Irvine Ranch Water District
http://www.irwd.com/about-us/board-of-directors.html
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Responsive Governance. Local Control.
IRWD is governed by a five member publicly elected Board of Directors. These five elected officials are responsible for District policies and decision making on a large range of issues. Board members participate in bi-monthly IRWD Board meetings and Committee meetings where they evaluate and provide guidance on important water resource and reliability projects including water recycling, water use efficiency programs, infrastructure projects and the water banking program. Approval authority on critical IRWD projects ultimately rests with the IRWD Board of Directors. Reflective of the expertise and leadership of the IRWD Board, IRWD customers continue to enjoy among the lowest rates in Orange County and have a very reliable and diverse water supply.
In support of these projects and programs and in keeping with our commitment to the community, IRWD and its Board members believe it is essential to be active and accessible to the communities we serve. IRWD Board members frequently attend community and industry meetings with the cities we serve including the city of Irvine, Lake Forest, Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Orange as well as the unincorporated areas of Orange County such as Orange Park Acres and Santiago Canyon. IRWD Board members actively participate in meetings at the Orange County Water District, the Municipal Water District of Orange County, the Orange County Sanitation District and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Board members connect with the business community through the Orange County Business Industry Association and the Orange County Business Council. Board members also contribute regularly to water supply reliability discussions and policy efforts at the state and federal level to ensure that our customers continue to enjoy a high level of service at the lowest possible cost - now and into the future.
Public elections are held every two years and Directors serve four year terms (for information on elections please visit the Orange County Registrar of Voters). Terms are staggered to ensure continuity.
Board of Directors Meetings
The IRWD Board meets twice monthly, providing residents with direct contact to their elected representatives.
Committee Meetings
IRWD also has four standing committees of the IRWD Board that generally meet once a month.
Engineering and Operations Committee
Finance and Personnel Committee
Water Resources Policy and Communications Committee
Asset Management Committee
Water Banking Committee
To attend any of these meetings, view the Board Meetings calendar. You may also reach IRWD board members by calling 949-453-5300 or emailing boardmail@irwd.com
IRWD Board of Directors
President Douglas J. Reinhart
Vice President Steven E. LaMar
Douglas J. Reinhart (2010-2014)
Board President
Douglas J. Reinhart was appointed to the IRWD Board of Directors in 2004 to fill a board vacancy and was subsequently elected to four-year terms in 2006 and 2010. He is currently serving as President of the Board through 2013. Previously he served as President of the Board in 2010, 2009 and 2007, having also served as Vice President in 2006. Reinhart currently serves on the Engineering and Operations Committee and the Water Banking Committee as well as various Ad Hoc Committees.
He is a registered civil engineer with over 30 years of experience in the private sector, directing projects in water, wastewater and other infrastructure. Reinhart was the president and an owner of ASL Consulting Engineers before its acquisition by Tetra Tech in 1999. He then served as the Divisional Executive Vice President for Tetra Tech for the western United States. Reinhart retired from Tetra Tech in 2004 and began a consulting business.
Reinhart is familiar with special district functions, having served as a Director on the board of El Toro Water District from 1998 to 2000. During that time, he served as Vice President of their board and was the special district representative to the Local Agency Formation Commission of Orange County. Reinhart resigned from both El Toro Water District's board and the LAFCO board in 2000 when he relocated his residence to the city of Irvine.
He holds a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy. He is a registered civil engineer in both California and Arizona and a registered control systems engineer in California.
Reinhart has a variety of water industry service and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the national WateReuse Association and the South Orange County Wastewater Authority. He has served on the Board of Trustees of the Southern California Water Committee, the American Water Works Association Desalination Committee and the Association of California Water Agencies Water Reuse Committee. In addition, he is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Public Works Association and the Consulting Engineers Association of California.
email Douglas Reinhart
949-453-5300
Steven E. LaMar (2010 - 2014)
Board Vice President
Steven E. LaMar was appointed to the IRWD Board of Directors in February 2009 to fill a board vacancy and was elected to a four-year term in 2010. He is currently serving as Board Vice President through 2013. Previously, he served as Board President in 2011. LaMar currently serves on the Finance and Personnel Committe and the Water Resources and Policy Committee as well as various Ad Hoc Commitees.
LaMar is a water policy and planning expert with over 20 years of experience on statewide business and industry committees and has directly participated in many major water policy forums. He has served on statewide task forces and advisory committees on drought planning, desalination, the California Bay-Delta, the California Water Plan and on water reliability and conservation issues. LaMar is president and owner of LegiSight, LLC, located in Tustin, CA, and is also a principal for Spinner LaMar Associates since 1993. He has served as a water policy leader in the California Building Industry Association for 20 years.
LaMar has extensive water policy service. He was a member of the California Water Plan 2009 Advisory Committee and a member of the Delta Vision Stakeholders Coordination Group. He was Chair of the Economic Work Group for the 2006 California Landscape Task Force. He served as member of the 2005 State Water Desalination Task Force, the 2000 Governor's Advisory Drought Planning Panel and Chair of the California Building Industry Association's statewide Water Resources Subcommittee and Task Force.
LaMar has been honored for achievements and was the recipient of the 2001 Ernest Hahn Achievement Award from the California Business Properties Association, and the Building Industry Association of Southern California's Gary Anderson Memorial Award. LaMar holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Pittsburg State University and a certificate from the Environmental Management Institute, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency environmental training program administered by the University of Southern California. He is past President of the Orange County Chapter of Alzheimer’s Association and is an avid hiker in regional parks.
