Jim Roberts Named Executive Director of the Southwest Licking Community Water and Sewer District

Licking County – The Southwest Licking Community Water and Sewer District has announced that the Board of Trustees has hired Jim Roberts as Executive Director. Mr. Roberts will begin on October 23, 2023.

Mr. Roberts has nearly 40 years of engineering experience with almost 30 of those years as the principal of successful engineering firms. Most recently Mr. Roberts was a Senior Consultant at Verdantas and prior to its acquisition by Verdantas, he was the President of Jobes Henderson & Associates (previously Hull & Associates), which under his leadership designed nearly all of the Etna Corporate Park and helped create over 10,000 jobs in Licking County.

Mr. Roberts brings decades of local leadership experience. He is actively involved in the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, and Grow Licking County. Mr. Roberts has also been a dedicated public servant for more than a decade. He has served on the Heath School Board, the Licking County Planning Commission, and is currently serving on Heath City Council. An alum of The Ohio State University, Mr. Roberts is the recipient of the Alumni Association’s 2017 Robert M. Duncan Alumni Citizenship Award, which is presented to alumni who have distinguished themselves in service to humanity and who have best exemplified the University’s motto, “Education for Citizenship.”

“Jim Roberts is the Board's choice to serve as our Executive Director. He is well versed in the skills we were looking for to lead the District during these extremely challenging times. He will be expected to seek mutually beneficial relationships with our neighbors, while protecting our current customers,” said Trustee Larry Kretzmann, President of Board of Trustees.

“Jim has a long history of building relationships in Licking County. I believe his expertise and fresh perspective are exactly what the Southwest Licking Community Water and Sewer District needs to guide us through the anticipated growth of the region,” said Trustee Melissa Carter.

“The Board is excited to welcome Jim to the District. He is a proven leader with strong regional relationships which will be instrumental in moving the collaborative Southwest Licking Community Water and Sewer District forward. The District is an integral part of the delivery of critical infrastructure needs in western Licking County and, under Jim's leadership, will employ the regional solutions necessary to fulfil the future water and wastewater needs. He will seek to build new partnerships with our neighbors and will ensure that we continue to provide, clean, reliable, and economical service to our existing customers,” said Trustee Trent Stepp.

“I am excited to take this position and help move the District forward in these exciting and unprecedented times in Licking County. I hope the relationships I have built with an entire career in Licking County can be beneficial in helping move the county forward in a collaborative manner. The District is in a great place as we sit today, and working with the board and staff to determine how to best move forward with the best interests of our current and future users will be both challenging and rewarding,” said Jim Roberts.

The Executive Director position was created by the Board of Trustees in June and will replace the General Manager position, which has been vacant for four years. CJ Gilcher has served as the Interim General Manager during this period and will become the Operations Director overseeing the day-to-day operations of the water and wastewater systems. “For the past four years, our staff has been patient with the process and supportive of Mr. Gilcher and we are now ready for the next phase of our development within our territories, to move forward, under Jim's leadership,” said Mr. Kretzmann.

“We were blessed to have so many exceptional candidates interested in the opportunity to lead the District into the future. The excitement we are seeing is a testament to unprecedented opportunities for growth in the region and our unparalleled reputation as the regional leader for water and sewer,” said Mr. Stepp.

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