Deputy Executive Director Andrew Burroughs Selected to Lead as Executive Director
During the public meeting of the BGJWSC Board of Commissioners on Thursday, November 7, Andrew Burroughs was offered the opportunity by unanimous vote to be contracted to serve as Executive Director, an offer he immediately accepted.
Mr. Burroughs relocated to Glynn County in September 2017 to serve as the Deputy Executive Director for the JWSC. In that role, he has focused his efforts on improving operational efficiency through the implementation of strategic asset management. Having previously served as the Process Assets Manager for the City of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where he was in charge of wastewater operations, his training and experience in that utility had him well prepared to develop this systematic approach to resolving the operational needs he encountered here. His commitment to this plan, his relationship with staff, the management team and the Board made him a prime candidate for the Executive Director position when it became available in early 2019.
Mr. Burroughs is a graduate of the University of Alabama where he acquired a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering. As a registered Professional Engineer in the states of Georgia and Alabama, he is expected to pursue the highest possible standards in regards to infrastructure development, maintenance, and project management, standards that guide his daily management of just over 160 staff at the utility.
His highest priority is a focus on the management of public trust in the community. Previous experience as an Environmental Engineering Specialist with the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (an equivalent to our GA DNR) taught Mr. Burroughs the value of clearly communicating to the public the need for sustainable and thoughtful use of our limited resources. Standing between the US EPA and the consumer in the chain of permit approval, environmental standards compliance enforcement and permit violation complaint resolution revealed to him the fragile relationship that exists with the consumption of drinking water and the critical need to ensure that future generations are able to judge our present actions in a positive light.
Mr. Burroughs has also been keenly aware of the balance that must be maintained in regards to environmentally responsible water use and treatment of wastewater, having spent over four years on the management team with the City of Tuscaloosa where he was instrumental in the day-to-day operations of both water distribution, wastewater collection and treatment. “I was taught by many past mentors to value and communicate a strategic business plan with buy-in from the staff in the field to the leaders in the board room,” he said, in regards to the challenges that he has faced in his career so far. “I believe that the staff of the JWSC is very capable of taking us into a future where we are considered a valuable and reliable partner in community development and I look forward to leading our team through the challenges that I know we’re going to have to face together to strengthen the utility.”
Chairman Turnipseed remarked on the announcement that “we had three excellent candidates and we got an excellent Executive Director that we’re looking forward to working with and we’re looking forward to seeing this JWSC really move forward and prosper under his leadership.”
Mr. Burroughs enjoys spending time with his wife and their 2-year-old daughter, cooking, outdoor activities, and Alabama football. An ordained deacon at Golden Isles Presbyterian Church, he and his family also enjoy serving to grow God’s kingdom and glorify Him in all they do.