Eileen Cooney will join the North Pacific Coast Marine Resources Committee as a Jefferson County citizen representative.

Cooney will serve as a representative in the “economic groups” category.

Jefferson County commissioners approved her appointment Tuesday.

She was appointed to a two-year term.

The vacancy on the committee was advertised in December and Cooney was the only applicant. 

Cooney has a law degree from the Seattle University School of Law and a master’s of law from the University of Washington.

After serving at a private law firm in Seattle, where she represented commercial fishermen, Cooney worked for 20 years for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on fisheries management, marine mammal and endangered species protection, Indian treaty fishing rights, civil enforcement of violations of marine resource laws, and other matters. She retired a decade ago and now volunteers for the Jefferson Land Trust at Quimper West Reserve.

Cooney was interviewed by committee members for the post Jan. 11 and came highly recommended.