Jackie Jarrell, PE, OIT, WEF Fellow

Jacqueline “Jackie” Jarrell has over three decades working in the water sector for Charlotte Water, recognized as one of the country's strongest public utilities. For over 37 years, Jackie served the Charlotte region, holding diverse technical, management, and leadership roles. A majority of her career focused on all aspects of operations, including wastewater treatment, water distribution, sanitary sewer collections, and customer service. Throughout her tenure, Jackie was instrumental in driving organizational changes to improve work processes, develop employees, and ensure high-quality services to the community. Jackie began her career in the Engineering division, conducting water distribution and sanitary sewer assessments and modeling. From Engineering, Jackie transitioned to lead the System Protection Division. Jackie then advanced to Wastewater Treatment Plant Superintendent and eventually Environmental Management Chief. For over 20 years, she managed and led operations for six wastewater treatment facilities and the Southeast's largest land application biosolids program. Jackie and her staff were tasked with the contract management of an adjacent utility’s wastewater operations. Continuing her growth, from 2019-2020, she served as Interim Deputy Director before being appointed Deputy Director in 2020, making history as the first Latin American woman to serve in an executive position for Charlotte Water. Throughout her career, Jackie has been a strong champion for sustainability, initiating several projects and pilots for Charlotte Water. Jackie's professional affiliations are extensive. She served as President of the Board of Trustees of the Water Environment Federation (WEF) and was named a WEF Fellow in 2021. She chaired the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Advisory to the WEF Board from 2022 through 2024. Jackie was a founding member and chair of the N.C. Water Quality Association and also chaired NC OneWater (formerly NC AWWA-WEA). She currently serves on the Board of Advisors for the UNC Charlotte the College of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Jackie presides as President of the Helping Hands Outreach H2O Foundation, which provides water bill assistance to Charlotte Water customers in need. Her international involvement includes a mission to Bolivia with Water for People, an international non-profit promoting access to quality drinking water and sanitation.