Board Members

MPWD Board of Directors 2024

Matthew P. Zucca

Matthew P. Zucca

President

Term Ends: November 2024
Email: mzucca@midpeninsulawater.org

Matthew P. Zucca was first appointed to the Board in October, 2005. For more than 20 years, Vice President Zucca has been a professional engineer in the Bay Area specializing in capital program management and a wide range of stormwater projects in California. Currently, he is Principal Engineer with Erler & Kalinowski, Inc., (EKI) Consulting Engineers and Scientists.

Education: B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Davis, 1993 (Dual Specialization in Structural and Environmental Engineering).

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Catherine M. Jordan

Catherine M. Jordan

Vice President

Term Ends: November 2026
Email: cjordan@midpeninsulawater.org

Cathy Mostasisa Jordan was appointed to the board in July 2021. Director Jordan previously served two terms on the Belmont Redwood Shores School Board, serving as President twice. She also served as the first Asian-American woman on the Belmont City Council. For more than 10 years, Director Jordan has held various marketing roles in the software industry, and currently leads a Global Customer Advocacy team.

Education: B.A. in Speech and Communication Studies, concentration in Organizational Communication, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA

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Brian Schmidt

Brian Schmidt

Director

Term Ends: November 2026
Email: bschmidt@midpeninsulawater.org

Brian Schmidt was elected to the Board in November 2018. Director Schmidt is an environmental and water resources attorney and leads Greenbelt Alliance’s Natural Landscapes and Farms & Ranches Forever Initiatives.

Education: JD, Environmental Law, Water Law, Administrative Law, Stanford University Law School; BS in Government, Economics and Philosophy, Georgetown University.

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Kirk R. Wheeler

Kirk R. Wheeler

Director

Term Ends: November 2026
Email: kwheeler@midpeninsulawater.org

Kirk R. Wheeler was elected to the Board in November, 2018. Director Wheeler has more than 30 years of work experience as a professional water resources engineer in California. His experience includes planning and design of water supply, drainage and water quality projects, as well as environmental review and permitting.

Education: B.S. in Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, 1975. M.S. Civil Engineering, Stanford University, 1976.

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Louis J. Vella

Louis J. Vella

Director

Term Ends: November 2024
Email: lvella@midpeninsulawater.org

Louis J. Vella was first elected to the Board in November, 1999. President Vella has more than 40 years of professional work experience both in the private and public sector. He retired as Administrative Chief-Fire Marshal in 2008 after serving 28 years with the City of Redwood City. Director Vella was appointed by the MPWD to the Board of Directors of the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency (BAWSCA) and has served since it was established in 2003. He also serves as a member of the BAWSCA Board Policy Committee.

Education: B.A. in Management, St. Mary’s College, Moraga, 1988.

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Appointed Officials

Kat Wuelfing

Kat Wuelfing

General Manager

Email: kwuelfing@midpeninsulawater.org

Kat Wuelfing joined the MPWD leadership as Assistant General Manager in July 2022 and was appointed by the Board of Directors as General Manager in September 2023. Ms. Wuelfing joined the MPWD after 15 years in water resources consulting, where she supported water agencies throughout California, and 8 years in special district governance. Ms. Wuelfing manages the daily operations and activities of the MPWD.

Education: MESM in Water Resources and Pollution Prevention and Remediation, University of California Santa Barbara, 2006; B.S. in Environmental Science and Biology, Santa Clara University, 2004.

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Rene A. Ramirez

Rene A. Ramirez

Operations Manager

Email: rramirez@midpeninsulawater.org

Rene Ramirez was appointed as Operations Manager in June 2015. He has more than 35 years of service in the public utility field. During his career, Mr. Ramirez has been responsible as the department head in cities large and small for water distribution infrastructure and water treatment facilities, wastewater collection infrastructure and wastewater treatment facilities, solid waste and diversion programs, and a natural gas distribution system.

Education: B.S. in Agricultural/Bio Resource Engineering, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, 1984.

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Monique Madrid

Monique Madrid

District Secretary

Email: moniquem@midpeninsulawater.org

Monique Madrid joined the MPWD in 2020 bringing with her nearly 25 years experience in municipal community services and is a Certified Municipal Clerk. She worked for four years at Templeton CSD, and then 20 years at Cambria CSD in various positions, including Administrative Services Manager, District Clerk, and Interim General Manager.

Monique currently serves as MPWD’s Administrative Services Manager and District Secretary.

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Joubin Pakpour, PE

Joubin Pakpour, PE

District Engineer

Joubin Pakpour, P.E., Pakpour Consulting Group, Inc., was appointed as the District Engineer for the MPWD in 2011. He is a registered professional civil engineer with over two decades of project design and construction management experience in water distribution throughout the Bay Area and California. Mr. Pakpour also serves as the District Engineer for Purissima Hills Water District and Westborough Water District.

Education: M.S. in Civil Engineering, San Jose State University, 1998; B.S. in Civil Engineering, San Jose State University, 1995.

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Julie Sherman

Julie Sherman

District Counsel

Julie Sherman, Hanson Bridgett, LLP, has practiced in the field of municipal law for 10 years, and has served as District Counsel for the MPWD for the past several years. She is General Counsel for the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District, and serves other special districts and cities.

Education: J.D., University of California, Berkeley Boalt Hall School of Law, 2007; B.A., cum laude, State University of New York at Buffalo, 1989.

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James W Ramsey, CPA, CFE

James W Ramsey, CPA, CFE

District Treasurer

James has contracted with the MPWD to serve as the Finance Director/District Treasurer. James has worked with governmental agencies providing accounting, assurance, and other advisory services for more than 18 years. He provides both advisory services (such as outsourced Finance Director or accounting services) and assurance services to his clients. James began his career in the finance department of a small city and performed most, if not all, of the functions of a finance department during his seven years there.

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Board Member and Employee Compensation

The following compensation reports and information for MPWD Board Members and employees are available:

California State Controller – Government Compensation in California

Board Compensation and Reimbursement Policy

The policy regarding Board Member compensation and reimbursements can be downloaded here (PDF)