Frances E. “Beth” Coffey was appointed to the Senior Executive Service (SES) in December 2019 and serves as the as the Northwestern Division Programs Director where she is responsible for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ civil works mission consisting of planning, navigation, flood control, stream bank and shore protection, hurricane and storm damage reduction, emergency preparedness response and recovery, hydropower, water supply, recreation, environmental protection and recovery, permitting, real estate, and interagency and international support activities across the Columbia and Missouri River basins -- an area comprising about a fourth of the continental United States. The Northwestern Division has 5,300 employees and an annual operating budget of $2 billion.
Her 30-year federal career began in 1990 as an engineering intern with the St. Louis District. Since that time, she assumed roles of greater responsibility across a broad spectrum of the Corps’ technical and business functions, including environmental engineering, planning and project management, Regulatory, and District and Division operations chief. Prior to her current assignment, Ms. Coffey served as the chief of Civil Works Integration Division, where she oversaw program development and execution, as well as Congressional engagement, for the Northwestern Division.
Ms. Coffey earned her bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from the University of Missouri in 1992 and her masters in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College in 2017. She is a registered Professional Engineer in the state of Washington and a Project Management Professional. Ms. Coffey also retired as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserves at the rank of colonel in July 2021, and is the recipient of the Army Engineer Association’s bronze order of the de Fleury Medal.