BOARD OF TRUSTEES
The Central Iowa Water Works Board of Trustees is governed by a 13-member board charged with responsibility for establishing operational policies and procedures as well as directing water system planning and overseeing drinking water production for the region. Among CIWW’s first priorities are a pending expansion at the Saylorville Water Treatment Plant north of Des Moines and source water development planning to ensure ample capacity for the region’s future growth and development.
Board Vice-Chair, West Des Moines Water Works
Jody Smith, Chair
Jody Smith, the chair of CIWW, has spent his career in municipal and city operations and management, including more than 25 years with the City of West Des Moines. In 2016, he was appointed to the West Des Moines Water Works Board
of Trustees where he serves as chair of the planning and regionalization committee and as a member of the finance and audit committee.
A native of Palo Alto County, Jody graduated from Buena Vista University in Storm Lake with a double major of history and politico-economic systems. After college, he was the city clerk-treasurer in Clinton, Iowa, as well as mayor of Ayrshire, Iowa.
Jody volunteers time and leadership with church, community, and service clubs. He is a Legion of Honor member of Kiwanis International and he was inducted into the Iowa League of Cities Hall of Fame in 2001.
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John Edwards, Vice-Chair
Mayor, City of Clive
John Edwards was elected mayor of Clive in 2021 and started his first term in January 2022. Prior to that, he was elected to the Clive City Council in 1995 and then re-elected for six additional consecutive terms.
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From 1998-2005, and from 2009-2021 he filled the role of mayor pro tem. He has chaired the personnel committee since 2018 and served on its predecessor committees for multiple years. Before being elected to the city council he served on the Clive Library Committee and the Clive Active Park Task Force. He twice was elected chair of the Board of Trustees of the Des Moines Metropolitan Transit Authority, serving in 1997-98 and 2003-04, with tenure on the MTA board for more than a decade. From 2007 to 2018 he served on the Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and is currently on the MPO Surface Transportation Program (STP) Funding Subcommittee. He has been a representative to the Metro Advisory Council (MAC) since 2005, was elected chair in 2018, and has been re-elected three times since then.
John is Professor of Law, Associate Dean for Information Resources and Technology, and director of the Law Library at Drake University Law School. He has lived in Clive since 1984 when his position at Drake brought him to the Des Moines metro. John and his wife Beth Ann have three adult children and four grandchildren.
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Diane Munns, Secretary
Trustee, Des Moines Water Works
Diane Munns has served on the Des Moines Board of Water Works Trustees since 2017. Munns has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa and a law degree from Drake University. She served as general counsel for the Iowa Utilities Board and later served on its board as a member and then its chair. Munns was elected to two terms as president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. She has worked at the Edison Electric Institute in Washington D.C., for MidAmerican Energy Co. and the Environmental Defense Fund. Munns has served on the Des Moines Civil Service Commission. She and her husband, Roger, have three children and seven grandchildren
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Jake Anderson
City Administrator, City of Grimes
Jake Anderson represents the City of Grimes on the board of Central Iowa Water Works. Originally from Harcourt, Iowa, Jake received his bachelor’s degree from Buena Vista University and a master’s degree in public administration from Drake University. He has been the city administrator for Grimes since 2018. Previously, Jake served as the city administrator for the City of Van Meter. In addition to serving on the CIWW board, Jake is the Grimes alternate on the MPO Policy Committee and is currently the president of the Iowa City/CountyManagement Association. Jake is also on the board of directors of the Iowa Foundation for Microenterprise & Community Vitality .
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Courtney Clarke
Mayor, City of Waukee
Courtney Clarke was elected to her first term on the Waukee City Council during the November 2017 election and then was elected as Mayor of Waukee in November 2019. She, her husband and their four children moved to Waukee in 2009 because they were looking for a true community in which to raise their family. Courtney earned bachelor’s degrees in business management, international business and French from Iowa State University. Professionally, she is an Institutional Portfolio Manager and oversees insurance and nonprofit client relationship development. Courtney is a governor-appointed board member of the Iowa Child Advocacy Board.
