Bios

Douglas Detling is a native of Redding in Northern California, graduating from Enterprise High School in the Class of 1966. He earned an A.A. degree in 1968 from Shasta College in Redding, a B.A. in political science (in 1970) from California State University, Chico, and a Master’s Degree in Public Policy (1973) from the University of California at Berkeley. While attending college, he covered local and regional government for five years as a reporter for California daily newspapers in Redding, Chico, and Hayward.

From April 1974 to November 1989 Doug worked for the San Francisco Bay Area’s regional planning agency, the Association of Bay Area Governments. From March 1984 to November 1989 Doug was Assistant to ABAG’s Executive Director. During his career at ABAG, he developed and coordinated adoption of several pieces of legislation affecting local government in California, including airport land use planning, the development of the San Francisco Bay Trail, state and local bond pooling and other infrastructure financing, and the development of an urban stormwater treatment marsh at the Coyote Hills Regional Park in Fremont, California. He also served as a consultant to numerous State and local agencies, and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development in Istanbul, Turkey (in 1987).

From May 1991 to September 1995, Doug was Management Analyst and Risk Management Coordinator for the City of El Centro, the county seat of Imperial County. In September 1995, he was named Personnel Manager for El Centro, and also taught American government part-time at Imperial Valley College. He served as El Centro’s Personnel Manager until January 2000.

In January 2000, Doug was named Human Resources Director for the City of Medford,Oregon. He managed an HR staff of four, seving more than 420 fulltime employees and about 100 part-time or seasonal staff each year. Doug served on the Board of Directors of the Rogue Valley Public Services Academy (since December 2000) until his retirement as HR Director for Medford in September 2013.  In 2005 Doug was elected as one of six members of the HRA VEBA Trust Board of Trustees, served as Vice Chairman from 2007-2009, and in September 2009 was elected Chairman of the Board of Trustees. He has been re-elected each September since then.

Doug is a Life Member of the International City/County Management Association and member of the International Public Management Association for Human Resources (designated in August 2001 as an IPMA Certified Professional; recertified in 2004, 2007 and again in 2010, and upon retirement he was granted lifetime Senior Certified Professional status). Since June 2006, he has served on the Oregon Chapter Board of Directors of IPMA-HR.  He served seven years on the IPMA-HR Publications Advisory Committee.  Doug is also a member of the University of California Alumni Association (Life Member), the Bunker Family Association (Life Member), the Dettling Family Community,  and the Bradt Family Society. In his spare time, Doug manages several genealogy web sites, including family pages on this site. He also serves on the City of Eagle Point’s Community Development Commission.

Doug and Manuela Ramos were married in October 1995 in Las Vegas, Nevada. She was a Maintenance Worker for the Imperial Valley Housing Authority from September 1995 to July 2000, when the family relocated to Southern Oregon. She worked in the Parks and Recreation Department for Medford from August 2000 to March 2010. They live in Eagle Point, Oregon.

Doug’s son Robin graduated from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, in April 2002, and works for a commercial property appraisal firm, Colliers Valuation Services in San Diego, California. He is a certified property appraiser. Robin married Teneil Thompson in 2003. Robin and Teneil have four sons, Bryant Aldon Detling, born in May 2004, Ethan Andrew Detling, born in March 2006; Jonah Samuel Detling, born in October 2007, and Owen Will Detling, born in February 2013; and a daughter, Kenna Lorenne Detling, born February 2010. The family lives in San Diego.

Doug’s younger son, Shannon, completed a two-year church mission in Argentina in July 2002, married Amanda Jensen in 2003, and graduated with a bachelor’s and master’s degree from BYU in April 2006. Shannon and Amanda have two sons, Daniel Spencer, born in January 2006, and Peter Matthew, born in August 2013; and two daughters, Nora Kay Spencer, born in August 2008, and Lucy Katherine Spencer, born In June 2011. Shannon served one year on the staff of the Financial Accounting Standards Board, headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut, then joined the PricewaterhouseCoopers  (PWC) accounting firm in New York City in July 2007.  He now  works for PWC in Washington, DC, and the family lives in Ashburn, Virginia.

Manuela’s daughter Alejandra (Alex) Contreras relocated with her daughter Angel Rivera to Klamath Falls, Oregon in January 2007 after several years living in Medford.  Alex’s youngest daughter Trinity Abigail Burton was born in November 2008.  Alejandra works in a Klamath Falls chiropractic clinic. Angel is the mother of Savien, born in January 2018 in Medford.

Manuela’s younger daughter, Myra Contreras, is the mother of Isabel Alejandra Ruiz, born in August 2004, and Manuel Antonio Ruiz, born on Mother’s Day in May 2007.  Manuel, like his cousin Angel, delights in the backyard “Jardin de Manuela.” Myra and her family live in Eagle Point,  Oregon. Myra is a billing specialist for a Medford medical-dental community health organization.