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Kristen Atha
Director of Public Utilities
City of Columbus
Columbus, Ohio
Kristen Atha serves as the Director, Department of Public Utilities (DPU), for the City of Columbus. In this role, she leads the organization, which includes nearly 1200 employees, including the Division of Water, Division of Sewerage and Drainage and the Division of Power. The Department provides safe, reliable drinking water and wastewater services for over 1.3 million residents in central Ohio, and electric utilities to approximately 17,000 customers within the City of Columbus. While the Department of Public Utilities is part of the City of Columbus, we provide water and wastewater services to 26 suburban partners, serving in a regional capacity to support the growth and prosperity of the Central Ohio region. Kristen holds Bachelor’s degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Cincinnati, and Business Administration from Miami University.
Ms. Atha has spent over 30-years building her career as an environmental engineer focused on working with municipal water and wastewater utilities. Prior to her appointment in 2022 as Director at the City of Columbus, she served as a Vice President and Regional Market Sector Leader for AECOM’s water business line in the Midwest. Kristen also recently served as the Chair of the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission’s Sustaining Scioto Board. The Board guides the Sustaining Scioto Implementation Plan to help the Central Ohio region adapt to climate change and ensure access to clean and abundant water for the growing Central Ohio region. Following her term as Chair, MORPC invited Kristen to serve on the Commission’s Executive Committee, providing strategic direction on goals, objectives, policy and budgetary issues that impact the region.