Lance has been employed by the City of Fort Smith since 1996. During his tenure, he has served as the Utilities Department Chemist 1996 – 2012, Environmental Manager 2012 – 2015, and Deputy Director of Operations 2015 – 2019. Lance has been recognized several times by numerous state organizations for his water and wastewater industry achievements. His extensive knowledge, experience, and leadership skills made him the perfect candidate to lead the Department, and he was promoted to Director of Water Utilities in 2019.

Lance’s recognition and achievements include awards for laboratory, safety, education, management, and service to the water and wastewater professionals in the State of Arkansas.

Lance currently serves on both the Wastewater License Committee and Drinking Water License Advisory Committee for both the Arkansas Division of Environmental Quality and Arkansas Department of Health. He serves as an officer in the Arkansas Water Works and Water Environment Association. He has also served as an officer in the Arkansas Water Environment Association. He enjoys presenting papers and lectures and has done so at the local, state, regional, and national levels.

Before coming to Fort Smith, Lance worked in the private environmental consulting field. He supervised a laboratory and worked with clients to identify and address operational issues at their treatment facilities.

Lance earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Arkansas Tech University in 1991. He holds licenses in water treatment, water distribution, and wastewater treatment. He has also served as adjunct faculty for the Arkansas Environmental Training Academy.

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Joshua has been with the City of Fort Smith since 2016. During his tenure, he served as the Water Utilities Communications & Training Manager from 2016 – 2018 and then promoted to Deputy Director of Business Administration. This division includes Business Analytics, Logistics Support, Fleet Maintenance, Communications, Training & Safety, Customer Outreach, and Customer Services.

Before coming to Fort Smith, Joshua worked in the private customer service and business process outsourcing field. He held positions in workforce management, project management, customer service, training, and client services.

Joshua earned a Bachelor of Arts in Applied Communications and holds certifications in Project Management and Customer Service.

Jimmie began working for the City of Fort Smith directly out of college in 1990. He began his tenure as Engineer in Training and has worked many positions in the Water Utilities Department, including Project Engineer, Senior Project Engineer, Superintendent of Maintenance, and Deputy Director of Systems. He became the Deputy Director of Engineering in January of 2021. The Water Utilities Engineering division includes Water Projects, Water Reclamation Projects, Construction Inspection, Backflow, and Cross-Connection.

Jimmie obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering and a Master’s Degree in Environmental Engineering. He also holds several water and wastewater certifications, including a Professional Engineering License, Class IV Water Distribution License, Class IV Water Treatment License, and Class III Wastewater License.

Rahul joined the City of Fort Smith Water Utilities in late 2020 as the Deputy Director of Operations. The Operations division manages several programs broadly classified into Treatment (Water / Water Reclamation), Environmental Quality, and Stationary Equipment.

Rahul has extensive private industry experience diversifying in manufacturing, engineering, energy, and analytics domains.

He obtained his MS in Industrial Engineering in TX, where he has been a registered Professional Engineer (Mechanical) since 2012. A certified Project Manager from PMI, he recently completed an Executive MBA from the University of Arkansas - Fayetteville.

Kenneth joined the City of Fort Smith Water Utilities Department in February of 2023 as the Deputy Director of Systems. This division manages several programs broadly classified into Water Line Maintenance, Sewer Line Maintenance, Metering, and System Control.

Before coming to Fort Smith, Kenneth gained extensive experience from the ground up in water utilities operations. He’s held positions as Wastewater Plant Operator, Capital Improvement Projects Lead Plant Operator, Superintendent of Operations, Utility Manager, and Utility Director.

He holds an Association of Arts degree in Public Utility Management from the University of Maryland, along with almost 20 years of experience working with other water municipalities.