The Long Island Water Conference (LIWC) has announced that Hicksville Water District Commissioner Karl Schweitzer has been elected its new chairman. Schweitzer, who has been active in the LIWC for more than seven years, previously served as first vice chairman of the conference.
“I am honored to have been elected chairman,” said Schweitzer. “The Water Conference is dedicated to providing Long Island with a pure and plentiful water supply and we will continue to support our members who provide this essential service to every household throughout Long Island at the lowest cost in the nation.”
Environmental health and safety have been the centerpiece of Commissioner Schweitzer’s professional career, as well as his tenure with the Hicksville Water District. A certified utility safety administrator professionally, Schweitzer’s focus with the district continues to be the safety and security of the environment as well as the employees and the residents he serves.
“I’ve always been involved with environmental health and safety throughout my professional career with local utilities. I started way back with Grumman and for the last 25 years I did environmental affairs and safety affairs, so it was a natural fit when I got elected into the Hicksville Water District as commissioner,” said Schweitzer.
Schweitzer holds a bachelor’s degree in safety engineering and is affiliated with many professional organizations including the AWWA where he received appointments at a national level to the Health, Safety and Security Committee, the Public Officials Committee and the Emergency Preparedness Committee. He is also past president of the Nassau-Suffolk Water Commissioner Association and past president of the Long Island Special Districts Association (LISDA).
A 1981 graduate of Hicksville High School, Schweitzer’s family ties to the community date back to 1928. He resides in a house that has been in his family for more than half a century. As a third-generation firefighter, he has served in a multitude of leadership positions with the Hicksville Fire Department including chief from 1996 to 1997. He has been an active member of the department for 30 years.
Schweitzer is currently working for a gas, steam and electric utility, where he is manager of the environmental health and safety for the largest electric operations region in the five boroughs of Brooklyn/Queens. Previously, he worked for KeySpan Energy (formerly LILCO) as power plant safety supervisor and for Grumman Aerospace in its corporate safety division.
Schweitzer and his wife, Lynn, have been married for 27 years and are the proud parents of their daughter Jennifer, who teaches in the East Meadow School District.
For more information visit www.liwc.org.
