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Worked at Louisville Water since 2001
Kerry Forster moved from Nashville to Louisville in 2001 with a background in “marketing, creating proposals, presentations, marketing material, and ad copy for newspaper and Yellow Pages advertising,” she said.
She was hoping to secure a role as a marketing coordinator or something similar, but she soon found a job as a temporary contract processor in engineering at Louisville Water, placed through a staffing agency.
Her journey with the company quickly evolved. In January 2002, she was invited to stay on, assisting with special marketing projects for the vice president of engineering and providing administrative support at the Crescent Hill Water Treatment Plant. When the engineering clerk retired in May 2002, Forster took over her duties full-time. That October, she was officially hired as office coordinator. In 2011, her title changed to Compliance Specialist and more recently to Compliance Specialist II.
“I’ve been in the same position for almost 23 years,” she said, “just went through a few title changes.”
What does a compliance specialist do? Forster’s role centers on four key areas: regulatory compliance and production activities, financial and accounting activities, document controls, and administrative support.
Her responsibilities within these areas are extensive. Forster manages production operations compliance reports such as the monthly operating reports. She maintains the company’s licensed operator’s list with the Kentucky Division of Water. She plays a crucial role in state inspections, creates and maintains production data reports, processes chemical receipts and invoices, manages utility accounts, and oversees record retention both on- and off-site.
Forster said one of the challenges of her job is meeting compliance reporting deadlines.
“Several people are responsible for providing data in the reports and if something is omitted or missed, it could result in a reporting violation,” she explained.
Despite the stress of juggling numerous deadlines, she finds immense satisfaction in successfully meeting these challenges: “We haven’t had a reporting violation in years, and we’ve never had a reporting violation due to data entry errors on the reports I’m responsible for.”
“I’ve been fortunate through the years to have a boss who recognized that I thrive on challenges,” she added. “Every director I’ve reported to knew my strengths and helped me grow in my position by giving me additional responsibilities and special projects that challenged me.”
Forster’s most vivid memories at Louisville Water are tied to emergency situations — moments when teamwork was crucial. She remembers such incidents as the 2008 windstorm, the 2009 ice storm, and several major water main breaks, including the 2015 Grinstead Avenue event that swallowed a vehicle. Through it all, what stood out to her was “the teamwork that employees throughout the company displayed to ensure water kept flowing to the customers.”
One particular memory involved a 48-inch main break at Zorn Avenue in April 2002. While still acclimating to her role, Forster was asked to take minutes for the incident meeting — a task made challenging by her unfamiliarity with the technical language. With the support of colleagues, she turned the experience into a valuable learning opportunity.
Another memorable episode occurred a year or two later when an ice storm made it nearly impossible for many employees to get to work. A maintenance mechanic picked up Forster to distribute paychecks — a testament to both her dedication and the collaborative spirit at Louisville Water.
When she’s not at work, Forster enjoys traveling and a wide range of family activities.
“My significant other plays in a couple of bands so when I’m not working, I like to go to his gigs,” she said. “I also read books, cook, and we enjoy traveling around the country to visit our family and friends. We have relatives in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona, Texas, Georgia, North Carolina and upstate New York that we travel to see, usually driving and sightseeing along the way.
“Some of the places we’ve been to are the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the hockey rink in Lake Placid where the 1980 US Men’s Hockey Team beat Russia and eventually won the gold medal, the Surf Ballroom (the last venue Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper played), Woodstock, Hank Williams’ home, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Little Bighorn Battlefield (Custer’s Last Stand Memorial), Mt. Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Memorial and Yellowstone National Park, to name a few.”
Forster’s love of travel and exploring new places mirrors her willingness to embrace additional responsibilities and projects at Louisville Water. Whether visiting national landmarks or navigating the complexities of compliance reporting, Forster’s readiness to take on new challenges is evident in both her personal and professional pursuits.
