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Renewable Water Resources (ReWa) Chief Executive Officer Joel H. Jones has announced his plans to retire from his position on April 30, and the utility’s board has named Chief Operating Officer Rebecca West its next CEO.
Jones began his water industry career at ReWa in 1993 and has served as CEO since 2022.
“Joel has given much of his career to ReWa, and he has made contributions and decisions that have benefitted countless people across our region,” said Emily DeRoberts, chair of the ReWa Board of Commissioners.
“He has not only demonstrated a passion for the water industry, environment and the Upstate community, but he has also ensured that ReWa does its part to support employees in becoming the best versions of themselves, not just for ReWa, but for our larger community and their families.”
Under Jones’ leadership, ReWa embraced a culture of continuous improvement to empower employees and create processes that have improved safety, resiliency and efficiency.
Jones began his career at ReWa as a night-shift operator trainee after graduating from Clemson University. He served in various capacities at ReWa before accepting a position at Spartanburg Water as reclaimed water operations manager in 2002.
In 2012, he returned to ReWa and served in many key roles, including chief technical officer and chief operating officer, before being named CEO.
West also began her career at ReWa. She has more than 35 years of water industry experience on the international, national, state, regional, and local levels. She served as chief operating officer at Greenville Water and Spartanburg Water before eventually returning to ReWa in 2023.