As the Deputy for Programs and Project Management, Mr. Steve Fischer assists the District Commander in water resources development in the Chicago metropolitan area, upper Illinois River watershed, Lake Michigan watershed in Wisconsin and the upper Wabash River watershed In Indiana – an area of about 31,500 square miles.
The District delivers vital engineering services through flood and coastal storm risk management, navigation, aquatic ecosystem restoration, regulatory, emergency management, recreation and interagency support services.
Mr. Fischer has more than 32 years of professional experience, in both the public and private sectors. Prior to joining the Chicago District, he served as the Acting Chief of the Planning & Business Development Branch of the Planning & Policy Division at HQUSACE. Previous assignments in his USACE career include several senior level positions in the Savannah, Detroit, Walla Walla, and Kansas City districts, and the Northwestern Division. He began his USACE career in 2005 at the Kansas City District, where he worked as the Water Quality Program Manager and as the Senior Program Manager - Missouri River Recovery Program.
Prior to joining USACE, he worked with private industry, academic institutions (Johns Hopkins and University of Maryland) and state conservation agencies (Florida & Missouri).
Mr. Fischer received his Master of Science in Fisheries Biology from the Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA, and earned his Bachelors of Science in Water Resources – Limnology, from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, Stevens Point, WI.
Mr. Fischer is a graduate of the USACE Planning Associates Program (2010) and the Great Lakes and Rivers Division Regional Leadership Development Program (2018).