Commissioners invite community to meet County Administrator finalist

The Deschutes County Board of Commissioners invites the community to meet Nick Lelack, the finalist being considered as Deschutes County’s next County Administrator. 

Deschutes County will host a virtual community forum on Monday, May 17, at 6 p.m., where Lelack will share a short presentation and answer questions from the community. Following the forum, community members will have the opportunity to submit feedback to the Board of Commissioners.

“After an extensive national search and first-round interviews, we’re pleased to announce that the selection process has yielded a strong finalist in our incumbent Community Development Department Director Nick Lelack,” said Tony DeBone, Deschutes County Commissioner and Chairperson. “Nick’s demonstrated success and leadership with the County, qualifications, and performance in the selection process so far has made him our top candidate.”

Lelack will participate in panel interviews on Friday, May 14, and will also participate in a virtual community forum on Monday, May 17, where he will answer questions submitted in advance by both the public and County staff. To learn more about the virtual community forum or to submit a question for Lelack, visit www.deschutes.org/administrator.

The candidate to be selected by the Board of Commissioners will succeed current County Administrator Tom Anderson, who announced his retirement earlier this year. Anderson has served as the County’s Administrator since 2013. Deschutes County has had only three administrators since 1978.

ABOUT THE FINALIST:

Nick Lelack has served as the Deschutes County Community Development Director since 2012. He also serves on the Oregon Land Conservation and Development Commission. He has masters degrees in Public Administration and Community and Regional Planning from the University of Oregon, is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and has a Bachelor of Science from Willamette University.

Previously, he served as Deschutes County's Planning Director and the City of Redmond Community Development and Planning Director. He has a variety of other experience that spans the public, private and non-profit sectors; federal, state and local governments; urban, rural and resort communities; coast-to-coast and from high altitudes to sea level.

Nick grew up in the Willamette Valley working on farms and exploring rural Oregon with his family and friends. Nick and his family settled in Bend in 2005 following 15 years of living and working in great places across the country and beyond. Outside of work, he is an avid runner and enjoys fly fishing, paddling, hiking, and traveling with his family