Kishia L. Powell

Kishia L. Powell is a dynamic force in the global water sector with 24 years of experience in both the public and private sectors across the U.S. and London, England. She joined WSSC Water in January 2023 from DC Water, where she served as the Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President, overseeing Shared Services, IT, Engineering, Water, Wastewater, Pumping and Sewer Operations, and Customer Care. During her tenure at DC Water, Powell 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, including the DC Clean Rivers program, improvements to Blue Plains, water and sewer system improvements, and Lead-Free DC, an initiative to replace all lead service lines in the District of Columbia. She was also responsible for leading the implementation of workstreams under the utility’s strategic plan imperative for reliability. Most notably, she led the COVID-19 pandemic response and recovery efforts and introduced the campaign to recognize DC Water’s frontline team as Water Heroes.

Before DC Water, Powell 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. Under her leadership, the Watershed Management team commissioned the Water Supply Program to secure Atlanta's water future. The program reached a significant milestone in April 2020 when water from the Chattahoochee River started filling an old rock quarry repurposed to store 2.4 billion gallons of raw water.