Billings, Mont. – The Bureau of Reclamation’s Missouri Basin Region has selected Ryan Newman to serve as the Montana Area Office (MTAO) Manager in Billings, Montana. He succeeds Steve Davies who is retiring after serving in the position since December 2015.

“Ryan began working for Reclamation in February 2001 as a Natural Resource Specialist in the Dakotas Area Office,” said Brian Hollis, Assistant Regional Director of Reclamation’s Missouri Basin Region. “He is a solid leader with robust experience that will be a great addition to the MTAO and Regional Leadership Team.”

Newman most recently served as the Upper Snake Field Office Assistant Area Manager where he oversaw the operations and maintenance of eight dams, three powerplants, approximately 250,000 acres of project lands, and numerous recreation and wildlife management sites. He was also responsible for administering river and reservoir operations in support of 64 water storage contracts.

MTAO manages 13 dams and reservoirs that provide irrigation for nearly 353,000 acres of agricultural land producing principal crops such as sugar beets, hay, alfalfa, corn, wheat and barley. MTAO also manages two hydroelectric power plants that produce about 40 percent of the Region’s annual power generation, and in 2019 this resulted in more than $34 million in revenue. The reservoirs also offer excellent opportunities for recreational activities, and more than 1 million visitor days are spent at Reclamation’s MTAO lands and water bodies annually.

To read Newman’s full biography visit www.usbr.gov/gp/about_us/bios/newman_bio.pdf. For more information about MTAO visit www.usbr.gov/gp/mtao.