Water Leadership Team

Keri Burchard-Juarez was appointed Superintendent of Tacoma Water in 2025. She joined Tacoma Water from Seattle Public Utilities, where she served as deputy director for Project Delivery and Engineering. With more than 25 years of experience in municipal water and infrastructure, and over a decade in executive leadership, Keri brings deep expertise in utility management and capital program delivery. She holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, is a licensed civil engineer in Washington, and is a certified project management professional. She remains actively involved in advancing the water and engineering professions at local, state, and national levels. 

As superintendent, Keri is committed to empowering employees, strengthening local and regional collaboration, and ensuring the delivery of affordable, reliable drinking water to Tacoma’s residential and commercial customers, wholesale customers, and partners. Her leadership emphasizes long‑term strategic planning, water supply stewardship, preventative maintenance, and thoughtful capital investment. 

Jerrod joined Tacoma Water in September 2023 after a long career working for the Washington State Department of Health in the areas of drinking water, wastewater, shellfish protection, food safety, and communicable/infectious diseases. Before that, he worked in private engineering consulting and abroad for the Peace Corps.  Jerrod holds a bachelor’s in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Seattle University and a master’s in Civil and Environmental Engineering from UC Berkeley.  His professional affiliations include American Water Works Association, the Pacific Northwest Watershed Managers Association, and the National Water Supply Alliance. 

Dana joined Tacoma Water in 2024 as the Customer and Financial Services Manager. She brings more than two decades of municipal government experience, with expertise in community development and financial management. Before joining Tacoma Water, Dana worked for several municipalities in California as well as a local sewer utility, building a strong foundation in public-sector operations and customer-focused service delivery. Dana has a bachelor’s in Urban and Regional Geography from San Diego State University. Her professional affiliations include American Water Works Association and Washington Financial Officers Association.

Ricardo joined Tacoma Water in 2024 as the division manager over Maintenance and Construction. He began his career in Tacoma Public Utilities Customer Services in 2012 where he served as Training Manager and Assistant Division Manager for Customer Services Field Operations and Mail and Print Services. Ricardo earned a bachelor’s in political science and a master’s in business administration from Pacific Lutheran University.

Stuart joined Tacoma Water in 2007 as part of the engineering team within the Water Distribution Engineering section. Since starting, he has worked on both the supply and distribution systems in many different capacities, most recently as the maintenance and construction manager before becoming the planning and engineering manager. He holds a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Washington State University and a professional engineering license in civil engineering.