New Leadership Named for Illinois American Water

BELLEVILLE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Illinois American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK) announced today that Justin Ladner has been named president of Illinois American Water, effective Jan. 20, 2020. Ladner will succeed Bruce Hauk, who has been named American Water’s president of Regulated Operations and Military Services Group.

Ladner joined American Water in Nov. 2018 as director of National Regulatory Affairs. In this national role for American Water, Ladner was responsible for developing and implementing strategies, practices and processes related to National Regulatory Affairs. He has served as the primary liaison between the company’s business units and its Regulatory Affairs teams, providing leadership and strategy to identify, develop, and implement best practices.

Before joining American Water, Ladner served as the governmental affairs and policy manager for Southern Power. In that role, he created and led the governmental affairs team with a focus on federal, regional and state legislative, and regulatory affairs. He also held several other positions at Southern Co. including project manager for the Integration Management Office, assistant to the executive vice president of Nuclear Development, and attorney for Southern Nuclear.

“Justin’s unique skill set includes legislative and regulatory experience, as well as legal, engineering, and operations expertise,” said Walter Lynch, chief operating officer at American Water. “We are confident he is the right fit and excited that he will be leading our talented Illinois team.”

Prior to joining Southern Co., Ladner was an associate attorney for Huie, Fernambucq & Stewart in Birmingham, Ala. He also worked for U.S. Steel as a metallurgical engineer. Ladner received his law degree, cum laude, from the University of Alabama School of Law, as well as a master’s and a bachelor’s degree in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering with honors from the University of Alabama.

In other news, Beth Matthews has been named vice president of Operations of Illinois American Water, effective Jan. 27. In this role, Matthews will lead Safety, Water Quality, Field Operations, Production, and Maintenance teams across the state. Matthews is currently the senior director of Operations for Missouri American Water’s St. Louis County operations.

Matthews also served as the director of Engineering for Illinois and Iowa American Water. She joined American Water in 2010 as a planning engineer and from there was promoted to manager of an asset planning group and then to manager of project delivery.

Matthews has a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Bradley University and a master’s degree in Civil Engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology.

“Beth has shown strong leadership, collaboration, and communication skills,” said Bruce Hauk, currently senior vice president of the Midwest Division of American Water. “She has been successful with every challenge we have presented her, and her focus on customer service, both internal and external, is a great asset that will help her succeed in this new position.”

Ladner and Matthews will work from Illinois American Water’s corporate office in Belleville, Ill.

About Illinois American Water

Illinois American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 1.3 million people. American Water also operates a customer service center in Alton and a quality control and research laboratory in Belleville. With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 7,100 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to more than 14 million people in 46 states. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to make sure we keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit www.amwater.com and follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.