SmartCover Adds Two Members to Board of Directors
Escondido, CA, July 15, 2024 — SmartCover Systems® is pleased to announce the appointment of two new members to its Board of Directors. Yvonne Williams Forrest and Peiffer Brandt bring more than 60 years of combined experience to the leader in sewer and stormwater collection system optimization.
Forrest is the former Director for the City of Houston, TX, Water Department and Brandt is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Raftelis, a national management consulting firm that serves local governments and public utilities in the water, wastewater, and stormwater industries.
“We are excited to expand our Board with two new members who bring diverse expertise and insights that will help both SmartCover and Data Flow Systems strategically plan for the future of innovative and reliable approaches to monitoring remote infrastructures,” said Corey Williams, SmartCover President and Chief Executive Officer.
Forrest recently retired as Director of Houston Water, a position she held since 2017. She directed sewer and water operations in the fourth largest city in the United States and at one of the largest public utilities within the United States, with an operating budget that exceeded $657 million.
A chemical engineer with 35 years of professional experience, Forrest is highly regarded in the water/wastewater industry. Prior to joining the City of Houston Public Works Department more than 20 years ago, Ms. Forrest worked for 15 years as an engineer in the private sector developing processes to ensure compliance with environmental regulations, permits, and corporate standards.
“I am excited to join the SmartCover Board and contribute to each brand’s vision and continued success,” said Forrest, who also served on the Board of Directors for the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA), US Water Alliance, and the Water Research Foundation.
Brandt, who also has a degree in chemical engineering, has spent his 26-year career at Raftelis. He joined the company in 1998, five years after the company formed, and was appointed Chief Executive Officer in 2017. During his career, Brandt has been highly active in the water and wastewater industry, including with the American Water Works Association (AWWA), Water Environment Federation (WEF), and the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA). He brings with him technical knowledge and financial acumen, encompassing corporate finance, strategy, capital allocation, and mergers and acquisitions.
“This is an exciting time to join SmartCover. I look forward to contributing as the company continues to strategically tackle new areas of growth and support utilities as they face more frequent and extreme climate changes,” Brandt said.
Brandt is the former Chair of the North Carolina AWWA-WEA Finance and Management Committee and co-authored a chapter entitled “Public Outreach and Gaining Stakeholder Commitment” for the fourth edition of the industry guidebook, Water and Wastewater Finance and Pricing: The Changing Landscape.
About SmartCover Systems
For nearly 20 years, SmartCover has provided cost-effective satellite remote monitoring solutions to eliminate sewer overflows, optimize collection system cleaning, minimize odorous H2S gas, and accurately identify inflow and infiltration (I&I). With its acquisition of Data Flow Systems, SmartCover also provides lift station monitoring and pump controls, forming the most comprehensive collection system optimization platform. A comprehensive dashboard with alarms and notifications allows customers to efficiently manage real-time data to enhance performance, reduce costs, and optimize resources. For more information about SmartCover visit www.smartcoversystems.com.
