T.J. Stroebl leads newly elected slate of officers

The American Water Works Association Board of Directors elected T.J. Stroebl from Minneapolis as the Association’s incoming president-elect.

The board also selected AWWA’s three vice presidents, a director-at-large, and a service provider director-at-large during its annual winter meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, last week. The officers’ terms begin in June at the conclusion of AWWA’s Annual Conference & Exposition (ACE26) in Washington, D.C.

Stroebl is a market development leader for Kurita America, the North American arm of the global Kurita Group, a water treatment solutions provider headquartered in Minneapolis. An active member of the Minnesota Section since joining AWWA in 2007, Stroebl served on AWWA’s Executive Committee of the Board of Directors and chaired the Manufacturers/Associates Council from 2022-25 following two terms as a council member.

“It was an amazing moment to hear my name called. I had a huge sense of pride and felt truly honored to have the confidence of AWWA’s board,” said Stroebl, who will succeed current President-Elect Brent Tippey as president in June 2027. Tippey follows President Heather Collins, whose term concludes in June.

Stroebl also serves on the Water 2050 strategic implementation team for Innovation and Circular Economy. He has a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Minnesota.

“As a service provider who works with industrial water users, I understand how they manage water impacts utilities, and vice versa,” Stroebl said. “I’m excited to bring this perspective, which ties into Water 2050 and its effort to include diverse stakeholders in our conversations around effective water management.”

The board also selected the following three vice presidents:

• Amy McLeod, project manager at Jacobs in Ridgeland, Miss. An involved member of the Alabama-Mississippi Section since 2008, McLeod is a member of AWWA’s Board of Directors after previously serving as the chair and treasurer of the Alabama-Mississippi Section.
• Chris Wheland, administrator of the Clifton Park Water Authority in New York. An engaged member since 2007, Wheland is the section director of the New York Section and a member of AWWA’s Fluoride Committee.
• Mike Worlton, area director for Black & Veatch in Phoenix. In addition to being a member of AWWA’s Board of Directors, he has been actively involved in the Arizona Section since 2005.

For director-at-large, the board appointed Amanda Jones, who is a project manager with the city of Tucson, Ariz. An involved member since 2018, Jones is the secretary of the Customer Service Committee and a member of the Diversity and Member Inclusion Committee.

For service provider director-at-large, the board selected Katie Richardson, who is the associate vice president, growth leader for Central Water at TYLin in Chicago. An active member since 2009, Richardson is currently the chair of the Water Equation Committee in addition to being the membership vice chair of the Illinois Section.