Executive Management

Executive Management

SCV Water’s executive management team is dedicated to serving our customers and our community. They are committed to carrying out SCV Water’s mission of providing responsible water stewardship to ensure the Santa Clarita Valley has reliable supplies of high-quality water at a reasonable cost. You can read more about our leadership team below.

Matt Stone - General Manager

Matthew Stone is the General Manager of the Agency and was appointed as general manager of the former CLWA in December 2015.  Prior to joining CLWA, Mr. Stone served as General Manager to the Rancho California Water District in Temecula, California for seven years.  Mr. Stone had also served as the Associate General Manager of the Municipal Water District of Orange County for eleven years and as the Principal Engineer of the Municipal Water District of Orange County for three years. In addition, Mr. Stone served for eight years with RBF Consulting where he worked on numerous projects in various capacities including Project Engineer, Project Manager, and Director of Water Resources. Mr. Stone serves on the board of the State Water Contractors, a non-profit corporation founded in 1982 which represents State Water Project contracting agencies.  Mr. Stone has also served as Chairman of the Urban Water Institute, a non-profit organization focusing on education for elected officials, water managers and others interested in water policy and economics.  Mr. Stone holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Santa Clara University, a Master of Public Administration from the University of La Verne and a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering from Loyola Marymount University.  Mr. Stone is a registered Civil Engineer within the State of California.

Stephen Cole - Assistant General Manager

Stephen Cole is the Assistant General Manager of the Agency and was the general manager of the former NCWD, acting as the chief executive officer responsible for the operations and management of NCWD for the past thirteen years.  He has over twenty years of experience dealing with a variety of issues in the water field and actively participates in the Association of California Water Agencies serving as the Region 8 Chair.  He has served as chairman of the College of the Canyons Water Systems Technology Committee and as chair for the Santa Clarita Valley Water Committee.  Mr. Cole is certified by the State of California as a Grade V Water Distribution Operator, a Grade 3 Water Treatment Operator and as a Registered Environmental Health Specialist. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science from Fresno State and his M.S. degree in Environmental Science from California State University Northridge.

Courtney Mael - Chief Engineer

Courtney Mael is the Chief Engineer of the Agency and is responsible for the engineering department including right of way and construction inspection. Prior to joining SCVWA in July of 2020, Mr. Mael worked for Padre Dam Municipal Water District in Santee California for 22 years. His water agency expertise includes policy development, project management, interfacing with contractors, developers, and local public agencies, as well as construction standards and inspection. He has worked on a wide variety of projects ranging from land development infrastructure to reservoir and pump stations design and construction. Mr. Mael is a Registered Civil Engineering with the State of California. He received his Bachelors degree from University of California Santa Barbara. He also has a certificate in Water Management and Leadership from Cal State San Marcos.

Rochelle Patterson- Chief Financial & Administrative Officer

Rochelle Patterson is the Chief Financial and Administrative Officer for the Agency. Ms. Patterson has held several roles over the past 25 years with the Agency and NCWD, including Accounting Supervisor, Accounting Manager and Director of Finance and Administration. Ms. Patterson has taken a leadership role in building and shaping the Agency’s Finance and Administration team. These roles have included transitioning the four legacy agencies from separate budgets, audits, accounting, human resources and customer service functions and systems to a unified single agency. Ms. Patterson serves as the Agency’s alternate to the ACWA JPIA board and is a member of the Government Finance Officers Association and the California Municipal Financial Officers Association. Ms. Patterson received her Bachelor of Business Administration degree and Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Phoenix.

Keith Abercrombie - Chief Operating Officer

Keith Abercrombie is the Chief Operating Officer of the Agency and was the Retail Manager of SCWD.  Mr. Abercrombie received his Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Business from Colorado State University and received his Masters in Business Administration, Agribusiness from Santa Clara University.  Prior to employment with CLWA, Mr. Abercrombie served as General Manager of the Valencia Water Company.  Mr. Abercrombie previously worked at the Newhall Land and Farming Company serving as assistant to the Vice President of Agriculture and Manager of Energy Resources.  Mr. Abercrombie holds a Grade 5 Water Distribution Operator certification and a Grade 2 Water Treatment Operator certification from the State Water Resources Control Board – Division of Drinking Water, and is a member of the American Water Works Association and the Association of California Water Agencies.

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Organizational Chart