CAMDEN, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE: AWK), the largest publicly-traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company, announced that Rich Svindland, currently president of California and Hawaii American Water, has been named president of Missouri American Water. Svindland replaces Deborah Dewey, who is retiring from the company.
Additionally, Kevin Tilden, currently serving as vice president of Business Development, Communications and External Affairs, has been named president of California and Hawaii American Water. All changes are effective October 14, 2021.
“This is an exciting day for our company to be able to promote two highly experienced, long-time American Water employees,” said Cheryl Norton, executive vice president and COO of American Water. “Both Rich and Kevin fully embrace our values of safety, teamwork and inclusion. They know how to build teams effectively and they understand the importance of putting our customers first while making the communities we serve stronger.”
“Rich and Kevin are great examples of American Water’s leadership bench strength and I know they look forward to these new roles,” added Norton.
Svindland, now serves as president of California American Water and Hawaii American Water where he and his team are responsible for the operation of water and wastewater systems across California and Hawaii serving approximately 880,000 people.
Svindland is a professional engineer with more than 30 years of experience in the water and wastewater industry, working as an engineering consultant and in utility management. Prior to his current role, he served as vice president of Operations for California American Water and vice president of Engineering for California American Water and Hawaii American Water.
Prior to his roles in California, Svindland worked extensively in American Water's southeast region on various projects and was named 2003 Civil Engineer of the Year in Industry by the Kentucky section of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Svindland received his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Georgia Tech and a master’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Kentucky. He is a member of the American Society of Engineers, American Water Works Association, Water Environment Federation and Design Build Institute of America.
Tilden currently oversees community and government relations, public and customer outreach, customer communications, business development, conservation and customer service for California and Hawaii American Water.
Prior to joining American Water in 1998, Tilden managed a campaign for U.S. Congress, served as a public affairs manager for SBC/Pacific Bell (now AT&T), and worked for two leading California public affairs agencies.
Tilden is past chair of the Governance Committee for the California Utilities Diversity Council and served on the board of the National Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund. Kevin currently serves on the Public Affairs Council for the California Chamber of Commerce and the California Water Association Board of Directors. He holds a B.A. from the University of Washington and an MBA from Pepperdine University
About American Water
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 approximately 7,000 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to over 15 million people in 46 states. More information can be found by visiting amwater.com and follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
About Missouri American Water
Missouri 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 1.5 million people.
About California American Water and Hawaii American Water
California American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), provides high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to more than 880,000 people. Hawaii American Water provides quality wastewater services to approximately 25,000 people.
Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, the replacement of the Company’s Vice President of Investor Relations. These forward-looking statements are predictions based on American Water’s current expectations and assumptions regarding future events. They are not guarantees or assurances of any outcomes, levels of performance or achievements, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon them. The forward-looking statements are subject to a number of estimates and assumptions, and known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, and actual results may differ materially from those discussed in these forward-looking statements as a result of the factors discussed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 and in subsequent filings with the SEC.
These forward-looking statements are qualified by, and should be read together with, the risk factors and other cautionary statements included in American Water’s annual, quarterly and other SEC filings, and readers should refer to such risks, uncertainties and risk factors in evaluating such forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. American Water does not have or undertake any obligation or intention to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise, except as otherwise required by the federal securities laws. Furthermore, it may not be possible to assess the impact of any such factor on the Company’s businesses, either viewed independently or together, or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement.
