Derek Boese

Mr. Boese is the General Manager of the San Antonio River Authority (SARA), a 280 person organization responsible for ensuring the river remains Safe, Clean and Enjoyable from the headwaters in Bexar County down through Goliad County. He is responsible for a $380M annual budget, including design and construction of the San Pedro Creek Culture Park, oversight of the Bexar County Creeks and Trails Program, serving as local sponsor for the Westside Creeks Ecosystem Restoration Project with the US Army Corps of Engineers, and the multi-million dollar expansion of SARA’s Wastewater Treatment Plants in northeast Bexar County.

Before becoming the General Manager of SARA, Mr. Boese was the Chief Administrative Officer for the Flood Protection Authority – East (FPA) and was responsible for the physical, operational and financial integrity of the regional flood risk management system protecting the east bank of the greater New Orleans area and 576K people and $79B of infrastructure.  Mr. Boese served as the CAO since March 2017, overseeing the transition from three separate levee districts into one consolidated regional authority consisting of 250 people and a $60M annual budget. He first served as the Executive Director of the East Jefferson Levee District for the FPA starting in 2015.

Prior to joining the Flood Protection Authority - East, Mr. Boese was an executive for two national engineering firms and led their regional operations from 2006-2015, focused on flood protection and coastal restoration. During this time, he also served as the USACE Chief of Staff for the Hurricane Protection Office.

Mr. Boese began his career as an active duty Army officer for 11 years, and served combat tours in Iraq and Kuwait. He was the Commander of A/299th Engineer Battalion, 4th Infantry Division during the initial ground invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Mr. Boese is a licensed attorney in Louisiana.

What's the first career you dreamed of having as a child?
Being a Marine, but the Army gave me a better scholarship so I ended up a Soldier instead.
 
What are your favorite activities when you are not working?
Family, fishing, shooting.
 
If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?
The Netherlands. I had the opportunity to go there for work in 2017 to visit flood control structures, and really enjoyed the short trip.