Fox Waterway seeking new director

Fox Waterway Agency Executive Director Ingrid Danler will leave the agency at the end of May, officials said Friday.

Danler, 45, who has led the FWA for 13 years, announced during a Thursday board meeting she will step down May 24. She is taking a job as assistant director of operations for the Madison, Wis.-based Association of State Floodplain Managers.

Danler, who was paid $81,000 annually with the FWA, said she would miss the agency, but was excited about the change.

“It’s a bit bittersweet because this agency is pretty near and dear to me,” she said. “We’ve had a lot of issues over the years we’ve had to get through, and now it seems to be pretty smooth sailing. I’ve matured and the agency has matured.”

Danler has long been the voice of the agency established in 1984 to oversee dredging and navigation on the Chain O’ Lakes and Fox River from the Illinois/Wisconsin border to the Algonquin dam.

It also provides shoreline stabilization, puts out the buoys, attracts tourism and — most recently — corrals floating bogs in the system.

Under Danler, the FWA has created two nationally recognized island restoration geo-tube projects, and planned and permitted for a larger island restoration project. It also received the 2008 Project of the Year award from the American Public Works Association for work at Ackerman Island, helped stabilize the shorelines of slowly eroding Pape Island, and opened multiple drying sites for silt dredged from the waterway.

The agency also has been criticized by boaters for boat sticker fees and issuing no-wake restrictions.

“I’m real proud of the work we’ve done here.” Danler said. “When I first started, we were known as an agency with a lot of controversy, but we have shown accountability and become very transparent. We are friendly, and I think the board likes the outside-the-box type of attitude we have.”

Board Chairman Wayne Blake said Danler was instrumental in helping the agency grow and mature.

“I mean, it is a team effort throughout, but for 13 years, she’s been driving the bus and steering us to where we are now,” he said. “Under her leadership, permitting with outside agencies is somewhat speedy compared to the past, our networking has been outstanding, and we have a lot of good people at the agency who know their job.”

The agency will review the bylaws to bring in a new executive director, Blake said, adding the job description may change.

“The law states that people need to be a biologist or engineer to run the agency, and I’m not sure if that should be a requirement,” he said. “We have good people in positions so the agency can run itself. The executive director needs to be a leader.”

Assistant Director Ron Barker will take over on an interim basis when Danler steps down, Blake said.