MWRA - Board of Directors

MWRA is governed by an 11-member Board of Directors who are appointed by the Governor or directly or indirectly by elected officials in MWRA customer communities.

Statutory Make-up of the Board

The make-up of the MWRA Board of Directors was established in the MWRA enabling act, (Chapter 372 of the Acts of 1984), and amended in August, 2010:

Biographies - MWRA Board of Directors

Rebecca Tepper, Chair
Appointed January 2023

Secretary Rebecca Tepper oversees the Commonwealth's six environmental, natural resource and energy regulatory agencies. In 2015, Ms. Tepper joined the Office of Attorney General Maura Healey, first serving as Deputy Chief of EEB and Chief of AG Healey’s Energy and Telecommunications Division before being appointed Chief of the Energy and Environment Bureau. During her time at the AG’s office, she advised on energy policy and served as the state’s ratepayer advocate before regulators and courts. Prior to joining the AG’s Office, Ms. Tepper was General Counsel to the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU), serving as the chief legal advisor and overseeing all DPU adjudicatory and rulemaking proceedings. Ms. Tepper also served as Director of the Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board and represented the state on the Eastern Interconnection States’ Planning Council. Before working for the Commonwealth, Ms. Tepper was a partner at Rubin and Rudman in Boston, representing developers throughout the Northeast in siting, permitting, financing and contracting of renewable, distributed generation and conventional energy facilities. A graduate of Boston University School of Law and the University of Wisconsin, Ms. Tepper resides in Lexington.

Andrew M. Pappastergion, Vice Chair
Appointed June 1997

Mr. Pappastergion is the retired Commissioner of the Department of Public Works for the Town of Brookline. Prior to that he was Director of the Water and Sewer Division for 25 years, and previously served as a project engineer for design and construction of improvements to the utility infrastructure. He has served as an active member of the MWRA Advisory Board since 1985, and was Chairman for five years. Mr. Pappastergion is a graduate of Northeastern University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering, is licensed as a Registered Professional Engineer and holds a Grade 4 Operator's License for Drinking Water Supply Facilities in Massachusetts.

Brian Peña, Secretary
Appointed June 2015

Mr. Peña is the Town of Andover Water Treatment Superintendent. Previously, he served as Commissioner of the Lawrence Water & Sewer Department. Prior to that, he was an engineer at Woodard & Curran. Mr. Peña has earned both a Masters and Bachelors degree in civil engineering and an MBA in accounting and finance from UMass-Lowell. He holds a number of water and wastewater licenses and is a registered professional engineer.

Paul E. Flanagan
Appointed September 2012

Mr. Flanagan is the retired Fire Chief and Director of Emergency Management for the Town of Winthrop. Prior to his appointment as Fire Chief in 2008, Mr. Flanagan served as Captain and Operations Officer for 21 years and has been a member of the Winthrop Fire Department since 1978. Mr. Flanagan serves as Winthrop’s jurisdictional point of contact (JPOC) for Boston’s Urban Areas Security Initiative and continues to be an active participant in metropolitan Boston’s emergency planning community. Mr. Flanagan studied electrical science at the Franklin Institute of Technology and Fire Science at North Shore Community College.

Joseph C. Foti
Appointed April 2001

Mr. Foti is the Deputy Administrator and Chief of Operations at the Massachusetts Department of Transportation Highway Division. Previously, he was the Director of Public Works for the City of Chelsea. Mr. Foti also spent fourteen years with the City of Somerville as the Water Superintendent and then as the Director of Operations for the Department of Public Works. He has been an active member of the MWRA Advisory Board since 1990, serving as Chairman from 1997 to 2001. Mr. Foti received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Suffolk University while working in the Massachusetts House of Representatives as a Legislative Aide. He holds several state-regulated certifications, including a Grade4 Operator's License for Drinking Water Supply Facilities.

