Employees

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Graphic collage of Kurt Elvert, photo of meter and conservation-related image

Employee Spotlight: Kurt Elvert

I’m Kurt Elvert, the Manager of Field Service and Conservation at San Jose Water. In my position, I oversee the field service department, which serves as our first responders when identifying water main breaks. I also oversee the conservation department, the meter shop department, the meter reading department, and our recycled water program.

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Anh Tran header graphic

Employee Spotlight: Anh Tran

Employee Spotlight: Anh Tran

Anyone who’s had the good fortune of paying a visit to SJW’s Meter Shop is likely acquainted with its friendly, dedicated and multi-talented Superintendent, Anh Tran.

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Colby Sneed on a beach

Employee Spotlight: Colby Sneed

I’m Colby Sneed, the Director of Operations and Treatment at San Jose Water. In my position, I oversee the production, treatment, transmission, and storage of your drinking water. My team and I manage all of the pumps, motors, control valves, tanks, and reservoirs to keep the water flowing through our infrastructure system.

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Suzanne next to bike with surfboard

SJW Employee Spotlight: Suzanne DeLorenzo, Director of Water Quality

I’m Suzanne DeLorenzo, the Director of Water Quality at San Jose Water. In my position, I'm responsible for making sure that your drinking water is the highest quality it can be. My work is essential to monitoring the quality and cleanliness of our water in terms of state and federal regulatory requirements. In 2021, our highly experienced staff collected more than 1,000 regulatory and non-regulatory samples from our distribution system and treatment plant, generating over 23,000 data points. This sampling is key to ensuring healthy water!

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Looking Back - picture of former SJW President Edward Williams and a photo a Lake Williams

San Jose Water History: Past Meets Present

On a warm morning in June, Bruce Williams, the great-grandson of Edward Williams, who had been president of San Jose Water in the late 1800s, joined current SJW President Andy Gere to visit Bruce’s great-grandfather’s namesake: Williams Reservoir.

The beautiful and pristine reservoir was built when Edward was president of San Jose Water – thus its moniker.

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Academy of Distinguished Engineers Logo next to portrait of Andy Gere

A Conversation with SJW’s Andy Gere

SJW President and COO Andy Gere was recently inducted into the University of Connecticut Academy of Distinguished Engineers alongside notable honorees such as a former economic and technology policy advisor in the Obama Administration and a retired senior executive at ExxonMobil. We had the opportunity to sit down with Andy to ask him a bit about his time at UConn and how it sparked his lifetime of dedication to the water utilities industry.

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Gavin and friends in front of Fiji waterfall

Employee Spotlight: Gavin Devries

For most people, visiting the South Pacific island of Fiji sounds like a dream vacation. For Gavin Devries, Manager of Capital Planning at SJW, it was an opportunity to make a difference in the world by using his professional skills and education to serve his country as a civil affairs officer in the United States Army Reserve (USAR) over the summer.

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Collage of San Jose Water employees smiling while on the job.

San Jose Water – Protecting our Employees While Keeping the Water Flowing During COVID-19

While we are committed to providing clean drinking water to the communities and families that we serve, we wanted to also let everyone know of the steps we are taking to keep our employees safe.

As part of normal operations, we plan for emergencies such as earthquakes and wildfires. We have business continuity plans in place to make sure our operations are maintained in the face of adversity. COVID-10 has created some unique challenges.  Below are some details of critical steps to keep our employees safe: