Former CEO of Philadelphia Water Joins Penn Research Centers as Senior Fellow

PHIILADELPHIA, PA—The Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at PennDesign and the Fels Policy Research Initiative at the School of Arts and Sciences jointly welcome Howard Neukrug, who will serve both institutions as a senior fellow during the 2016-2017 academic year. Neukrug is the former CEO of Philadelphia Water and a senior fellow at the US Water Alliance.

Neukrug is renowned as a national expert and leader in drinking water, water resources, and wastewater utility management. He is recognized as a builder of regional and inter-agency coalitions, and trust-based relationships with regulators, legislators, environmental and consumer advocates, and communities. He begins his work at Penn on July 1, 2016.

“I am delighted to join many long-time colleagues at Penn’s Schools of Design and of Arts and Sciences. This is an extraordinary opportunity to reflect and write about some of the most challenging policy issues facing the nation and indeed the world,” said Neukrug.

Neukrug holds a long list of accolades and contributions to water policy and sustainability. He is currently the principal of CASE Environmental LLC, a senior fellow at the US Water Alliance (USWA), an advisor to the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Forest Service, and a lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania—where he teaches classes on “Water, Science, and Politics,” “Sustainable Cities,” and “Future Trends in the Water Industry.”

“Howard’s thought leadership has had a profound impact on how cities and regions across the U.S. protect and manage their water resources,” said Mark Alan Hughes, PhD, Professor of Practice, and Kleinman Center Director. “The Kleinman Center’s work on the critical nexus between energy and water will benefit enormously from Howard’s affiliation with Penn.”

Prior to this senior fellow appointment, Neukrug worked for 37 years at Philadelphia Water, a $1 Billion (USD) integrated drinking water, wastewater, storm water, and water resource public utility serving the city. The defining initiative in Neukrug’s five-year tenure as CEO was his “Green Cities, Clean Waters” program that placed an unprecedented reliance on innovative green infrastructure to manage urban runoff.

While at Penn, Neukrug will present a lecture and will contribute to the Kleinman Center website with blog posts and policy digests.

Steven Fluharty, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences said that Neukrug represents Penn’s greatest strength: “the demonstrated capacity for bridging the worlds of academic, civic, and public leadership.”

“As the School of Arts and Sciences further develops our engagement with energy, sustainability, and the environment,” Fluharty said, “Howard will be a key colleague and we look forward to an ambitious partnership.”

Neukrug is also a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Civil and Urban Engineering, Class of ’78.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Lindsey Samahon
Kleinman Center for Energy Policy
University of Pennsylvania 
(484) 362-8316
kleinmanenergy@upenn.edu