Commissioner Upthegrove is focused on protecting clean air, clean water and habitat, continuing to improve wildfire prevention and response, and expanding recreational opportunities. He is dedicated to leading with a strong focus on equal rights and fair treatment, including honoring the sovereignty of Washington’s tribes. He is honored to lead the talented and driven staff at the Department of Natural Resources. And he is proud to support these 2,200 employees as they manage Washington’s lands and resources and meet challenges head-on, with the strength, optimism, and determination that defines our state.

 

Dave’s love of the outdoors developed at a young age. He spent his summers in high school and college working for the Boy Scouts — teaching young people about conservation on Dabob Bay and leading week-long treks through the Cascade Mountains. His interest in politics developed on campus at the University of Colorado where he earned his degree in Environmental Conservation and Biology— later earning a graduate certificate in Energy Policy from the University of Idaho. 

 

Before being elected to serve as your Commissioner of Public Lands, Dave spent twelve years representing the diverse working-class suburbs of South King County in the State House of Representatives. Most recently, he represented his community for more than a decade as a member of the King County Council where he worked with his colleagues to preserve public lands and manage growth, parks, wastewater and transportation in environmentally sustainable ways in our state’s most populous county. As Chair of the King County Flood Control District, Dave doubled funding for salmon recovery and led major reforms to better protect central Puget Sound rivers, experience he will bring to bear at DNR.

 

Commissioner Dave Upthegrove is the first out LGBT statewide executive office holder in the history of the State of Washington. He lives with his husband Chad, cat Dobby, and dog Benji in Des Moines, WA.