Executive Management (2024)

Ron Flynnis the Deputy General Manager and Chief Operating Officer of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.Appointed to this role in 2022, Ron works with the General Manager on all policy and strategic initiatives, oversees the agency’s daily operations, including business services (finance, accounting, audits, customer services, information technology), external affairs (communications, legislative, community benefits, equity), and Human Resources. Prior to this position, Ron served for almost 16 years in the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office under Dennis Herrera. For the last seven years he was the Chief Deputy City Attorney, where he oversaw the City’s litigation teams, as well as worked closely with departments and agencies, including the SFPUC, on procurement, financial, and litigation matters. He worked on Hetch Hetchy litigation, PG&E’s bankruptcy, and other SFPUC-related issues. Ron previously served as Team Leader of the Construction and Public Contracting Team in the City Attorney’s Office, working on many SFPUC projects, including the Water System Improvement Program (WSIP).Ron is a Bay Area native who lives in San Francisco. He graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (B.Sc.), Harvard University (Ed.M.), and University of California, Berkeley School of Law (J.D.)

Barbara Hale is Assistant General Manager of the Power Enterprise, with an annual operating budget of $150 million and annual capital budget of approximately $25 million. She oversees all aspects of the sales of 1.6 billion kWh/yr to retail and wholesale customers; needed purchases of energy, transmission, and distribution services; development and implementation of energy efficiency and renewable generation projects and programs; and maintenance and operation of City-owned and located streetlights, switchgear, and substations. She provides strategic advice on energy policy matters to the SFPUC Commission, and she acts as liaison for the SFPUC with State and Federal agencies responsible for energy policy. She previously worked for the State of California Public Utilities Commission in various positions, including Advisor to the President, Administrative Law Judge, and Director of Strategic Planning.

Wendy Macy is the Chief People Officer overseeing comprehensive human resources services team responsible for a wide range of critical services including recruitment and retention of 2,300 employees across eight counties, people science and strategy, health and safety, employee and labor relations, equal employment opportunity, learning management, and payroll. Prior to joining the PUC, Wendy was General Manager Personnel for the City of Los Angeles, running a department of over 600 human resources professionals. She has over twenty years of executive experience in public agencies, serving as Personnel Director and Chief Operating Officer for the Los Angeles Unified School District, and Human Resources Director for the County of Sonoma. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from Harvard College and her law degree from Harvard Law School. Wendy also has a great deal of background, training and experience in mediation and conflict resolution.

Joel Pratheristhe Assistant General Manager of the Wastewater Enterprise. His professional background includes more than a decade at the SFPUC’s Wastewater Enterprise and over 20 years with the City and County of San Francisco. He started with San Francisco Public Works in the Bureau of Street and Sewer Repair and came to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission in 2011 as a Maintenance Planner. Prior to being appointed to his current role, he held the position of Maintenance Manager, where he managed the day-to-day maintenance systems and practices for wastewater treatment facilities. He earned a BA in urban studies from San Francisco State University.

Steven Ritchie is Assistant General Manager of the Water Enterprise, where he oversees water system operations and planning from Hetch Hetchy through the Regional Water System to the City Distribution Division, and the management of lands and natural resources. He served as Manager of Planning from 1995-98. Previously, he managed the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project, a multi-agency effort to restore 15,100 acres of valuable habitat in South San Francisco Bay while providing for flood risk management and public access. He has served in management positions at the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board (1987-95), the CalFed Bay-Delta Program (1998-2000), and URS consultants (2000-04). He holds a B.S. and M.S. in civil engineering from Stanford University.

Stephen Robinson is the Assistant General Manager for Infrastructure, where he is responsible for capital programs and project implementation for SFPUC facilities, including the Water System Improvement Program, the Sewer System Improvement Program, and the Hetchy Capital Improvement Program. Previously, he was the Director of the Wastewater Enterprise Capital Program for SFPUC’s Infrastructure Division. He is a Professional Civil Engineer (CA) and a UK Chartered Civil Engineer with over two decades of planning, design, construction, and management experience in the water/wastewater sector. Prior to joining SFPUC he worked with MWH/Stantec as a consultant and served in the British Army as a Royal Engineer Captain. He has a master’s degree in Civil Engineering and Management from the Queens University of Belfast, Northern Ireland.