Madison Resident Tapped To Lead Connecticut Water

MADISON, CT — A Madison utility executive is being tapped to take over as president of Connecticut Water.

Connecticut Water Service, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of SJW Group, announced Friday today that Maureen P. Westbrook, president of CTWS and the Connecticut Water Company, plans to retire on Dec. 31, and Craig J. Patla, vice president of service delivery and a Madison resident, is expected to succeed her as president of CTWS and CWC, effective on Jan. 1, 2023.

Connecticut Water serves most of north central Connecticut through the massive Shenipsit Lake reservoir.

"Maureen has been vital to our success in serving our customers and communities and achieving meaningful environmental goals. She has been a strong leader of our people, with a focus on driving our culture and values," stated CTWS and SJW Board Chairman Eric W. Thornburg. "The water industry and our own customers and employees will benefit from Maureen’s contributions well into the future, and we thank her for her service."

Westbrook began her career at CWC in 1988 and has been president since October 2019.

Thornburg continued, “Craig is the ideal successor to Maureen, given his extensive operational expertise and unwavering commitment to customer service, community connections and employee safety. In addition, he reflects the values of honesty, integrity, trust and respect that are critical in our business.”

Patla started his career at CWC in 1990 as a field engineer working on drinking water infrastructure projects. Over the years, he has held positions of increasing responsibility, and since 2014, he has served as the vice president of service delivery and has been a member of the Connecticut leadership team.

“Craig has been an integral part of many critical business decisions at the company for nearly a decade and has worked on water utility matters with state regulators at the Department of Public Health, the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA), and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection,” stated Westbrook. She added, “He is highly respected in the water industry and by local officials in our service communities. I am confident that Connecticut Water is in good hands under Craig’s leadership.”

In Patla’s previous role, he was responsible for all company supply operations, field services, water quality, environmental compliance, safety and engineering, and planning functions for the company. He led a statewide team of professionals charged with providing safe drinking water and delivering infrastructure projects in communities the company serves. He led the company's emergency response efforts during major storm events and widespread power outages and is engaged with state regulators on its Emergency Support Function No. 12 team.

"I am honored to take on the role of president of CTWS and CWC, and I look forward to working with our talented, passionate team of water professionals to build on our record of water quality, service and environmental stewardship," Patla said. "I have been fortunate to be mentored by Maureen and other exceptional leaders at Connecticut Water for more than three decades, and I look forward to building on the strengths of the organization and its people.”

Patla will immediately focus on identifying successors for his current position and further defining the Connecticut Water leadership team to deliver on the company’s short- and long-term strategic goals, officials said.

Patla is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Connecticut. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Massachusetts.