Board of Directors
Michael Carlin was appointed as the Deputy General Manager and Chief Operating Officer of the SFPUC in 2009. In that role Michael supervises the agency’s efforts in capital planning, emergency response, asset management, and other functions across the three business lines—water, power and wastewater. Prior to this position, Michael served as the Assistant General Manager for Water where he led the effort to diversify the water supply portfolio. He continues in that role leading many of the environmental initiatives including addressing the impact of climate change on the organization. He joined the SFPUC in 1996 as the Water Resources Planning Manager where he led the effort to develop comprehensive capital plans. That effort led to the establishment and execution of the Water System Improvement Program. Prior to joining the SFPUC, Michael worked for more than a decade at the San Francisco Regional Water Board where he was the Planning Chief. Michael is a native San Franciscan and continues to live in the city today.
Albert Cho is Xylem’s Vice President and General Manager, Advanced Infrastructure Analytics. Infrastructure Analytics at Xylem, a global water technology company with $4.7B in annual revenue. In this role, he is responsible for the company’s newest business, which focuses on intelligent infrastructure diagnostics and decision support services across water, wastewater and energy infrastructure. Previously, Albert led Xylem’s corporate and business strategy, mergers and acquisitions, strategic partnerships, market intelligence, and business development activities. Before Xylem, Albert worked as Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secretary at the State Department, where he was a White House Fellow and served on Secretary Clinton’s Policy Planning Staff. Previously, he was an executive at Cisco Systems, where he led innovation projects applying information technology to environmental challenges. He also worked at McKinsey & Company, where he helped found the Sustainability and Resources Practice and advised clients in the industrial, high tech and financial sectors. He served at the United Nations with Undersecretary General Jeffrey Sachs on a global plan for achieving the Millennium Development Goals. He received an M.SC in development economics and an M.B.A. with distinction from Oxford, and graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Harvard College.
Snehal Desai was named Evoqua’s Chief Growth Officer in January 2018, responsible for Evoqua Corporate Strategy, Corporate Development and M&A, RD&E, Strategic Marketing. Corporate and Marketing Communications, Cross-Selling, and the Company’s smart water efforts. Snehal previously was the global business director for Dow Water & Process Solutions where he was responsible for developing and implementing the growth strategy for the business and leading approximately 1,700 employees worldwide. Earlier in his career at Dow where he worked for more than 20 years across two periods, Desai held various positions in sales, marketing, business development, and technical service and development. Prior to Dow, Desai led commercial and business development for Segetis, a startup focused on developing novel bio-based chemicals, and was vice president and chief marketing officer of NatureWorks LLC, the first company to offer a family of commercially available low- carbon-footprint polymers.
Kyle Dreyfuss-Wells is the Chief Executive Officer of the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District. The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District is a regional entity providing sanitary and stormwater management services to Cleveland and 61 suburban communities in Northeast Ohio. As CEO, Kyle oversees the operation of one of the largest clean-water agencies in Ohio, a district that treats 90 billion gallons of water every year thanks to the work of more than 750 employees. She works closely with seven trustees and nine directors to ensure efficient management of hundreds of miles of sewer and stream networks, a multi-billion-dollar 25-year Project Clean Lake program, and a regional wet-weather strategy for the health of Lake Erie and more than one million residents. Kyle graduated summa cum laude from the Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. She earned a master’s degrees with honors in both Public Affairs and Environmental Science at Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs, and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Samoa. Before joining the District, she was Director of the Chagrin River Watershed Partners, Inc.
Hank Habicht currently serves as Managing Partner of SAIL Capital Partners. Hank’s career has included leadership positions at the U.S. Department of Justice as Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Environment and Natural Resources Division, and at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as Chief Operating Officer. Hank has served as Senior Vice President in charge of acquisitions and other divisions of Safety-Kleen, a billion-dollar environmental service company. He has also held positions and started ventures in the for-profit environmental arena, including Vice President of William D. Ruckelshaus Associates, which co-managed the successful Environmental Venture Fund, one of the first successful green funds in the 1980s. As Co-Founder of Capital E, LLC, a strategic consultancy for emerging renewable energy products and technologies, he advised Fortune 100 and early stage ventures on sustainable growth strategies. Hank holds an A.B. with High Honors from Princeton University and a J.D. from the University of Virginia.
Mami Hara is the general manager of Seattle Public Utilities (SPU). Before coming to SPU, she served as the first deputy commissioner and chief of staff at Philadelphia Water. Mami holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University and is an advisor to several environmental, philanthropic, planning and design advocacy organizations. She has taught at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Pennsylvania, and Temple University and was principal and owner of the renown planning and urban design firm Wallace Roberts + Todd. Hara is committed to advancing an equitable and sustainable Seattle and region through collaboration, strategic investment, and partnering with community, and seeks to expand this ethic throughout Seattle Public Utilities. Hara brings over three decades of experience in sustainable land and water management practices and advances them through cultivating leaders, partnerships, participation, planning, science/data-informed decisions and knowledge sharing.
Michael McAfee, President and CEO, leads PolicyLink, a national research and action institute focused on advancing racial and economic equity: just and fair inclusion for everyone living in America. He brings over 20 years of experience as a leader who has partnered with organizations across the public, philanthropic, and private sectors to realize this vision. Before joining PolicyLink, Michael served as senior community planning and development representative in the Chicago Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Prior to his public service, Michael served as the director of community leadership for The Greater Kansas City Foundation and Affiliated Trusts. He earned his doctorate of education in human and organizational learning from George Washington University and completed Harvard University's Executive Program in Public Management. He is an avid off-road hiker and practitioner of yoga.
Oluwole A. (OJ) McFoy is the General Manager of the Buffalo Sewer Authority, which operates a 560 million gallon per day treatment facility and regional collection system that serves over 550,000 customers in Western New York. He is responsible for delivering on Buffalo’s 20-year, $400 million commitment to eliminate the effects of combined sewer overflows in Buffalo’s Great Lakes waterways. Mr. McFoy began his career at Buffalo Sewer in 2006 as the Chief Operating Officer and has held multiple positions since, including Chief Financial Officer and Chief Engineer. Prior to joining Buffalo Sewer, his early career involved project engineering and management at a regional architectural and engineering consultant firm. Currently, Mr. McFoy serves as Vice-Chair for New York Water Environment Association’s Utility Executive Committee. In addition, he represents New York, serving in the Water Environment Federation’s House of Delegates as a state representative. He holds a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Clarkson University and is a licensed Professional Engineer in New York.
Cindy Wallis-Lage is President of Black & Veatch’s global water business, leading more than 2,600 professionals in over 100 offices worldwide. In this role, she is responsible for the company’s water-related business strategies, development and operations on a global basis, encompassing engineering, construction, consulting and design-build ventures that address the comprehensive needs of water and wastewater utilities. She also serves as a member of Black & Veatch’s Executive Committee and Board of Directors. Well known in the water industry for her expertise in water reuse and treatment, Cindy has been involved in more than 100 projects around the world in both the municipal and industrial sectors. Cindy earned her bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Kansas State University and her Master’s in Environmental Health Engineering from the University of Kansas. She currently serves on the engineering advisory council at Kansas State.