DC Water and Sewer Authority

George S. Hawkins

George S. Hawkins is General Manager of the DC Water and Sewer Authority (DC WASA), named to the post in a unanimous vote September 3, 2009 by the board of directors. In this position, Mr. Hawkins oversees all of DC WASA's operations, provision of critical services and environmental protection. He is also responsible for carrying out the strategic plan for the utility, which employs approximately 1,000 full-time employees and numerous contractors. The Authority manages $346 million in revenues.

Prior to joining DC WASA, Mr. Hawkins served for two and a half years as the director of the District Department of the Environment (DDOE), an $80 million dollar agency with 300 employees.

Mr. Hawkins' knowledge of, and passion for, the environment will be key assets in his new post. While at DDOE, Mr. Hawkins implemented a plan to transform one of the most polluted rivers in the country into an environmental gem that will drive economic revitalization in the communities surrounding it. His plan has included collaboration with DC WASA, and he will be able to continue collaborations with other agencies while at the helm of the Authority.

As director of DDOE, Mr. Hawkins led the District's efforts in reducing childhood exposure to lead hazards. He negotiated and oversaw the implementation of the nation's most stringent federal permit to reduce pollutants from stormwater runoff. He managed the nation's most successful low-income energy assistance program, including energy conservation and home weatherization. He launched and chaired the Mayor's Green Team, which coordinates the District Government's internal sustainability program across more than 40 agencies. Most recently, Hawkins launched the Mayor's Green Summer Job Corps, a group of several hundred District youth who spent the summer of 2008 engaged in environmental cleanups and public education.

Mr. Hawkins served as the Chair of the Green Building Advisory Council, which oversees the implementation of the nation's most progressive green building law. He was a member of the Mayor's Green Collar Jobs Advisory Committee, and a board member of DC WASA.

Prior to coming to the District, Hawkins was executive director of New Jersey Future, a non-profit organization which, under his leadership, earned recognition as the state's foremost advocacy group promoting smart growth. While there, Mr. Hawkins worked with Governor Jon Corzine's office to focus development on transit stations and urban areas. Hawkins also previously served as Executive Director of the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association and held senior posts with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), including Senior Assistant Regional Counsel and Special Assistant to the Regional Administrator. He served Vice President Al Gore on the National Performance Review, playing an integral role in streamlining and strengthening environmental protection programs at U.S. EPA and Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Mr. Hawkins began his career practicing law for the Boston firm Ropes & Gray, and is a member of the Bar in Massachusetts and the District of Columbia. Mr. Hawkins graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University in 1983 and cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1987. Since 1999, Mr. Hawkins has taught Environmental Law and Policy for the Princeton Environment Institute at Princeton University.

Legislative Testimony

Mr. Hawkins is often called to testify at legislative hearings. Read the text of the General Manager's testimony, as prepared for delivery, here.