Board Members
MPWD Board of Directors 2025
Kirk R. Wheeler
President
Division 3
Term Ends: November 2026
Email: kwheeler@midpeninsulawater.org
Kirk R. Wheeler was elected to the Board in November, 2018. Director Wheeler has more than 30 years of work experience as a professional water resources engineer in California. His experience includes planning and design of water supply, drainage and water quality projects, as well as environmental review and permitting.
Education: B.S. in Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, 1975. M.S. Civil Engineering, Stanford University, 1976.
Louis J. Vella
Vice President
Division 1
Term Ends: November 2024
Email: lvella@midpeninsulawater.org
Louis J. Vella was first elected to the Board in November, 1999. President Vella has more than 40 years of professional work experience both in the private and public sector. He retired as Administrative Chief-Fire Marshal in 2008 after serving 28 years with the City of Redwood City. Director Vella was appointed by the MPWD to the Board of Directors of the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency (BAWSCA) and has served since it was established in 2003. He also serves as a member of the BAWSCA Board Policy Committee.
Education: B.A. in Management, St. Mary’s College, Moraga, 1988.
Matthew P. Zucca
Director
Division 2
Term Ends: November 2024
Email: mzucca@midpeninsulawater.org
Matthew P. Zucca was first appointed to the Board in October, 2005. For more than 20 years, Director Zucca has been a professional engineer in the Bay Area specializing in capital program management and a wide range of stormwater projects in California. Currently, he is Principal Engineer with Erler & Kalinowski, Inc., (EKI) Consulting Engineers and Scientists.
Education: B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Davis, 1993 (Dual Specialization in Structural and Environmental Engineering).
Charles "Chuck" Cotten
Director
Division 5
Term Ends: November 2026
Email: ccotten@midpeninsulawater.org
Mr. Cotten's background includes 30 years of experience in captive tech finances, remarketing of legacy technology, portfolio management, bad debt collection, and litigation. Mr. Cotten has served in several public roles including two terms on the Belmont Parks and Recreation Commission and as a current trustee for the San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District and is a member of the Belmont Park Boosters.
Mr. Cotten has a B.S. in Business Management from Pepperdine Graziadio Business School and a degree in Paramedic Fire Science.
JoAnn Covington
Director
Division 4
Term Ends: November 2026
Email: jcovington@midpeninsulawater.org
Ms. Covington currently serves as general counsel to a Bay Area company focused on improving public transportation and has served as general counsel and corporate secretary to corporate boards for over a decade, including having served in leadership roles as Chief Legal Officer, head of government relations and corporate communications. She has previously served as a regional board member for the American Lung Association.
Ms. Covington received a B.A. in Government with a concentration in International Relations from Clark University, and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School.
Appointed Officials
Kat Wuelfing
General Manager
Email: kwuelfing@midpeninsulawater.org
Kat Wuelfing was appointed by the Board of Directors as General Manager in September 2023, after serving as Assistant General Manager since July 2022. Ms. Wuelfing joined the MPWD after 15 years in water resources consulting, where she supported water agencies throughout California, and 8 years in special district governance. Ms. Wuelfing manages the daily operations and activities of the MPWD.
Education: MESM in Water Resources and Pollution Prevention and Remediation, University of California Santa Barbara, 2006; B.S. in Environmental Science and Biology, Santa Clara University, 2004.
Rene A. Ramirez
Operations Manager
Email: rramirez@midpeninsulawater.org
Rene Ramirez was appointed as Operations Manager in June 2015. He has more than 35 years of service in the public utility field. During his career, Mr. Ramirez has been responsible as the department head in cities large and small for water distribution infrastructure and water treatment facilities, wastewater collection infrastructure and wastewater treatment facilities, solid waste and diversion programs, and a natural gas distribution system.
Education: B.S. in Agricultural/Bio Resource Engineering, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, 1984.
Alison Bell
Administrative Services Manager/District Secretary
Email: abell@midpeninsulawater.org
Ms. Bell was appointed by the General Manager as Administrative Services Manager in June 2024. Her extensive Human Resources experience ranges from public education to municipal government. During her career, Ms. Bell has been responsible for employee negotiations, recruitment and retention strategies, records management, and management of worker’s compensation claims. She holds a Certificate from Cornell University in Human Resources Management.
Joubin Pakpour, PE
District Engineer
Joubin Pakpour, P.E., Pakpour Consulting Group, Inc., was appointed as the District Engineer for the MPWD in 2011. He is a registered professional civil engineer with over two decades of project design and construction management experience in water distribution throughout the Bay Area and California. Mr. Pakpour also serves as the District Engineer for Purissima Hills Water District and Westborough Water District.
Education: M.S. in Civil Engineering, San Jose State University, 1998; B.S. in Civil Engineering, San Jose State University, 1995.
Julie Sherman
District Counsel
Julie Sherman, Hanson Bridgett, LLP, has practiced in the field of municipal law for 10 years, and has served as District Counsel for the MPWD for the past several years. She is General Counsel for the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District, and serves other special districts and cities.
Education: J.D., University of California, Berkeley Boalt Hall School of Law, 2007; B.A., cum laude, State University of New York at Buffalo, 1989.
James W Ramsey, CPA, CFE
District Treasurer
James has contracted with the MPWD to serve as the Finance Director/District Treasurer. James has worked with governmental agencies providing accounting, assurance, and other advisory services for more than 18 years. He provides both advisory services (such as outsourced Finance Director or accounting services) and assurance services to his clients. James began his career in the finance department of a small city and performed most, if not all, of the functions of a finance department during his seven years there.
Board Member and Employee Compensation
The following compensation reports and information for MPWD Board Members and employees are available:
California State Controller – Government Compensation in California
Board Compensation and Reimbursement Policy
The policy regarding Board Member compensation and reimbursements can be downloaded here (PDF)