As Mayor, she serves as vice chairperson for MIALGand sits on the boards of Capital Crossroads Governance Committee, and Waukee Leadership Institute as well as the executive boards for the Iowa League of Cities and the Iowa Mayors Association.
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Tom Cope
Council Member, City of Johnston
Tom Cope was first elected to the Johnston City Council in 2011, and was re-elected in 2015, 2019, and 2023. He, along with his wife Lynn, son Davis, and daughter Harper, have resided in Johnston since 2004. He is a principal in Cope Murphy + Co., which provides state government relations services in Iowa.
As part of his service on the Johnston City Council, he also serves as a representative for Central Iowa Water Works Board of Trustees, a Member Representative and past chair for the Metro Advisory Council, and as an ex-officio board member to the Johnston Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors. Previously, he served on the board of the Metro Waste Authority and the Des Moines Metropolitan Planning Organization. Active in the community, Tom has coached youth sports and previously served on his church’s board of trustees. He also is the current board chair for the Iowa Wildlife Federation.
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Mike Schrock
Interim City Manager, City of Ankeny
Mike Schrock serves as the interim City Manager at the City of Ankeny. Mike brings experience complex management and administrative duties to the CIWW board. In addition, he is responsible for management oversight of Municipal Utilities, Community Development, Parks & Recreation and Public Works. Prior to his appointment as assistant city manager, Mike served as the City manager for the City of Oskaloosa for 12 years. Mike has a master’s degree in Public Administration from University of Arizona and a bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University.
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Carol Butler Freeman
Director, Warren Water District
Susan Huppert
Retired Trustee, Des Moines Water Works
Susan Huppert was appointed to the Des Moines Water Works Board of Water Works Trustees on January 24, 2005, for a two-year term to fill a vacancy on the board and subsequently was reappointed for an additional six-year term commencing April 1, 2013. After graduating from Iowa State University in 1978, she worked for Xerox Corporation for 30 years. In 2008, Huppert joined Des Moines University and is recently retired from the post of chief of external and governmental affairs. Huppert served as the chair of the Gray’s Lake Planning and Design Committee and continues to work on the project through her involvement on the Meredith Trail and Gray’s Lake Advisory Committee.
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Dan Lovett
Board Chair, Xenia Rural Water Dist.
Dan Lovett has served on the board of directors of Xenia Rural Water since 2011. For most of this tenure Dan has been chair, helping to lead Xenia through financial challenges.With degrees in environmental engineering and biology from the University of Iowa and Iowa State University respectively, Dan spent 37 years as a consulting engineer. The primary focus of his career with HR Green Company was working with cities and industries on potable water improvements. After starting the Des Moines office for HR Green in 1988, Dan continued to build the business as vice president, reaching director of operations before his retirement in 2013. Growing up on a farm in southern Iowa, Dan says that he learned first-hand about the economic and health benefits of plentiful, safe water, noting “We were continually on the verge of being out of water.” Dan and his wife live in Granger near Jester Park, and together they have two grown sons; one living in Iowa and the other in residing in Maryland.
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John McCune
Board Chair, Urbandale Water Utility
John McCune is a 1973 graduate of Northwest Missouri State University, receiving a bachelor’s degree in accounting. He later became a certified public accountant (CPA). Formerly, he was a partner with the nationally certified public accounting firm, RSM. In addition to being president of the Northwest Missouri State University Alumni Board of Directors, he has been a former national fundraising chairman for the Northwest Foundation, Inc., current chairman of the Urbandale Water Board of Trustees, past treasurer of the Central Iowa Hospice Foundation, past treasurer of Mid-Iowa Council of Boy Scouts, and past president of the Hyperion Field Club.
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Tom Phillips
Mayor, City of Norwalk
Chelsea Huisman
City Manager, City of Polk City
Chelsea Huisman serves as the City Manager for Polk City, Iowa, where she oversees municipal operations and strategic initiatives to improve the local community. In addition to her role in Polk City, she represents the city on the Board of Trustees for Central Iowa Water Works, contributing to regional water system planning and governance.
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Chelsea holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Drake University and is recognized as a Credentialed Manager by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), reflecting her commitment to ethical leadership and professional excellence in local government.
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