Amy Kahler has been named the new CEO and general manager of Des Moines Water Works, moving into the role on July 18 when current CEO Ted Corrigan retires.

The Des Moines Water Works board of trustees announced the choice of Kahler, who has served as the utility’s chief financial officer, on Thursday.

According to a news release, Kahler has more than 25 years of experience in the financial, customer and business operations for Des Moines Water Works.

Before joining the utility, Kahler, 53, worked for Principal Financial Group as a financial analyst, and as an auditor for Deloitte.

While her background is in finance, Kahler has led Des Moines Water Works’ customer service and marketing departments. She was also involved in the development of Central Iowa Water Works, the new regional, multi-jurisdictional agency that oversees water treatment and product.

According to the release, she helped draft the agreement, negotiate terms and develop the financial model for the regional agency, which began operations on Jan. 1.

Andrea Boulton, Des Moines Water Works board of trustees chairwoman, said Kahler’s strong leadership, communication, problem-solving skills and collaborative mindset made her the top choice to succeed Corrigan.

The board also viewed Kahler’s financial and customer service experience as critical for its next CEO to ensure customers’ needs and affordability of water rates are balanced with long-range planning decisions and improvements to water infrastructure.

“Different from past CEOs who leaned toward technical operations, we appreciate that Amy’s professional experience in multiple areas of the utility will enable her to consider challenges
and opportunities that are customer-centric, financially focused and serve Des Moines Water Works’ larger mission, organizational values and workplace culture,” Boulton said in the release.

Kahler, who has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Iowa State University and is a certified public accountant, said she’s honored to lead Des Moines Water Works.

“I’m proud to have worked alongside our dedicated team to contribute to that legacy and remain deeply committed to continuing to build a strong culture and a resilient water utility for the future,” she said in the release.