Meet Gary
If you live in the Santa Clarita Valley, Gary is your neighbor, friend and local water board director. He and his lovely wife Phyllis have made the SCV their home since 1978. They have two adult children, Amy and Matt, who were raised and educated in the Valley, and four beautiful grandchildren. Phyllis recently retired from a 26-year career with the Newhall School District where she helped many young students improve their reading abilities.
Gary is a husband, father, grandfather, engineer and elected member of the Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency Board of Directors. When Amy and Matt were younger, he was active with the Santa Clarita Valley Family YMCA, having served on the Y Board, and having achieved the exalted position of Nation Chief of the Y Indian Guide and Princess program. He actively supports local non-profit organizations in the SCV, such as The Senior Center, The SCV Boys and Girls Club, the Domestic Violence Center, the SCV Family YMCA, the Child and Family Center, the SCV Food Pantry, and many others. He is an avid morning lap swimmer at LA Fitness, where he logs 1,500 yards each weekday. He and his wife enjoy traveling, especially to the Portland area to spend time with their daughter, son-in-law Devin and their grandchildren.
Education and Professional Career
Gary earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Maryland and a Master of Science degree in Structural Engineering from The George Washington University in Washington, DC. He holds professional registrations from the State of California in both Civil Engineering and Structural Engineering. He is a Life Member of The American Society of Civil Engineers.
Prior to his retirement, Gary held the position of Director of Engineering at the Mojave Water Agency, a California State Water Project Contractor with a service area of 4,900 square miles in the high desert of San Bernardino County. During his 19+ years at the MWA, he was responsible for design and construction of over $150 million in water system capital improvement projects, including pipelines, reservoirs, booster pump stations, wells and groundwater recharge facilities. During the entire time he worked at MWA, he commuted 90 miles each way so that he and his family could continue living in the Valley they so love.
Prior to his employment at MWA, Gary had a 24-year career in the private engineering and construction industry working on heavy industrial and water conveyance projects. Twenty of those years were spent with the Bechtel Corporation where he ultimately reached the level of Chief Civil/Structural Engineer for the Los Angeles Regional Office.