The Santa Clarita Valley Water Board of Directors has selected Director Maria Gutzeit to serve as Board President in 2025, while Directors Bill Cooper and Gary Martin were selected to serve as Vice Presidents at the board’s regular meeting on Jan. 7.

Additionally, new Directors Ken Cooper and Dan Masnada were officially seated and incumbents Kathye Armitage, Gary Martin, Piotr Orzechowski, and Ken Petersen were readministered the oath of office following their re-election in the Nov. 5, 2024 General Election to the Board.

“It has been my pleasure to serve as a director since my time with Newhall County Water District, and I was excited about the consolidation of our legacy agencies in 2018. It is wonderful to be able to serve as President of SCV Water after working on the legislation that helped form it,” said Gutzeit. “I am also happy we have our returning and new members that make up the Board of Directors; we have a high functioning team going into 2025.”

Ken Cooper begins a four-year term and is a lifelong resident of the Santa Clarita Valley who graduated from Canyon High School and attended College of the Canyons before earning a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from California State University, Fullerton. Cooper is a Senior Director of Engineering in Operations at Medtronic Diabetes, where he has contributed to groundbreaking glucose sensor technologies. In his current role, he oversees new product introduction, advanced manufacturing, and critical supplier management.

Dan Masnada also begins a four-year term and brings with him a 40-year career in the water industry. Masnada earned his Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Stanford University and has been at the helm of numerous Santa Clarita Valley organizations in his career. In addition to serving on the city of Santa Clarita Planning Commission from 2019 to 2022, Masnada is a past Director of the Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce and was also Managing Director and Vice President of the Valencia Water Company (1985-1992) and General Manager of the Castaic Lake Water Agency (2002-2015).

“I appreciate Director Masnada’s history with our agency and experience with statewide issues, including with the State Water Project,” said Gutzeit. “I also look forward to Director Cooper’s input from his unique background in the private sector and engineering.”

The SCV Water Board of Directors meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. All board meetings are open to the public to attend in person at the E. G. “Jerry” Gladbach Water Treatment Plant (27234 Bouquet Canyon Road) or online via Zoom. To view meeting agendas and Zoom information, please visit www.yourSCVwater.com/meetings.

The Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency is a full-service regional water agency located in the Santa Clarita Valley. SCV Water provides water service to approximately 75,000 business and residential customers. It was formed on Jan. 1, 2018, when local water suppliers combined into one integrated, regional water provider.

More information can be found at www.yourSCVwater.com