Metropolitan Water District Executive and Alum Featured at Second CNBS Distinguished Speaker Series Luncheon

Alumnus Gilbert Ivey (Class of ’75, B.A., business administration) presented “Is Water the Oil of the 21st Century?: Local and Global Issues Impacting a Vital Resource” at the College of Natural and Behavioral Sciences (CNBS) Distinguished Speakers Series Luncheon on March 28 in the Loker Student Union at California State University, Dominguez Hills. Ivey is the assistant general manager and chief administrative officer for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWDSC).

“Water is a global issue that has been at the root of wars across the world, between nations, countries, states, cities and villages,” Ivey told the audience. His presentation included maps and other data on growing water scarcity and its impact on economy, world population, the environment and wildlife preservation. He also spoke on local and statewide efforts, including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Blue Ribbon Task Force, a committee examining the management of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta as a critical and sustainable ecosystem that provides economic and environmental support to California.

Ivey began working at MWDSC as an intern while still in school, and in his 35-year career with the water district, has worked in nearly every division, including finance, operations, human resources and the district’s administrative offices. In his current position, he is responsible for the administrative management of the district and also serves as the liaison to its 37-member board of directors.

Other milestones of Ivey’s career include negotiating several major transactions such as the lease for the District's former headquarters at California Plaza for below-market rates, and favorable above-market sale transactions for the District's former Sunset Boulevard headquarters and its Bolsa Chica property. He was also project director in charge of development and construction of MWDSC’s current headquarters at Union Station, delivering the $135 million facility two months ahead of schedule and under budget.

Ivey’s selection as distinguished speaker coincides with the college’s plans to add a new master's degree in environmental science, which will address these water issues as well as other matters pertaining to sustainability.

This CNBS Distinguished Speakers Series Luncheon was co-sponsored by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and the Center for Teaching and Learning at CSU Dominguez Hills.

- Amy Bentley-Smith and Joanie Harmon

Photo above: Charles Hohm, dean of the College of Natural and Behavioral Sciences, thanks Gilbert Ivey, assistant general manager and chief administrative officer for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California for speaking to the CSUDH campus community on current water issues. Photo by GK