News / May 02, 2022

MWMO Welcomes Kevin Reich as New Executive Director

Former Minneapolis City Council Member Replaces Doug Snyder as Top MWMO Staffer

MINNEAPOLIS — The Mississippi Watershed Management Organization (MWMO) announced today that Kevin Reich is the MWMO’s new executive director.

Reich, a former Minneapolis City Council member, previously served 12 years on the MWMO Board of Commissioners, including 10 years as board chair. He has been serving as interim executive director since January, following the retirement of former Executive Director Doug Snyder.

MWMO board members voted April 20 to offer Reich the position, following the conclusion of a multi-step, competitive search process. He will assume his new, permanent role at the MWMO beginning today.

“To again serve this incredible organization is deeply gratifying, and to do so even more closely with those who directly deliver the realization of MWMO’s important mission is truly inspiring,” Reich said. “I look forward to the meaningful work to not just manage water and protect the river, but also to advance efforts that are restorative to it and the communities near it.”

Reich brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in land use policy, innovative infrastructure investment, and community empowerment to his new role at the MWMO. During his three terms on the Minneapolis City Council, he served in leadership positions on a number of committees and advisory boards related to the environment, transportation, public works, and related policy areas.

“The built physical environment and our water resources are inextricably connected. I look forward to continue the work that is so important to our local cities and on which the MWMO has taken a lead, which sees river health as a powerful, unifying guide to good urban design in both the physical and equitable social sense,” Reich said.

Prior to his time on the city council, Reich served for 10 years as executive director of the Holland Neighborhood Improvement Association in Northeast Minneapolis.

Reich holds a B.A. in Philosophy and Asian Studies from St. Olaf College and has completed coursework toward a Master’s in Public Administration from Hamline University. He is a lifelong resident of Minneapolis with deep roots in the community and a strong belief that the MWMO’s member communities are defined by and obligated to the great Mississippi River.

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About the MWMO

The Mississippi Watershed Management Organization (MWMO) works to protect and improve water quality, habitat and natural resources in an urban watershed that drains directly into the Mississippi River. We are a joint-powers local government unit and one of approximately three dozen watershed organizations in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Our member communities include Columbia Heights, Fridley, Hilltop, Lauderdale, Minneapolis, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, St. Anthony Village, and Saint Paul.

The MWMO encompasses 25,309 acres (39.5 square miles) of fully developed urban lands and waters. We partner with our member communities to invest in green infrastructure that captures, cleans and reuses stormwater runoff. Our team monitors and tracks water quality in the watershed and conducts education and outreach to promote active environmental stewardship among residents.

Learn more at mwmo.org.