Timothy F. Brick, the longest tenured member of the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, was elected today as chairman of the agency’s board, which oversees the major water importer and wholesaler for 18 million people in six Southland counties.

Brick, a Pasadena resident who has represented the city on Metropolitan’s board since June 1985, was elected to a two-year term as chairman, taking office in January 2007.  He replaces Wes Bannister, one of four representatives of the Municipal Water District of Orange County, who has served as Metropolitan chairman the past two years.

“I’m deeply honored to have the opportunity to guide Metropolitan through the demanding challenges that come with maintaining and building upon this agency’s reputation for smart water resource management and planning,” Brick said.

“In serving on this board for more than 21 years, I have developed great pride in the traditions and accomplishments of this unique organization.  I especially have come to realize and appreciate the value of bridge-building and cooperation and intend to keep building bridges into the future so that we can continue moving ahead in a united way,” Brick added.

With his election, Brick becomes the 16th chairman in the district’s 78-year history.  As the head of Metropolitan’s 37-member board, Brick will represent district policies and programs at national, state and local levels.  He also will preside over monthly meetings of the board and its executive committee.  In addition, he will appoint all members of the district’s seven standing committees, as well as the leaders of any special committee or task forces.

A cooperative of 26 member public agencies, Metropolitan provides more than half the water used by 18 million people in six Southland counties.  The district’s 5,200-square-mile service area covers most of urbanized Southern California.

Metropolitan imports water from the Colorado River and Northern California to supplement local supplies and provides financial incentives to help local agencies develop increased water conservation, recycling, storage and other water management programs.  Metropolitan has an annual operating/capital budget of $1.8 billion, about 2,000 employees and more than 30 facilities throughout Southern California.

Currently, Brick is a member of the Metropolitan board’s engineering and operations committee, and asset and recreation committee.  He previously has served as vice-chair of Metropolitan’s board from 1998-2000 and has chaired the water planning and resources committee from 1995-98, as well as the headquarters committee, which oversaw the development of the district’s main administration building adjacent to historic Union Station in downtown Los Angeles.  During his board tenure, he also has chaired the water education committee, water quality committee and the strategic plan implementation committee.

Last spring, Brick represented the Metropolitan board at the World Water Forum in Mexico City, where he delivered a presentation on Southern California conservation and integrated planning efforts.  Brick championed the development of Metropolitan’s World Water Forum program, which provides grants to Southern California colleges for educational efforts addressing world water problems.

Brick is an organizational consultant, currently serving as managing director of the Arroyo Seco Foundation, a non-profit organization devoted to the protection and promotion of the Arroyo Seco watershed, a major tributary of the Los Angeles River.  He previously served as an executive and consultant for a wide variety of business, governmental and nonprofit organizations, including the Hahamongna Operating Company, Pasadena AIDS Community Coordinating Committee, Hospice of Pasadena, the Pasadena Health Department and USA for Africa.  Brick also was a member of the advisory committee of the Business Technology Center of Southern California.

Brick served 14 years on the Pasadena Utility Advisory Commission, which directs the municipal water and power department, including four terms as chair.  He is a member of the Colorado River Water Users Association, National Water Resources Association and a member of the board of POWER (Public Officials for Water & Environmental Reform).  He also belongs to the Audubon Society, the Nature Conservancy and the Society for Ecological Restoration.

Brick’s previous appointments have included the California Energy Commission's residential standards advisory committee, the Joint Public Utilities Commission/Energy Commission committee on marginal cost pricing and the advisory committee for the Rand Corporation/Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Peak Period Pricing Experiment.

A native of Omaha, Neb., Brick received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from California State University at Los Angeles and has pursued further studies in broadcast journalism and resource economics.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a cooperative of 26 cities and water agencies serving 18 million people in six counties. The district imports water from the Colorado River and Northern California to supplement local supplies, and helps its members to develop increased water conservation, recycling, storage, and other resource-management programs.