Todd Jorgenson Named Interim General Manager at Riverside Public Utilities
Published: 12/13/17
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Dec. 13, 2017
Contact:
Phil Pitchford
Communications Officer
951-826-5975
Todd Jorgenson Named Interim General Manager at Riverside Public Utilities
12-year RPU veteran most recently worked as utility’s Assistant General Manager for Water
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Todd Jorgenson, who has worked for Riverside Public Utilities for more than a dozen years, most recently as Assistant General Manager for Water, has been named Interim General Manager by City Manager John Russo. He will assume leadership of the utility after Jan. 19, following the departure of General Manager Girish Balachandran.
“Riverside Public Utilities plays a major role in the life, health and economic well-being of Riverside, and I look forward to taking on this important role,” Jorgenson said. “The utility industry is a dynamic and challenging environment, and I am excited about providing leadership of RPU during this time.”
Balachandran, who has been General Manager for four years, is leaving to join Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE), a community-choice energy agency, as its Chief Executive Officer. RPU’s Deputy General Manager Kevin Milligan, who has worked for the utility since 1984, recently announced his retirement, effective at the end of the month.
The executive search firm of Ralph Andersen & Associates will conduct a recruitment for the next General Manager. The City expects to hire someone by June.
Jorgenson joined RPU in July 2004, and has served in a variety of roles for the utility including: Senior Engineer, Principal Engineer, Water Operations Manager, and Water Engineering Manager. He was named Assistant General Manager for Water in October, 2015. Prior to joining RPU, Jorgenson held engineering positions at the Coachella Valley Water District and at Kleinfelder, Inc. in San Diego.
In his new role at RPU, Jorgenson will work closely with Assistant City Manager Marianna Marysheva to review all functions of the utility in light of the recent rate increase discussions and in concert with the development of a two-year budget for 2018-20.
“Since joining the City two years ago, I have been impressed with the caliber of talent at RPU and the excellence of many of the utility’s internal functions,” Marysheva said. “I look forward to further acquainting myself with RPU’s board, management and staff and assisting the City Manager and Interim General Manager in laying the foundation for new RPU leadership.”
Jorgenson assumes leadership of the utility at a time when it has sought a rate increase from the Board of Public Utilities and the Riverside City Council. It also is seeking to secure a second connection to the statewide power grid through the Riverside Transmission Reliability Project, and has completed a visioning document called Utility 2.0.
Jorgenson holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from Brigham Young University and received his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from California State University San Bernardino. He is a California Professional Engineer and holds Level 2 certification in Water Distribution and Water Treatment from the California Department of Public Health.
“Todd Jorgenson has served RPU well during the past 12 years, and this opportunity speaks volumes about the confidence our leadership has in him,” Mayor Rusty Bailey said. “We look forward to working with Todd to continue RPU’s exceptional level of service to our community.”
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