism.”
The rollout of the plan will include public outreach, market research and the creation of a brand toolkit. The project is expected to be completed by late June of 2026.
The NHA is managed by the DPC, which is committed to supporting the region’s economic development and the preservation of its historical and cultural significance.
There are 62 National Heritage Areas in the United States. NHAs support historic preservation, natural resource conservation, recreation, heritage tourism, and educational projects through public-private partnerships.
For more information about the Delta NHA Tourism Branding and Marketing plan, contact Kira O’Donnell, NHA information officer, kira.odonnell@delta.ca.gov, (530) 650-6362; or Blake Roberts, NHA program manager, blake.roberts@delta.ca.gov, (530) 650-6572.
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