California governor Gavin Newsom has appointed Thomas Gibson as the new director of the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), the agency responsible for managing and protecting the state's water supplies.
Gibson takes on the role after serving as DWR's chief deputy director since 2024. Before that, he was chief counsel at the department from 2021 to 2024, overseeing its Office of General Counsel. His earlier career includes several years at the California Natural Resources Agency, where he held positions such as deputy secretary and special counsel for water, as well as roles at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, including general counsel and assistant chief counsel. Gibson also spent time in private practice, including as a partner at Best, Best & Krieger LLP.
He holds a Juris Doctor from the Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College and a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of California, Davis.
The appointment requires confirmation by the California State Senate.
Gibson succeeds Karla Nemeth, who has led DWR for eight years. Nemeth is set to move on to lead the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA), which represents public agencies delivering the vast majority of the state's water supply.
