ACWA Board Officers’ Election, Region Election Results Announced for the 2026-’27 Term

ACWA members have elected Ernesto "Ernie" Avila as President and Carol Lee Gonzales-Brady for the 2026-'27 term. The results of ACWA's 10 region board elections have also been announced with their names available online.

Avila, who currently serves as ACWA's Vice President, has served on the Contra Costa Board of Directors since 2016 and has been the Board President since 2022. He has also served two terms on the ACWA Region 5 Board and chaired ACWA's Local Government Committee.

Avila is a nationally recognized engineer, honored by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the Multi-State Salinity Coalition for his leadership and contributions to the water profession. He brings more than 42 years of professional experience in planning, environmental compliance, regulation, design, and construction of water, wastewater, and recycled water works and municipal facilities. He has previously served as Director of Engineering at Contra Costa Water District and as General Manager of the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District.

Replacing Avila as Vice President, Gonzales-Brady has served on the Rancho California Water District Board of Directors since 2017, including two terms as Board President. Her professional experience spans federally regulated industries such as water and electric utilities. She currently is ACWA Vice Chair for Region 9 and was elected by the ACWA Board to serve on the Executive Committee. She is also on the Southern California Water Coalition Board of Trustees and the Urban Water Institute Board of Directors.

All the newly elected members will begin their term of service on Jan. 1, 2026, and serve until Dec. 31, 2027.

For more information about the election results, visit www.acwa.com/elections.