ARLENE POST Obituary

Remembering ARLENE POST Arlene E. Post, 77, a Brooklyn, New York native most recently of Spokane, Washington, passed away on October 17, 2025. Arlene's 46-year career as an outreach and communications professional began with the state of New York in Albany where she served 22 years, culminating in the position of Director of Communications in the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. From New York, Arlene moved west to take on the position of Director of Community and Government Relations at the Oregon Department of transportation where she developed the first statewide community affairs program to build citizen support of state transportation operations and initiatives. Her specialization in public policy peaked as a trail-blazing expert in customer and media relations at a time when the water supply industry in California was undergoing unprecedented challenges. As Director of Resource Conservation and Public Outreach at Las Virgenes Municipal Water District in Calabasas, California, her strong commitment to public service and the well-being of the people she served was manifested in implementation of innovative programs to inform customers and citizens on the complex dynamics of water delivery in a state with an expanding population and regularly beset by drought. Subsequently, she joined the staff of the engineering firm CDM Smith Los Angeles, where she consulted clients in California and Hawaii on the development and management of alternative water supplies including conservation, recycling and reuse. Arlene prepared herself for her diverse public service career with a Batchelor of Arts Degree at the State University of New York at Albany, supplemented with classes in technical communication at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. Throughout her career she shared her technical knowledge and operational experience through leadership positions in various professional organizations including the National Association of Business Communicators, the New York State Women's Press Club, the American Water Works Association, the Western Governors' Drought Council and the WateReuse Association. She also developed workshops on such topics as the relationship between organizational participation in planning and delivery of public programs and services. She was the recipient of the New York State Parks Commission Huttleston Staff Award, the highest honor the agency can bestow, and was widely recognized for the clarity of her interactions with local and national media including the New York Times, the Washington Post and USA Today as well as CNN and the ABC, NBC and CBS networks. In retirement, she and her husband refurbished the 1947 private railcar Montana operating it as a charter experience on Amtrak trains out of Union Station in Los Angeles. In 2013 the Montana joined the private railcar display in celebration of the 100th anniversary of New York's Grand Central Terminal, fulfilling Arlene's long-held dream of bringing the railcar to her hometown. She was fond of cats, and she and her husband shared their home with two 'once in a lifetime' cats, one following the other. Arlene is survived by husband Sean Breen, sister-in-law Megan Breen, brother-in-law Jim Leigh, sister-in-law Eva Breen and brother-in-law Brian Breen all of Spokane WA. Arlene will be missed by her many long-time friends and associates on both the East and West coasts. The family has asked that contributions in her name be made to the New York State Parks and Historic Sites Natural Heritage Trust (https://www.naturalheritagetrust.org/donate).