City Manager Spencer Cronk announced Roalson's appointment Dec. 27, weeks after sharing a shortlist of three finalists for the role. Roalson beat out candidates from San Antonio and Ann Arbor, and will begin work as AW's director Jan. 1.
In a statement, Cronk credited Roalson's experience at Austin Water and expressed thanks to the utility's two previous leaders, former Director Greg Meszaros and interim Director Robert Goode. Roalson will take over with 29 years of water utility experience, including several at Austin Water, where she has served as an assistant director over engineering services since spring 2020.
“I am very excited about the opportunity to be the city of Austin’s next Austin Water director,” Roalson said in a statement. “I look forward to creating opportunities to support and empower employees of the department while continuing to build trust in the community in order to provide exceptional water utility services to the residents of Austin.”
Cronk's December announcement wrapped up the nearly three-month selection process for the utility's next director, which opened in October under consultant Affion Public and generated a pool of more than 50 applicants.
Roalson's appointment also caps off an extended leadership transition at the utility that began in February when Meszaros resigned amid Austin's third citywide boil-water notice in recent years. Goode, a former assistant city manager, was tapped in March to temporarily fill the role.
The string of boil-water incidents prompted city officials to call for a full audit of Austin Water earlier this year. That work is being handled by The University of Texas and is expected to be released in January.
