Priya Dhanapal named new deputy city administrator of Public Works

Portland’s historic transition to a new form of government is moving quickly as we are just months away from key new staffers taking the helm.

As the new government is set up, we’ll continue to keep you informed about how things will change — especially at the Portland Bureau of Transportation. On that note, just this week the transition team announced that the deputy city administrator of Public Works will be Priya Dhanapal.

In Portland’s current system, the PBOT Director (currently Millicent Williams) reports directly to the commissioner-in-charge of the bureau (currently Mingus Mapps). But when the new system is in place January 1st 2025, city council members will no longer control specific city bureaus. That task will fall to the deputy city administrator. There will be six of those administrators, each in charge of several different city bureaus.

Dhanapal will be in charge of the three Public Works bureaus: Environmental Services, Water, and Transportation. She will report to the new city administrator, who then reports to the mayor. (Note that city council members will no longer have direct oversight of bureaus.)

Dhanapal is a first-generation immigrant from India who has lived in Portland for most of her adult life. According to a bio on the City of Portland website and her LinkedIn profile, Dhanapal has considerable water infrastructure experience. Here’s more from her public bio:

“… as the Public Works Deputy Director for Clark County, Wash., she provided strategic oversight to various divisions, including Clean Water, Parks and Lands, Fleet Services, Emergency Management, Community Engagement & Inclusion and Business Services. Priya’s journey in public works began with wastewater recycling research for NASA, followed by helping engineer the first permanent direct potable reuse implementation in the United States. Noteworthy achievements in her career include leading the implementation of the innovative Beaverton Purple Pipe program, a pioneering initiative in the West Coast. Additionally, she led and implemented a multi-million-dollar potable water infrastructure program that was transformative to Beaverton’s water system.

Throughout her career, Dhanapal championed diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and played a pivotal role in sustainability and climate change efforts. She closely collaborated with stakeholders to implement and enhance disaster preparedness strategies and asset management for multiple utilities across the West Coast.

A licensed professional engineer in Oregon, Dhanapal holds a Master of Science in Civil/Environmental Engineering from Texas Tech University, complemented by additional degrees in Biological Sciences and Chemical Engineering. Her story is one of determination, resilience and dedication to service, with a commitment to being a servant leader who cares deeply for her team and community, aiming to a create legacy impact that extends across generations.”

PBOT Director Millicent Williams mentioned Dhanapal’s hiring at a meeting of the PBOT Freight Advisory Committee this morning. “I’m looking forward to working with her and I’m excited about the additional step and the transition to our new form of government,” Williams said.

Williams was also asked by a member of the freight committee how the new form of government will impact PBOT. I’ll save that for a separate post.

Dhanapal’s first day on the job will be July 1st.

(Welcome Priya! We host a Bike Happy Hour every Wednesday from 3-6 pm on the SE Ankeny Rainbow Road Plaza and it would be great to meet you.)