Alexandria Renew Enterprises (AlexRenew), which provides wastewater treatment service to Alexandria, Virginia, announced in December that Karen Pallansch will retire in February 2023 after 30 years of service at the utility. Pallansch has served as general manager and CEO for the past 17 years.
AlexRenew’s Board of Directors also announced Justin Carl will be the next GM and CEO.
“The Board thanks Ms. Pallansch for her strategic leadership and dedication to elevating AlexRenew as a community and environmental anchor. Under her guidance, the organization has faithfully served its mission as the resilient provider of clean waterways in Alexandria,” said AlexRenew Board Chair John Hill.
AlexRenew CEO Karen Pallansch: 2018 Water Finance & Management Award Winner
Originally from the Philadelphia area, Pallansch started at AlexRenew as a staff engineer in 1994 when the utility was known as the Alexandria Sanitation Authority (ASA). She then worked her way up the ranks and held roles in several key management positions and has now served as CEO since 2005. Pallansch has led many projects undertaken by AlexRenew including its RiverRenew program to remediate a portion of Alexandria’s sewer system built in the late 1800s. A $615 million project, RiverRenew will prevent millions of gallons of combined sewage from polluting Alexandria’s waterways and involves intricate deep tunnel construction resource recovery facility upgrades. Pallansch has also been a leader in the clean water sector on a national level, with organizations such as the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), WateReuse and the Water Environment & Reuse Foundation.
Carl currently serves as the program manager for RiverRenew. Before this current role, Carl successfully led more than $1.6 billion of planning, design, procurement and construction for wastewater-focused projects in the DC Metro area over last 15 years.
“After a nationwide search, the Board selected Mr. Carl for his unparalleled engineering knowledge, visionary leadership in managing teams to navigate complex water issues, and deep understanding of how to successfully work in Alexandria. We are confident that he will carry the torch in continuing the great work at AlexRenew built under Ms. Pallansch,” said Hill.
Carl is a licensed Professional Engineer in Virginia and the District of Columbia. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Engineering from Wilkes University and a Master of Engineering degree in Environmental Engineering from Manhattan College. His first day in his new role at AlexRenew will be Feb. 6, 2023.
