Michael Huwar

Michael Huwar is president of the Peoples division of Essential Utilities , Inc.

In his role as president, Huwar is responsible for the safe and reliable natural gas service to approximately 740,000 customers in southwestern Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky.

Huwar joined Peoples after a more than 34-year career with Columbia, serving in numerous director and vice president roles throughout the organization’s operating companies before moving to his position as president and COO of Columbia’s Pennsylvania and Maryland operations in 2017.

In his most recent roles at Columbia, Huwar was responsible for overseeing the operations, maintenance, and construction for both states as well as designing and executing legislative, regulatory, commercial and external strategies. He led over 800 company employees, managed approximately 1,500 contractor-based construction employees and was accountable for the safe, reliable, and efficient delivery of natural gas customer service to nearly 470,000 customers across the Pennsylvania and Maryland service territories.

Huwar previously served as vice president and general operations manager for Columbia Gas of Virginia. In that role, he was responsible for all field and systems operations with a principal focus on the safe delivery of natural gas to the company's 245,000 customers. He additionally oversaw employee safety, pipeline safety, and regulatory compliance initiatives.

Huwar currently serves on the board of directors for the Marcellus Shale Coalition and the Energy Association of Pennsylvania. He formerly served on the board of directors for the Virginia Utility Protection Services (VUPS), Virginia’s one call center responsible for protecting all underground utilities through proactive utility location, communication and training. He is also a past board member for the Allegheny Conference on Community Development and the Pennsylvania State Registration Board for Architects, Land Surveyors and Geologists.

Huwar holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh. He is a native of Perryopolis, Pa., and currently resides in Franklin Park, Pa.