Des Moines Water Works Names Amy Kahler Next CEO

DES MOINES – The Des Moines Water Works Board of Trustees has chosen Chief Financial Officer Amy Kahler to lead the state’s largest drinking water utility. Kahler is the first woman to serve in the top leadership role.

Kahler will serve as Chief Executive Officer and General Manager starting July 18 with theretirement of current CEO Ted Corrigan. She has more than 25 years of experience leading the financial, customer and business operations for Des Moines Water Works.

“I’m honored and excited to lead the utility in writing our next chapter,” Kahler said. “As an anchor institution in central Iowa, Des Moines Water Works plays a vital role in our community. I’m proud to have worked alongside our dedicated team to contribute to that legacy and remain deeply committed to continuing to build a strong culture and a resilient water utility for
the future.”

Prior to joining Des Moines Water Works, Kahler, 53, was a financial analyst for Principal Financial Group and an auditor for Deloitte. She has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Iowa State University and is a certified public accountant. While her background is in finance and business operations, Kahler has also led the utility’s customer service and marketing department.

In recent years, Kahler has been deeply involved in the development of Central Iowa Water Works, the region’s new multi-jurisdictional agency that oversees water treatment and production, helping to draft the agreement, negotiate terms and construct the financial model. The Board of Water Works Trustees selected Kahler because of her strong leadership and communication skills, collaborative mindset and problem-solving during her tenure at DMWW and throughout the development of Central Iowa Water Works. The Board viewed Kahler’s financial and customer service experience as critical for its next CEO to ensure customers’ needs and affordability of water rates are balanced with long-range planning decisions and improvements to water infrastructure, Board of Trustees Chairwoman Andrea Boulton said.

“Different from past CEOs who leaned toward technical operations, we appreciate that Amy’s professional experience in multiple areas of the utility will enable her to consider challenges and opportunities that are customer-centric, financially focused, and serve DMWW’s larger mission, organizational values and workplace culture,” Boulton said.