AWWA Board of Directors selects Cheryl Porter as next president-elect

The American Water Works Association’s (AWWA) Board of Directors today selected Cheryl Porter from Detroit, Mich., as the Association’s next president-elect. 

The Board also selected four vice presidents and two directors-at-large during its annual winter meeting in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Porter will begin her term as president-elect in June at the conclusion of AWWA’s Annual Conference & Exposition (ACE23). Her term as president begins in June 2024 following that of current president-elect Pat Kerr.

Porter is the chief operating officer of water and field services at Great Lakes Water Authority in Detroit, where she has worked since 2016. Since joining AWWA in 2005, she has been active with the Michigan Section of AWWA and served as an AWWA vice president. She is currently a member of the AWWA Finance Committee. Porter has a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Michigan, a Juris Doctor from the University of Detroit Law School, and an MBA from Madonna University.

The Board selected the following four vice presidents:

• Marcus Firman is an advisor on water and wastewater for the District of Muskoka in Ontario, Canada. Firman has been active with the Ontario Section since joining AWWA in 2008.
• Mary Gugliuzza is media relations and communications coordinator for the City of Fort Worth, where she has worked since 1996. Gugliuzza has been active with the Texas Section since joining AWWA in 1997 and is the past chair of the AWWA Public Affairs Council.
• Christine Spitzley is a principal at OHM Advisors, where she has worked since 2017. Spitzley has been an active member of the Michigan Section since joining AWWA in 1994.
• Brent Tippey is vice president/water program delivery manager, East Region, for HDR. Tippey has been involved in the Kentucky/Tennessee Section of AWWA for more than 20 years.

The Board also selected Amy Stoffer as a director-at-large and Jeff Zdrojewski as director-at-large representing service providers.

Stoffer is vice president of engineering, production, and water quality for the Northern Kentucky Water District, where she has worked since 2016. She has been actively involved in the Kentucky/Tennessee Section of AWWA since joining in 1989. Zdrojewski is a business development director for Pure Technologies, a Xylem brand, where he has worked since 2016. He has been active with the New York Section since joining AWWA in 1986 and is former chair of the Manufacturers/Associates Council.

All the new officers will begin their terms in June at the conclusion of ACE23.

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Established in 1881, the American Water Works Association is the largest nonprofit, scientific and educational association dedicated to managing and treating water, the world’s most vital resource. With approximately 50,000 members, AWWA provides solutions to improve public health, protect the environment, strengthen the economy and enhance our quality of life.