Executive Sidhu Selects James Marks to Lead Planning and Development Services for Whatcom County
On August 11, 2026, County Executive Satpal Sidhu asked the County Council to confirm James Marks to serve as the next Director of Planning and Development Services. The Council voted unanimously to confirm the Executive’s appointee, who is scheduled to start on September 14.
“James has a reputation for bringing people together and creating an environment where teams can succeed,” Executive Sidhu told the Council. “He looks for practical and innovative ways to remove unnecessary complexity and improve customer service. I am confident he is the right choice to lead Planning & Development Services into its next chapter”
James Marks is a planning and transportation executive with more than 20 years managing teams across public planning and transportation. He currently serves as Alaska Area Planning Principal at HDR Engineering, where he leads a community and transportation planning practice, overseeing corridor plans, freight and hazard mitigation studies, and local planning efforts throughout the state.
Before joining HDR, he served as Planning Director for the Alaska Municipal League (AML), working alongside communities throughout the state to build capacity, plan for climate resilience and hazard mitigation, pursue economic development, and secure grant and revenue opportunities.
As the Director of Planning & Program Development at the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities, James oversaw statewide planning and programming for one of the largest and most geographically diverse transportation systems in America. During his tenure, he managed the State’s capital program (growing from roughly $700 million to $1.4 billion annually) and led a staff of seventy. From 2018-2024, his work at the State ranged from planning for highways and bridges, the Alaska Marine Highway System, more than 200 state-owned airports, resource development projects, and long-range transportation projects.
“As I’ve gotten to know your community, I have become more and more excited for this job, not because the challenges are smaller, but because I understood them better,” said Marks. “Improving complicated processes, building a culture of continuous improvement, developing and supporting strong high performing teams – these are all things I know. I’m really excited for what comes next.”
James holds an MBA and a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Alaska. He is relocating with his family to be closer to relatives while continuing his career in public-sector planning leadership. James is passionate about building teams and focuses on creating an environment where staff have opportunities to improve process, use data to inform decision-making, and engage with the department’s customers to improve community wellbeing
Whatcom County’s Planning and Development Services department involves 53 full-time positions and is responsible for permitting building and development permits, plan reviews, life/safety inspections, environmental permitting, current planning and code enforcement and long-range planning.
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