Two New Directors Join Metropolitan’s Board Representing LA, Glendale

Two new directors representing the cities of Los Angeles and Glendale were seated today on the board of directors of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

The Natural Resources Defense Council’s Tracy Quinn was nominated by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to represent the city on Metropolitan’s 38-member board. She succeeds Mark Gold, who served as a director since April 2016. Vartan Gharpetian, who was elected to the Glendale City Council in 2015, replaces Zareh Sinanyan, who represented the city on Metropolitan’s board since December 2016.

Quinn is California director of water efficiency for NRDC, a nonprofit environmental organization that advocates for the protection of natural resources, with a focus on issue areas such as water, climate change, food, health and energy. Quinn’s nearly two-decade career has focused on ensuring safe, sufficient and affordable water for Californians, most recently centering on the challenges and opportunities for California in the face of climate change.

Prior to joining the NRDC in 2011, Quinn was a water resources engineer for Kennedy/Jenks Consultants, focusing on a wide range of water-related issues, including resources planning, infrastructure design and stormwater regulation compliance. She is a registered engineer and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agricultural and biological engineering from Cornell University.

Chief Executive Officer of Glendale Commercial Inc., a real estate and development company, Gharpetian serves on a number of Glendale community organizations, including as vice chair of the Glendale Housing Authority. He is an active member of the Glendale Historical Society, Glendale Chamber of Commerce, Glendale Police Foundation and Glendale Adventist Health Civic Advisory Board.

Gharpetian also is secretary of the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority, and serves as a member of the League of California Cities’ Transportation, Communication and Public Works Policy Committee, and the Southern California Association of Government’s Community, Economic and Human Development Committee. In addition, he serves on the California Contract Cities Association Board of Directors.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a state-established cooperative that, along with its 26 cities and retail suppliers, provide water for nearly 19 million people in six counties. The district imports water from the Colorado River and Northern California to supplement local supplies, and helps its members to develop increased water conservation, recycling, storage and other resource-management programs.

Note to editors: Photos of Metropolitan’s new directors are available upon request.