Saluting Texas Lone Stars: The Lone Star section spotlights and recognizes powerful figures across Texas’ public sector landscape. This week’s Lone Star profile is J. Kevin Ward, Trinity River Authority’s General Manager.
Your public career highlights and education
I currently serve as the General Manager of the Trinity River Authority of Texas. I started off in petroleum engineering, left school for a while and went back to school and got an accounting degree from the University of Texas at Austin. In a roundabout way, I spent six years in college instead of four. I gained experience along the way working as a bookkeeper, a district manager for MUD districts, a controller, and a corporate secretary and vice president of a firm. Coming off the heels of a recession, I went to work for the state of Texas as an analyst in setting up the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. Eventually, I rose to the level of the executive administrator and ran the organization for almost nine years. In 2011, I was recruited to come to the Trinity River Authority of Texas. The exciting piece is that I got to combine things that I learned while being a part of building things again, large water and wastewater projects and managing utilities, which I really do love.
What you like best about public service
Supporting staff in being innovative, creative and reaching the top of their profession, and watching people grow and thrive is very rewarding because that’s what makes the organization successful. None of this is possible unless you have an organization in which every member from the top, with the board members and the folks who run the place all the way to the last person in line participates in its operation. We are all a part of it, and we believe in what we’re doing and in the communities we serve.
An example of some of the best advice you have ever received
I started off in petroleum engineering, and when the bottom fell out of the oil industry, I left school and went to work for Otis Elevators. A sagely old engineer there took me under his wing and within a few months told me, “Go back to school. Your talents aren’t best used here; you need to get a degree.” And I asked, “Should I get a mechanical engineering degree?” He replied, “No, get a business degree, and you’ll have engineers working for you and with you.” Surer words have never been spoken because I’ve had hundreds of engineers work for me over the years, as consultants and as employees.
One thing I wish more people knew about the Trinity River Authority
I wish more people knew how much the Trinity River Authority does regarding environmental stewardship and in maintaining data and promoting the river’s health. I think a lot of people view us as just a large utility that runs wastewater plants and water plants and does a lot of construction without realizing that on the other side of that coin, we have a lot of policy people who are very interested in making sure that the river stays healthy, that we have good river flows, that we maintain the environment of the bay, and that we also have a lot of people involved in very high levels at the national and state level of organizations.
One thing outside of government service people may not know about you
I’m a country boy and an outdoorsman at heart. I raised and had horses for 28 years and had a small ranch and now have a larger one. I raise cows, and I love to be out in the open. Most people think I’m just a business guy. And I’m a very much a family man. I love my family, and I think they’re one of the reasons I’m here.
