Kishia L. Powell
Kishia L. Powell is a dynamic force in the global water sector with 25 years of experience in both the public and private sectors across the U.S. and London, England. She leads a team of 1,680 strong and manages the day-to-day operations of the largest water utility in Maryland – the 8th largest in the country – and ensures water and water resource recovery services are safely provided to 1.9 million customers throughout a 1,000-square-mile service area.
Kishia serves on the board of the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, (formerly as President), representing over 400 clean water agencies across the country. Mayor Brandon Scott appointed her to serve on the Baltimore Water Governance Task Force. She also serves on the Morgan State University School of Engineering Executive Council and the Montgomery County Chamber Board and was appointed to serve on the GSA Green Building Advisory Council. In May 2023, the Maryland Society of Professional Engineers honored her with the Industry Icon Award.
Before being selected to lead WSSC Water, Kishia served as DC Water’s Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President, where she championed several initiatives, including a focus on operationalizing equity and environmental justice. She provided oversight for DC Water’s 10-year $6.4 billion capital improvement program and led the implementation of workstreams under the utility’s strategic plan imperative for reliability. While at DC Water, Kishia had the honor of testifying before both houses of Congress in support of water sector funding and the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act, known as the Bi-partisan Infrastructure Law with historic federal water funding levels. In September 2023, she was invited to return to the Senate Environment and Public Work Committee to provide testimony on the BIL implementation and progress.
Before DC Water, Kishia was the City of Atlanta’s Commissioner of Watershed Management, overseeing $644 million in annual operating expenditures and a five-year capital improvement plan of $1.26 billion. She previously served as the City of Jackson, Mississippi’s Public Works Director and Bureau Head of Water and Wastewater for the City of Baltimore, where she was recognized by the Chesapeake Water Environment Association as a Water Hero in 2010. A licensed Professional Engineer in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia, she holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Morgan State University’s Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. School of Engineering.