Following the departure of their previous head executive Elaina Ball in September, Fayetteville Public Works Commision is looking to find their next Chief Executive Officer/General Manager. 

According to PWC Chairwoman Ronna Garrett, the Commission expects to have a new CEO/GM on board by April 2023. “Our ideal CEO candidate is an Energy Executive who has extraordinary leadership acumen, unrivaled passion for people and the community, and a strong knowledge of the shifting and evolving regulatory and technical challenges that lie ahead for the industry,” shared Garrett. 

Per the job listing, the Chief Executive Officer/General Manager of the Fayetteville Public Works Commission reports to the Commissioners and supervises over 600 personnel with direct reports that include officers managing electric operations, water and wastewater operations, finance, information technology, human resources, communications and community relations, legal, corporate services, customer programs, and an executive assistant. 

When asked if the search for a new CEO surprised her in any way, Garrett responded: “ No surprises; in fact, quite the opposite.  In our work to launch the search for the next PWC CEO/GM, I have been reminded how vested our workforce and community is in hiring the right CEO.  The PWC Board is committed to finding the right executive that will lead our hometown utility by making Fayetteville home, advancing our preparedness for industry shifts, initiatives, and challenges. We are in search of an energy executive that will become an integral member of the Fayetteville community.”

PWC Interim CEO/General Manager Mick Noland shared about his experience at PWC.

“I’ve worked for PWC for nearly 30 years and it is a forward-thinking public utility that is committed to providing safe, reliable services and the best customer service. Our employees take great pride in the essential services they provide and truly care about our customers. We work through a lot of difficult situations like storms/hurricanes, and I can say when things are at its worst, that’s when our employees are at their best!”

Working as the Interim CEO/General Manager, Noland has experience navigating unexpected challenges and celebrating great successes. “Moving from managing the Water/Wastewater operations to managing the entire utility operations was a challenge but we have a great team who has stepped up to assist me.  As I mentioned before, we work through a lot of challenges.  I was proud to see our team pull together to prepare/respond to Hurricane Ian,” said Noland. 

Anyone interested in applying for the role may submit a cover letter and resume to Fayetteville_PWC@polihire.com. Applicants are asked to include only their name (Last, First) in the subject line of the email.