DNR Deputy Secretary Todd Ambs to step down at the end of the year

A top official with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is stepping down at the end of the year.

DNR Deputy Secretary Todd Ambs announced he’s retiring later this month during Wednesday’s meeting of the Natural Resources Board. Ambs said he’s dedicated his life to public service over the last 42 years, adding it’s been an honor to serve at the agency.

“As my partner likes to say anytime I talk about retirement, she shakes her head and says, ‘Well, you’re never actually going to retire, you’re just going to move on to doing stuff that you want to do on your own terms,’” said Ambs. “That’s what I’m looking forward to doing, and a little bit more fishing, hiking, and paddling, and, perhaps, a couple fewer Zoom calls.”

Ambs returned to the agency in 2019 when he was named the DNR’s assistant deputy secretary after previously serving as the agency’s water division administrator from 2003 to 2010. Last year, DNR Secretary Preston Cole appointed Ambs to serve as deputy secretary when his predecessor Beth Bier resigned to care for her two young children.

“This board has the utmost respect for your tenacity and your intelligence when it comes to what you fight and believe for,” said Dr. Fred Prehn, the board’s chair. “We’ve had some moments where we’ve gone back and forth, you and I and the board. But, in the end, we all know that you have a passion and a drive to make stuff happen that you believe strongly in, as the board shares a lot of your vision.”

During Ambs’ first stint with the DNR, he led negotiations for the state as eight Midwest states developed the Great Lakes Compact. Congress approved the landmark agreement and former President George W. Bush signed it into law in 2008. The compact bars large-scale water diversions outside the Great Lakes basin.

In the last two years, Ambs has worked with the agency to advocate for Gov. Tony Evers’ priorities surrounding safe drinking water as the state contends with emerging contaminants like PFAS and lagging replacement of lead service lines.

After leaving the DNR, Ambs worked as a campaign director for the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, which strives to restore and protect the Great Lakes.

Steven Little currently serves as the agency’s assistant deputy secretary, who previously served as the DNR’s budget and management director. The DNR has not yet named a successor for Ambs when he steps down at the end of the year.