Charleston Water System CEO Mark Cline Retires June 30; CFO Wesley Ropp to Become CEO

by

Charleston Water System (CWS) CEO Mark Cline, who announced his retirement earlier this year, officially departs June 30 after serving more than 40 years across various executive leadership roles within the utility. The CWS Board of Commissioners appointed CFO Wesley Ropp as CEO effective upon Cline’s retirement. Jonathan Ladd joined CWS as Assistant CEO June 16.

Cline, who was recently honored with the Order of the Palmetto for his distinguished service to CWS and water and wastewater utilities statewide, said “It has truly been the honor of a lifetime to serve Charleston Water System. Our success is the result of an incredible team that cares deeply about our mission and the community we serve. I’m proud of everything we’ve accomplished together, and I look forward to watching CWS continue to set the standard for what a premier utility can achieve.”

Thomas B. Pritchard, Chairman, CWS Board of Commissioners, said, “We’re incredibly thankful that Mark has devoted more than four decades of his career in service to Charleston Water System. His impact on this organization, as well as the water and wastewater industry statewide and on a national level, has been immeasurable and that’s apparent everywhere you look. He’s led with integrity, humility, and a deep commitment to our employees and the people we serve. We’ve been extremely fortunate to have someone of his caliber who cares so deeply about this utility, its mission, and our industry, and we wish him all the joys of a well-earned retirement.”

Incoming CEO Ropp currently oversees all financial operations at CWS. He joined the utility in 1982 as an accountant and held key leadership roles including administrator of accounting and administrator of finance prior to becoming CFO in 2006. Under his leadership, CWS has become a utility of the highest financial regard, earning eight bond rating upgrades culminating with current AAA ratings from Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s, and Fitch Ratings, and has received more than 38 years of continuous recognition from the Government Finance Officers Association for excellence in financial reporting. Ropp holds an MBA from The Citadel and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the College of Charleston. He is a certified management accountant and a certified public-private partnership professional.

“I’m incredibly humbled by the opportunity to lead our talented team,” said Ropp. “We’ve earned a reputation as one of the nation’s top utilities, and that’s a direct result of the highly dedicated and skilled people who work here. I look forward to building on our strong foundation and continuing to serve our community with the same commitment to excellence that has guided us for more than a century.”

Assistant CEO Jonathan Ladd leads a varied array of key programs and initiatives at CWS. He comes to the utility after serving as associate vice president & Mid-Atlantic south subregion director with Black & Veatch, a global engineering, procurement, consulting and construction company. He brings two decades of experience supporting municipal water utilities across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic areas, including leadership on major infrastructure projects and long-term capital planning, many of which directly involved CWS. Ladd holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental resources engineering from SUNY-ESF and a master’s in civil engineering from Virginia Tech. He is a licensed professional engineer in South Carolina and Georgia, and an active member of several professional water associations.

“Having worked alongside Charleston Water System on major projects for many years, I’ve seen firsthand the strength of this organization’s culture, the dedication of our people, and the incredible impact we’ve had on the Lowcountry as a whole,” said Assistant CEO Ladd. “It’s an honor to be part of this team and to help carry forward a legacy of excellence in service to our community.”

Pritchard added, “We’re tremendously fortunate to have Wesley take the helm because of his immense leadership talent and invaluable experience here at CWS, and most importantly, his vision for our future aligns perfectly with the needs of our customers and key stakeholders. Bringing on Jonathan as our Assistant CEO is especially valuable right now in helping us navigate through this time of economic challenge and regulatory fluctuation and uncertainty, and his robust expertise and insights will serve us well into the future.”