Bruce Mowry appointed as General Manager of Water Replenishment District of Southern California
On Monday, the Board of Directors of the Water Replenishment District of Southern California (WRD) announced the appointment of Bruce A. Mowry, Ph.D. to General Manager, after concluding a six-month nationwide search. Dr. Mowry will assume the responsibilities as general manager on June 1, 2001. He replaces Mr. Brian J. Brady, a management consultant who has served as WRD's Interim General Manager since June 2000.
"The Board is very pleased to have a person with such outstanding credentials as Dr. Mowry," said WRD Board President M. Susan Carrillo. "He is an internationally recognized engineering expert with extensive experience in the private and public sectors."
Brady agreed with President Carrillo, "The WRD will be managed by a top-flight professional with outstanding management skills. I am pleased to be able to leave the District to such capable hands."
Dr. Mowry's impressive resume includes his most recent position as manager for 13 years at CH2M Hill, Inc., a Santa Ana-based engineering firm. He was responsible for managing a 40-member staff, budgeting, and creating and implementing strategic marketing plans. His accomplishments include the management of a design-build project for the Irvine Ranch Water District; the design and construction management of a water treatment plant for the City of Corona; and the design of a reverse osmosis treatment system for the West Basin Municipal Water District.
Dr. Mowry also served eight years as Manager of Design, Water and Wastewater Systems for N-Y Associates in Metairie, Louisiana.
From 1980 to 1983, Mowry was a professor in the Engineering Department at the University of New Orleans. He also worked in the Department of Natural Resources at Mississippi State University.
Dr. Mowry earned his B.S. in Biological Engineering, and M.S. and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering at Mississippi State University.
"I look forward to working with the WRD Board and the area groundwater purveyors to optimize groundwater resources in the basins," Mowry stated.
In a related action, the Board promoted District Engineer Robb E. Whitaker to the position of Assistant General Manager. Whitaker, who manages the District's technical staff and oversees its projects and programs, was hired as a WRD engineer in 1991.
"I appreciate the Board of Directors' confidence in me," said Whitaker, "and look forward to assisting Dr. Mowry in implementing Board policy and addressing the many challenges facing the District."
Interim General Manager Brady said Mowry and Whitaker will make a great team in moving the district forward.
Prior to working at the WRD, Whitaker worked at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power in the Water Operations Division and the Aqueduct Division.
Whitaker received a B.S. in Civil Engineering with an emphasis in Water Resources from the University of Southern California. A professional civil engineer, he is a member of the Association of California Water Agencies, the Association of Ground Water Agencies, the American Water Works Association, the National Ground Water Association, and the American Society of Civil Engineers.
The WRD manages groundwater for nearly four million residents in 43 communities throughout southern Los Angeles County, and was established by voters in 1959 for the purpose of protecting the groundwater resources and groundwater quality in the Central and West Coast Basins. Residents and businesses in the 420-square-mile service area use approximately 250,000 acre-feet of groundwater annually, which amounts to 40 percent of the region's total demand for water.
Source: Water Replenishment District of Southern California
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