Brian Swett
Appointed May 2024

Brian Swett is the City of Boston's first Chief Climate Officer. In addition to overseeing the Environment, Energy and Open Space Cabinet (EEOS), as Chief Climate Officer, Brian is charged with spearheading the Mayor's bold agenda on climate action throughout the City while advancing Boston's commitment to sustainability, resilience, and environmental justice. Brian is a nationally recognized leader in climate change and sustainability strategy with over two decades of leadership experience in municipal government, private sectorreal estate development, federal government, and non-profit sectors. Prior to accepting the role as Chief Climate Officer Brian served as a Principal at Arup, a global engineering, design and consulting firm focused on sustainable development. Most recently he served as their Americas East Leader and a member of the Americas Region Board. Brian returns to the City of Boston where he previously served as the Chief of EEOS from 2012 to 2015. Over his tenure, Brian led a variety of major policy and program initiatives including developing and passing a rental inspection ordinance and Boston’s energy benchmarking ordinance, BERDO. He launched Climate Ready Boston, the City of Boston’s initiative to plan for the near and long-term impacts of climate change and led the update of the 2015 Climate Action Plan. Under his leadership, Boston was recognized by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) as the #1 city in the country for energy efficiency policies and programs in their 2013 and 2015 biennial rankings.

Louis M. Taverna, P.E.
Appointed April 2023

Mr. Taverna has served as City Engineer for the City of Newton since 2002. Prior to that, he worked for MWRA Water Operations as a Program Manager of Facilities in their Southborough office and as a Program Manager at Metcalf & Eddy Engineers. He has served as the City of Newton’s delegated representative to the MWRA Advisory Board for over 20 years, and he has served as Chair of the Advisory Board since 2015. He previously served as Chair of the Operations Committee, and as Secretary. In his role as Chair, Mr. Taverna is the Advisory Board’s representative to the Massachusetts Water Supply Protection Trust. Mr. Taverna is a graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with a Master of Science Degree in Civil Engineering, and he is also a graduate of Northeastern University, with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering. Mr. Taverna is a Registered Professional Civil Engineer, and holds a grade 4 drinking water distribution license, and a grade 4 drinking water treatment license. He is a life-long resident of Watertown.

Henry F. Vitale
Appointed January 2013

Mr. Vitale is the Executive Director of the Boston Water and Sewer Commission. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Vitale served as Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer for 18 years and has been with the Commission since 1992. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from Boston College and is a certified public accountant. Mr. Vitale has many years’ experience in the field of accounting and finance and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the National Society of Public Accountants and the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants. He is also a member of the Government Finance Officers Association, the American Water Works Association and several other community and professional organizations.

John J. Walsh
Appointed June 2009

Mr. Walsh is a retired manufacturing engineer. A lifelong Quincy resident and environmental community activist, he has been Chairman of the Nut Island Citizens Advisory Committee since 1980, and also served on the Braintree-Weymouth, Neponset and Hingham Citizen Advisory Committees.

Patrick J. Walsh
Appointed April 2021

Mr. Walsh became a third generation Construction Craft Laborer when he joined the ranks of Laborers’ Local Union 223, an affiliate of the Laborers’ International Union of North America). Mr. Walsh began his Construction Craft Laborer career while working for Liberty Construction. In 2007, he became a Steward for Turner Construction while working on the Fan Pier Project and, seven years later, on the Pier 4 Project. In 2019, Pat served as Steward for John Moriarty & Associates at the 150 Seaport Project and was appointed as Field Representative of Local 223, a position which he currently holds.

Jennifer L. Wolowicz
Appointed March 2013

Ms. Wolowicz is the Town Administrator for the Town of Monson. Previously, she was the Deputy Town Administrator and the Personnel Officer/Chief Procurement Officer for the Town of South Hadley. Ms. Wolowicz received an Associate’s Degree in Business Management from Holyoke Community College, a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from Elms College, along with a double major in marketing, and a Masters of Public Administration Degree from Westfield State.