Chuck Clarke was named the new Chief Executive Officer of Cascade Water Alliance by its Board of Directors Wednesday. He will begin his duties with the regional water planning and supply system January 20, 2009.
Clarke, who has been the Director of Seattle Public Utilities since 2002, brings years of experience in management of public utilities to Cascade, said Board Chair Lloyd Warren.
“Our agency is embarking on a major regional planning process to best determine how to bring water to our eight members, their 370,000 residents and 22,00 businesses over the next several decades,” said Warren. “We can’t think of anyone more experienced and capable than Chuck to run Cascade and we are delighted to welcome him as our new CEO.”
“While it is a pleasure to welcome Chuck to our growing organization, we also thank our interim CEO Ed Oberg, who has helped steer Cascade over the last year. Ed came out of retirement to work with Cascade to establish key relationships and partnerships with Seattle, Tacoma and other water purveyors as we prepared to launch the next phase of water provision. Ed has done a tremendous job and we are grateful he will continue to work with Chuck to ensure a strong transition that will help the agency as it transforms from a planning agency to a regional water supplier.”
Clarke most recently served as the director of Seattle Public Utilities, and had served as a deputy mayor in that city. He was the regional administration with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the agency secretary of the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, and a Director of Washington’s Department of Ecology. His experience ranges from strategic planning, regional relationships, the ability to negotiate complex agreements and the ability to manage the day to day operations of a water organization. Clarke graduated from Pacific Lutheran University where he obtained a BA in Biology and a Masters of Business Administration.
Cascade Water Alliance is a consortium of eight municipalities and water districts that joined together in 1999 to provide water supply for current and future needs. It includes the cities of Bellevue, Issaquah, Kirkland, Redmond and Tukwila and the Covington Water District, the Skyway Water and Sewer District and the Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District. The agency serves more than 350,000 residents and 22,000 businesses. Members contribute to the costs of purchasing water, developing water supplies and operating the systems. Although Cascade purchased Lake Tapps from Puget Sound Energy earlier this year, it will not begin using Lake Tapps as a water supply until the mid 2020s. Membership is open to any public water utility within the region. Download a PDF of this article >
