The Adirondack Council announced Tuesday afternoon that top DEC official William Janeway, who currently serves as regional director for the Hudson Valley and the Catskills, will lead the environmental organization.

"We are thrilled to bring Willie Janeway on board as executive director," said Adirondack Council Chairwoman Ann Carmel in a statement.

He is an accomplished conservationist with extensive experience in the Adirondack Park.

"He is an accomplished conservationist with extensive experience in the Adirondack Park. We think he is the perfect person to lead our outstanding team, whose job is to help the Adirondack Park and its communities successfully face a wide range of challenges."

Janeway follows the last permanent executive director, Brian Houseal, who stepped aside last year. Long-time Lake Placid resident Diane Fish filled in as director during the interim but decided not to seek the top job.

In a statement released by the Council, Janeway noted problems in the Park but said he was eager to "make opportunities out of these challenges and ensure that the future of the Adirondack Park is bright."

"It has been an honor and privilege to work for Governor Cuomo and DEC Commissioner Joe Martens and help them advance their goals of a healthy environment and a revitalized New York economy" Janeway added.

Janeway will formally take the post in May, working from the Council's headquarters in Elizabethtown. Fish will continue to serve as deputy director of the organization.

Janeway is a St. Lawrence University graduate and has worked for the Adirondack Mountain Club and the Nature Conservancy. He's also an Adirondack 46er.

He takes the helm at a time when the Council is grappling with state officials over a series of issues, including logging rules in the Adirondacks and the maintenance of access roads in the former Finch Pruyn timber lands.