The City of Hood River has hired Dustin Nilsen to be its new Planning Director. Nilsen has been Senior Planner in the Wasco County Planning Department for the past two years. He has seventeen years of professional planning experience, including 10 years with the Village of Antioch, Illinois in the Chicago area, seven of which were as Director of Community Development. He also spent over three years as Senior Planner in Aurora, Colorado. Nilsen starts his new position in mid-September, which allows time to work with current Planning Director Cindy Walbridge prior to her retirement on October 2.