The new Mayor James Kenney is making changes alllll over the place.

Our friends at Philadelphia Water have a new Commissioner, Debra McCarty. Feminist friends, another reason to cheer: She’s the first woman to hold the title of Commissioner in the department’s 200-year history! Damn time for a change.

According to a press release,  “McCarty began her career with a private engineering firm and joined the department as a sanitary engineer at the Northeast Water Pollution Control Plant in 1982. She has held a number of leadership positions at Philadelphia Water and was appointed Deputy Water Commissioner of the Operations Division in April 2004. In that role, McCarty was responsible for overseeing the operation and maintenance of three drinking water treatment plants, three wastewater treatment plants, 3,200 miles of water mains, 3,500 miles of sewers, 79,000 inlets, 25,000 fire hydrants and various pumping stations throughout the city.”

McCarty also served on boards of National Association of Clean Water Agencies and the Neighborhood Gardens Association.

She’s replacing Howard Neukrug, who served as Commissioner from 2011 until his December retirement.

array(2) {
  [0]=>
  object(WP_Term)#12731 (10) {
    ["term_id"]=>
    int(3271)
    ["name"]=>
    string(16) "Mayor Jim Kenney"
    ["slug"]=>
    string(16) "mayor-jim-kenney"
    ["term_group"]=>
    int(0)
    ["term_taxonomy_id"]=>
    int(3279)
    ["taxonomy"]=>
    string(8) "post_tag"
    ["description"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["parent"]=>
    int(0)
    ["count"]=>
    int(12)
    ["filter"]=>
    string(3) "raw"
  }
  [1]=>
  object(WP_Term)#12718 (10) {
    ["term_id"]=>
    int(3235)
    ["name"]=>
    string(18) "Philadelphia Water"
    ["slug"]=>
    string(18) "philadelphia-water"
    ["term_group"]=>
    int(0)
    ["term_taxonomy_id"]=>
    int(3243)
    ["taxonomy"]=>
    string(8) "post_tag"
    ["description"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["parent"]=>
    int(0)
    ["count"]=>
    int(22)
    ["filter"]=>
    string(3) "raw"
  }
}

Julie Hancher is the co-founder and Executive Director of Green Philly, an independent media organization making sustainability accessible, affordable and actionable. Since launching Green Philly in 2008, she has grown it from a passion project into a leading voice for local climate storytelling, pairing impactful journalism with community events and experiences. Julie is a frequent speaker on climate, media innovation and the future of local journalism, and is the creator of SustainPHL and EcoFair. Outside of Green Philly, you can find her hiking, biking, traveling, or exploring Philadelphia. View all posts by Julie Hancher