A resident of Irvine since 1981, LaMar and his wife Jeanne live in Northwood. They have two grown children, Kelly and Jack.
email Steven LaMar
949-453-5300
Mary Aileen Matheis (2012 - 2016)
Mary Aileen Matheis was appointed to the IRWD Board of Directors in 1988 to fill a board vacancy and was successfully elected in subsequent years. She was most recently elected to a four-year term in 2012. She served as President of the Board in 2012 and 2001 and as Vice President in 2005 and 2011. Matheis currently serves on the Water Resources Policy and Communications Committee as well as various Ad Hoc Committees.
Mary Aileen has represented the District on the Southern California Water Committee, and on the Board of the Urban Water Institute. She also currently serves on the ACWA Legal Affairs Committee. She is a member of the Board of the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary, Inc. She is President of Shadetree Partnership, an environmental non-profit corporation dedicated to distributing and planting native trees and shrubs throughout Orange County.
A practicing lawyer, Mary Aileen is a member of the Orange County Bar Association and a member of the Orange County Association of Realtors. Matheis serves on the Assessment Appeals Board of Orange County. She has a Bachelor’s Degree from Russell Sage College, and a Masters in Communication from the State University of New York. She earned a Juris Doctorate at Western State University College of Law. Matheis has been admitted to practice in the United States Supreme Court and the United States Tax Court.
She was honored by the California Real Estate Association as Distinguished Realtor of the Year, and has received the Realtor of the Year award by the Orange County Association. She was chosen as Woman of the Year by Senator Ross Johnson and as Volunteer of the Year for Orange County by the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors.
Her civic associations include The Exchange Club of Irvine, the Irvine Valley College Foundation Board of Governor and the Lincoln Club of Orange County.
She was recently appointed to the Board of Catholic Charities of Orange County.
Mary Aileen has lived in California since 1971 and in Irvine since 1978.
email Mary Aileen Mathias
949-453-5300
Peer A. Swan (2010 - 2014)
Peer Swan was elected to the Irvine Ranch Water District Board of Directors in 1979. He was most recently elected to a four-year term in 2010. After a term as Vice President of the Board, the Directors elected him President, a position he held from December 1981 until December 1995 and again during 2006. Swan currently serves as chairman of the Finance and Personnel Committee and the Water Banking Committee and on the Asset Management Committee and various Ad Hoc Committees.
He is current list of community and professional involvement includes membership as the President of the Board of the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary and member of the Steering Committee of the Southern California Water Dialog Committee. He is active in the Association of California Water Agencies, where he serves on the Board of Directors and on several committees and currently is the Vice President of the ACWA Region 10 Board of Directors. Swan has also been active in the California Association of Sanitation Agencies, the Newport Chamber of Commerce and the Orange County Business Council.
He was the Treasurer of the Pacific Scientific Company prior to its acquisition in early 1998 and a member of the Board of Directors of the Southern California Bank and its parent SC Bancorp until its acquisition in 1997. He has also served as a board member of the YMCA of Orange County and the Orange Coast College Foundation, where he was the founding Treasurer of the Board. He has served as a Director to the Orange County Sanitation District where he was Vice Chairman for six years. He was also a Founding Director of the Board of the National Water Research Institute where he was chairman for four years. He is a long time member of both the National Audubon Society and its local chapter (Sea & Sage). He was also the President of the Board of the Water Advisory Committee of Orange County during 2007-8.
Swan lives in the Newport Coast with his wife Nancy. They have two grown children, Ashley and Michael.
email Peer Swan
949-453-5300
John B. Withers (2012 - 2016)
John B. Withers was appointed to the IRWD Board of Directors in 1989 to fill a board vacancy and has been subsequently elected to serve on the Board in four elections. He was most recently was elected to a four-year term in 2012. He served as Board Vice President in 2012 and as President of the Board in 2004. Withers currently serves on the Engineering and Operations Commitee and Asset Management Committees as well as various Ad Hoc Committees.
Withers is a Partner with California Strategies,LLC in Irvine, a statewide,strategic government relations firm. In past positions, Withers has served as a Vice President of Community Development for Lewis Operating Corp. and as Director of Water Resources for Psomas & Associates, a civil engineering and planning firm based in Costa Mesa. He was also the Director of Governmental Affairs for the Orange County Region of the Building Industry Association of Southern California, and a legislative advocate for Crocker Bank and a major trade association in Sacramento at the state capital.
Since 1995, Withers has served as Commissioner to the Orange County Local Agency Formation Commission, an agency which addresses local government organization and efficiency matters. Withers is also on the Board of Directors of the Orange County Sanitation District and knowledgeable in current wasterwater operational and policy issues.
He has also served as Chairman of the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board, having been appointed by the Governor in 1992 where he has developed extensive water quality expertise. Withers also participates on the Board of the National Water Research Institute. A native Southern Californian, Withers received his B.A. from UCLA in economics with a specialization in urban studies in 1979. He was then selected as a CORO Foundation Fellow and received a master's degree in urban studies from Occidental College in 1988.
Community activities include membership in the UCLA Alumni Association, youth sports and Mariners Church.
A resident of Irvine since 1984, Withers and his wife Katie live in Turtle Rock. They have three grown children, Carolyn, Gordon, and Peter.
email John Withers
949-453-5300
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