The Board of Directors of the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC WASA) announced today that Jerry N. Johnson, General Manager of DC WASA since its inception, will leave the Authority as General Manager. Mr. Johnson will remain in his role for the next several months as the board undertakes a search for his successor.

“We have been fortunate to have had Jerry Johnsons skilled leadership and appreciate his service on behalf of the people who live and work in the District of Columbia and the Metro region,” said William M. Walker, Chairman of DC WASA’s Board of Directors.

"Jerry Johnson has provided DC WASA with strong and inspired leadership over the past twelve years, transforming the agency into one of the nations best water and sewer utilities,” Mr. Walker added. “Mr. Johnson took an organization with an aging infrastructure, zero cash, and regulatory concerns about water quality and formed it into a professional agency with a AA credit rating devoted to serving the public and protecting the environment. The Board of Directors appreciates all of Mr. Johnsons significant accomplishments during his tenure as general manager.”

In a statement to the Board of Directors, Johnson said, “I have been blessed with many challenges and opportunities in my more than three decades of public service, but the last 12 years have been special for me. It is not every day that a chance comes along to create an organization from the ground up. Establishing the DC Water and Sewer Authority as a world class organization run by proud, dedicated and hard-working people has given me tremendous professional as well as personal satisfaction.” (statement attached)

The Board has appointed a search committee headed by the Board Chairman with representation from the jurisdictions served by WASA to work with one of the major national recruiting firms to find a new General Manager. Chairman Walker commented, "We will find a new leader for DC WASA who brings the appropriate mix of managerial, public policy, and water quality/environmental skills to the table to effectively lead this organization forward. This is a high profile job in a very-well managed utility that should attract top talent from across the nation."