The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District’s Board of Trustees voted to extend Chief Executive Officer Kyle Dreyfuss-Wells’s contract through 2028.
As CEO, Dreyfuss-Wells oversees the operation of one of the largest clean water agencies in Ohio, managing a $170 million operating budget, $270 million capital budget and $43 million stormwater budget. She works closely her leadership team to ensure efficient management of hundreds of miles of sewer and stream networks, a multi-billion-dollar 25-year Project Clean Lake program, and a regional stormwater management program for the health of Lake Erie and more than one million residents.
“Kyle has the full support of the entire Board of Trustees as well as Senior Staff, District leaders and our employees, and we look forward to her leadership for the next six years,” said Darnell Brown, president, NEORSD Board of Trustees. “Even in the face of an unprecedented pandemic, District leadership responsibly operated our wastewater treatment plants, received national recognition for operational excellence, and met all regulatory compliance requirements. The $3 billion consent decree is halfway complete and, to date, we have realized $485 million in savings.”
Dreyfuss-Wells joined the Sewer District in 2008 to help establish the Regional Stormwater Management Program. This program addresses flooding, streambank erosion and water quality issues across 480 miles of the regional stream network, and has invested nearly $250 million to solve intercommunity stormwater drainage issues.
Since her contract was last renewed by the Board of Trustees, the Sewer District has celebrated its 50th anniversary, completed the Doan Valley and Dugway Storage Tunnels, broke ground on the Shoreline Storage Tunnel, completed all four Stormwater Master Plans and Local Sewer System Evaluation Studies, implemented projects across its service area to address flooding and erosion, adopted new rates for 2022-2026, established Utility Assistance Resource Fairs to assist customers, and all three wastewater treatment plants received honors for their outstanding work.
“I am proud to lead a district that treats sanitary sewage and manages stormwater across 355 square miles of the Lake Erie watershed thanks to the work of more than 750 employees, and it is because of each and every one of them that we, the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, succeeds,” said Dreyfuss-Wells. “We employee some of the most dedicated, smart, and innovative people and we are all focused on serving our customers by protecting water quality and public health. There’s a place for everyone here at the Sewer District.”
Before becoming CEO, Dreyfuss-Wells coordinated the District’s watershed management efforts, including the Regional Stormwater Management Program and the application of stormwater control measures to reduce combined sewer overflows under the District’s Green Infrastructure Policy. She serves nationally on the boards of the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), the US Water Alliance, and the Water Research Foundation. And locally on the boards of the Cleveland Water Alliance and Cleveland Neighborhood Progress. In 2022, Dreyfuss-Wells and NEORSD received the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) Platinum “Excellence in Management” Award.
Dreyfuss-Wells graduated summa cum laude from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. She earned master’s degrees with honors in both Public Affairs and Environmental Science at Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Samoa. Before joining the District, she was Director of the Chagrin River Watershed Partners, Inc.
