COLUMBUS, OH - Plain City resident Julie McQuade has been elected to serve as president of the States Organization for Boating Access (SOBA), according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Watercraft. McQuade, an 18-year state employee, is the division’s capital improvements coordinator.
She has served as SOBA vice president and previously was the organization’s annual conference planning coordinator. Her election as president came during the organization’s annual conference held recently in Montana. McQuade succeeds Larry Killien of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
SOBA was formed in 1986 as a nonprofit organization committed to the acquisition, development and administration of public recreational boating facilities nationwide. Membership is open to each of the 50 states and all U.S. territories, as well as various other marine interests.
The ODNR Division of Watercraft administers Ohio’s recreational boating programs, including watercraft registration and titling operations, and provides grants to local communities for enforcement, education and boating access facilities. The division investigates boating accidents and related fatalities, and enforces state boating laws on Ohio’s waterways. These and other Division of Watercraft programs are funded by a portion of the state gasoline sales tax, boating registration and titling fees and a grant from the U.S. Coast Guard.