San Diego County Water Authority
09/19/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/19/2024 17:34
Nick Serrano Elected Board Chair of San Diego County Water Authority
Nick Serrano Elected Board Chair of San Diego County Water Authority
September 19, 2024
Frank Hilliker is Vice Chair and Joy Lyndes becomes Secretary
New officers for the San Diego County Water Authority's Board of Directors were elected today, with Nick Serrano from the City of San Diego set to start a two-year term as Board chair on October 1.
Serrano, 34, has served as vice chair of the Board for the past two years as a representative of the City of San Diego. He was unanimously elected as Chair today and will serve with incoming Vice Chair Frank Hilliker from the Lakeside Water District, and incoming Secretary Joy Lyndes from the San Dieguito Water District.
Serrano will be the 28th board chair since the Water Authority's founding in 1944 and the first openly LGBTQ+ and youngest chair in the Board's history. He follows Mel Katz, representing the City of Del Mar, who has served as a Board member since 2018 and as chair since 2022. Katz's term as chair ends on September 30.
"Chair Katz has served this Board and this region with distinction, laying a foundation that we will continue to build on for many years. As Chair, my pledge is to continue my unwavering focus on ensuring safe, clean, and affordable water for the ratepayers of San Diego, and to bring new, innovative solutions to the table in order to maintain affordability so that every San Diegan has a secure water future."
Nick Serrano, incoming Board Chair, San Diego County Water AuthorityA Board member since 2021, Serrano has been a member of the Water Authority's committees for Imported Water, Legislation & Public Outreach, and the Colorado River Strategy Work Group.
A lifelong public servant, Serrano currently serves as Deputy Chief of Staff for San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria. He is a native San Diegan, SDSU graduate, and the proud son of a San Diego Police officer and longtime County of San Diego employee.
On October 1, Frank Hilliker will take on his new role as vice chair. He currently serves as chair of the Finance Planning Work Group and sits on the Legislation & Public Outreach Committee, Administrative & Finance Committee, Colorado River Strategy Work Group, Labor Contract Work Group, and Board Governance Work Group. Hilliker joined the Water Authority Board in 2007 representing the Lakeside Water District and is among the longest-serving Board members. He is the past chairman of the Lakeside Chamber of Commerce and president of Hilliker's Ranch Fresh Eggs, Inc.
Incoming Board secretary Joy Lyndes currently serves on the Legislation & Public Outreach and Water Planning & Environmental committees. The Encinitas City Councilmember was appointed to the Board in December 2022 and is a Board member of the San Dieguito Water District. She is a licensed landscape architect and a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects.
The Water Authority's 35-member board, representing 23 retail member water agencies, holds its regular meetings on the fourth Thursday of each month January through October. The November and December meetings are combined, and this year that meeting is November 21. Board documents and webcasts of Board meetings are at www.sdcwa.org/board-directors.