Joshua Schimmel Elected to National Clean-water Board

SPRINGFIELD — During the National Assoc. of Clean Water Agencies’ (NACWA) Utility Leadership Conference and 47th annual meeting in St. Louis, representatives of the association’s nearly 300 member utilities elected Joshua Schimmel, executive director of the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission, to a seat on its board of directors.

NACWA, headquartered in Washington, D.C., is a national leader in clean-water advocacy, and Schimmel’s leadership will be instrumental in helping to shape and improve clean-water policy that impacts all states and cities.

“With the addition of Josh Schimmel, the association further bolsters its long tradition of having the most forward-thinking public utility leaders helping shape our regulatory, legislative, and legal clean-water initiatives and showing the path toward the utility of the future,” said said Adam Krantz, CEO of NACWA. “Mr. Schimmel brings exceptional experience, innovation, and commitment to his local utility and to the national stage, and it is a great honor for me to welcome him to NACWA’s board of directors.”

Schimmel has more than 24 years of experience at the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission, participating in all facets of the water and wastewater utility business, from operations to engineering to customer service to financial and regulatory issues. Appointed executive director in 2016, he worked proactively with the Board of Commissioners and commission staff to advance efforts to create financial stability, implement an aggressive capital-investment program, and develop a sustainable operating strategy while keeping rates affordable and service reliable.