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Executive Leadership Team
Louisville Water Company’s Executive Leadership Team (ELT) includes the President & CEO, Vice Presidents, and the Local 1683 Union President.
Together, this team sets strategic priorities, manages daily operations, and ensures that customers always have access to high-quality Louisville Pure Tap®.
President and CEO
President/CEO Mr. Bruce is a graduate of the University of Kentucky with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. He is licensed as a Professional Engineer with over 29 years of professional experience joining the Company in 2006. Mr. Bruce is a member of the American Water Works Association, Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, and the Kentucky Society of Professional Engineers.
He is also active in his local church having held multiple leadership positions. He graduated from Leadership Louisville and Leadership Kentucky. He currently serves on the following Boards: Louisville Water Foundation, Greater Louisville Inc., ORSANCO, Louisville/Jefferson County Information Consortium, Louisville Labor Management Committee, and the University of Kentucky Mechanical Engineering Advisory Board.
Executive Vice President
Mr. Vogel is responsible for Safety, Customer Service, Metering & Billing, and Distribution Operations. Mr. Vogel is a graduate of the University of Maryland where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering, as well as an MBA. Mr. Vogel has spent the last 30 years in the utility business.
He is the current Board Chair of the Better Business Bureau, an Executive Board Member for the Kentucky Derby Festival, a Board Member for the Water Customer Care Forum, and a graduate of Leadership Louisville and Leadership Kentucky.
Vice President Production Operations and Chief Engineer
Mr. Bryant has over 32 years of engineering experience in the consulting, manufacturing, and water industry. Mr. Bryant received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Engineering degrees from the University of Louisville. He worked eight years in industrial manufacturing and 21 years in water treatment process engineering, maintenance, and production. Mr. Bryant is a member of the American Water Works Association, the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), and the Kentucky Society of Professional Engineers.
Mr. Bryant is a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in Kentucky. He also holds a Class-IVA water treatment license in Kentucky and a WTP-3 water treatment license in Indiana. He has served as Louisville Section Chair of IEEE and received their Louisville Section Service Award. He has also received the Julian Carroll Kentucky Management Award from the Kentucky Labor-Management Conference.
Vice President, Communications and Marketing
In her 23-year career at the company, Ms. Smith has developed strategic partnerships and communication efforts that focus on building the utility’s brand. She directs Louisville Water’s internal and external communications, brand development, education, public affairs, and economic development efforts.
Ms. Smith authored a book highlighting Louisville Water’s history and oversaw the development of the “WaterWorks Museum” at the company’s 1860 original pumping station. Prior to working with the utility , Ms. Smith worked in television news. She is Chair of the American Water Works Association’s Public Affairs Council and frequently speaks to utilities and organizations on best-practices for branding and communication. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism from Eastern Kentucky University.
Vice President, Human Resources and Labor Relations
Mr. Spence directs all human resource department functions including corporate strategy implementation, policies, procedures, benefits, adherence to Equal Employment Opportunity, and other regulatory compliance. He has provided human resources leadership to various past local and regional employers including WHAS-TV/WVEC-TV/WBIR-TV, Coca-Cola Enterprises, High Speed Access (now Spectrum Communications), and Kentucky Higher Education Student Loan Corporation.
Mr. Spence has over 20 years in the human resources profession and is a member of the National Society of Human Resources Managers. A native of Louisville, Mr. Spence grew up in the city’s West End. He graduated from the University of Louisville with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications. He sits on the board of directors for the Louisville Water Foundation, Family & Children’s Place, and volunteers as a mentor with local public schools.
Vice President, Regulatory Compliance, Risk, Security, and General Counsel
Mr. Tigue is responsible for the administration and oversight of all internal and external legal services, regulatory compliance, risk, and security administration provided to the company. Mr. Tigue holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Louisville and a Juris Doctor from the University of Notre Dame. Prior to joining Louisville Water, Mr. Tigue began practice at Greenebaum Doll & McDonald, PLLC in 1999 followed by 14 years as a Member of Middleton Reutlinger, both in Louisville, Kentucky. At Middleton Reutlinger, Mr. Tigue’s practice focused on all aspects of land use and development, including complex real property transactions, general commercial and real property litigation, eminent domain, planning and zoning as well as municipal and administrative agency representation.
Mr. Tigue has been recognized by Chambers USA® 2008-2015 as a leading lawyer in real estate and zoning in Kentucky, by The Best Lawyers in America® 2012-2015 in commercial and municipal litigation, Kentucky Super Lawyers® 2012, 2013 and 2015 in commercial litigation and municipal litigation, and by Louisville Magazine’s Top Lawyers 2012-2014 in real estate law and land use and zoning law.
Vice President, Finance and Treasurer
Ms. Pearson directs all finance-related functions including accounting, accounts payable, payroll, budget and rates, and procurement. Ms. Pearson is a Certified Public Accountant, graduating from the University of Kentucky with a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting and an MBA. Prior to joining the company, Ms. Pearson spent 18 years with Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc. a large, privately owned media company headquartered in Alabama, serving as its Executive Vice President & CFO.
She has also worked in banking and public accounting. She is a member of the American Water Works Association, the American Institute of CPAs, and the Kentucky Society of CPAs. Ms. Pearson is also a board member and treasurer of the Louisville Water Foundation.
Local 1683 President
Before becoming AFSCME Local 1683 President in March 2024, Mr. Jared previously served as vice president from February 2023 -February 2024. Coming from a family with a long history at Louisville Water, he joined the company in 2007 as a general laborer before becoming a plumber leader’s assistant, plumber leader, and heavy equipment operator. As the lead negotiator and chair for Local 1683, Mr. Jared is responsible for union employee grievances and represents union membership in company-wide meetings. He is the ‘voice’ for nearly 150 union members. He is focused on growing Local 1683 and working together with the Company to help both succeed together. Mr. Jared is part of Louisville Water’s Executive Union Management Alliance Council (EUMAC) which includes a mixture of union and non-union employees who work together to develop goals and strategies to continuously improve Louisville Water and the services it provides. EUMAC also focuses on creating opportunities and projects to foster teambuilding between Local 1683 and Company employees.
Mr. Jared will continue to support the Jimmy Stone Memorial Golf Scramble (founded by Louisville Water and Metro United Way) in honor of a fallen employee. The annual scramble benefits the Jimmy Stone Memorial Locker Room at Neighborhood House in Portland.
Vice President, Chief Information Officer
Mr. Knott was previously the IT director for Louisville Water starting in 2019. Mr. Knott has held several IT leadership positions in various business segments including both domestic and global responsibilities. He is a graduate of Troy University with a bachelor’s degree in Information Technology. He holds an MBA from Bowling Green State University. Mr. Knott has worked over 35 years in the field of information technology.