General manager

John Kennedy is the general manager of the Orange County Water District, which manages the Orange County Groundwater Basin that supplies water to more than 2.5 million people in north and central Orange County, Calif. In January 2024, he became the seventh general manager in the District’s history.
 
John has more than 40 years of experience in the water/civil engineering industry and has worked for OCWD since 1995. He previously served as the District’s executive director of engineering and water resources. He holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in civil engineering from the University of Pittsburgh, and a Master of Business Administration from Pepperdine University.
 
John is a registered professional engineer in the state of California. He serves as one of five Watermasters for the Santa Ana River. In addition, he is a board officer of the National Water Research Institute (NWRI) and is actively involved with the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) and WateReuse California