Laurel – June 18, 2015: Adrienne Mandel is the new Chair of the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC). Mandel, a Commissioner representing Montgomery County since 2007, was elected to the position during Wednesday’s Commission meeting. Her term as chair lasts until June 2016.
Mandel succeeds Omar Boulware, who will continue on as a Commissioner representing Prince George’s County. Chris Lawson, also a Commissioner from Prince George’s County, was elected Vice Chair. Boulware joined the Commission in November 2013, while Lawson was appointed in 2011.
"It is our shared responsibility to protect, preserve and deliver clean water, life's most precious, essential and undervalued resource, and return wastewater in an environmentally responsible way," says Mandel. "We have made great progress on infrastructure, technology, customer service and more. But it takes never-ending vigilance in a rapidly changing world to enhance and maintain those critical services."
Mandel previously served as Chair from 2007 to 2008 and Vice Chair from 2014 to 2015. She has a distinguished career in public service having served in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1995 to 2007, and was the Deputy Majority Whip from 2003-2007. She served in Montgomery County Government for 18 years with the Department of Health and Human Services and the County’s Office of Intergovernmental Relations. Until recently, she served as a board member of the Catholic University School of Social Services Center on Global Aging. She is a member of the District 18 Democratic Club and serves as a Vice President of Jewish Council for the Aging of Metropolitan Washington.
A resident of Prince George’s County for 22 years, Lawson is an award-winning businessman, who is no stranger to community service. Lawson previously served as Chair (2012-2013) and twice as Vice Chair (2011-2012 and 2013-2014) on the Board of Commissioners.
Six Commissioners govern WSSC, which has an annual $1.4 billion operating and capital budget. Three Commissioners are residents from Montgomery County and three are residents from Prince George’s County. The Commissioners are appointed to four-year terms by their respective county executives and are confirmed by their county councils.
WSSC Water is the proud provider of safe, seamless and satisfying water services, making the essential possible every day for our neighbors in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. We work to deliver our best because it’s what our customers expect and deserve.