Jim Nash, Water Resources Commissioner

Commissioner Nash began working for the citizens of Oakland County in 2005 when he was sworn in as a member of the Oakland County Board of Commissioners. From the beginning, he has focused his energies on environmental sustainability, green building, and regional cooperation. These issues continue to be at the forefront of his decision making. As County commissioner, he organized and hosted six Annual Green Building Workshops, introducing local government officials and citizens to sustainability experts, engineering and technologies. As a founding member of the Regional Partnership for Sustainability, he worked with the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG), the surrounding counties, and the U.S. Green Building Council in addition to the Engineering Society of Detroit, and the WARM Training Center.

First elected as Water Resources Commissioner in 2012, Jim has been deeply involved in regional collaboration efforts directly related to sustainable development and resource conservation among the diverse interests of Southeast Michigan. He has worked with the Oakland County Executive and others to develop the Great Lakes Water Authority. Jim and his staff also have organized and hosted annual Regional Stormwater Summits. These summits bring experts together from local governments, businesses and academia to learn about and advocate for green solutions to stormwater quality.

Jim received the Michigan Sierra Club's Environmentalist of the Year award in 2015 and the Public Utility Management Professional of the Year Award from the Michigan Water Environment Association in 2017. In 2021, under Jim’s leadership, the organization has received the SEMCOG Regional Showcase Award and the WEF Utility of the Future Today for the Clinton River Facility’s Biosolids project.

Commissioner Nash is a 1988 graduate of Florida State University, with a bachelor’s degree in political science and minor in peace studies. He served for three years as a U.S. Army Medical Specialist and received the Good Conduct Medal and Expert Field Medical Badge. He was honorably discharged in 1980. Jim has been married 38 years and has four children and three grandchildren living in Michigan.