HCWA Celebrating Black History Month
As the first African-American General Manager in the 60-plus year history of the HCWA, Tony Carnell took over for his mentor Lindy Farmer at the end of 2021. In honor of Black History Month, he was able to reflect on his first full year as the chief executive of the Authority and the significance of his hiring.
“I think there’s no question that because of the support of our HCWA Board, management team, and employees we have in place, my first year leading the Authority went better than I could have ever hoped,” says Carnell. “What they’ve done to step up, offer support, show initiative and leadership, I’m very grateful. I’m also excited about our future when observing the work of our employees, especially how our young professionals have taken on new leadership roles.”
As an example of Carnell’s focus on the future, the Authority hired a consultant to assist the utility with succession planning, which includes cultivating leaders and diversity in the workplace.
“Our management team is identifying young professionals in our organization who are performing well and showing signs of growth, maturity, leadership, and the potential to handle additional responsibilities in the future,” says Carnell. “We also are looking at gaps we may have, such as inexperience in certain departments or areas of operations, so we can be sure to provide education and training for the skills necessary for our utility and the water profession to excel in the future.”
Another characteristic of Carnell’s management style is to empower his managers and employees to make decisions that are best for the Authority and its customers, by providing them with the autonomy to do so. His reassurance also comes interpersonally, as he meets with his managers and young professionals regularly to build effective working relationships with the entire team.
“This year, I started having regular breakfasts with managers and employees to learn first-hand their ideas for improving our operations, and their professional goals and aspirations, while reassuring them of my support and the importance of their role now and in the future,” says Carnell.
When reflecting on the HCWA accomplishments of 2022, and priorities for the HCWA this year and in the future, Carnell and his staff identified four major focus areas that will receive extra attention – Customer Satisfaction, Employee Leadership & Development, Infrastructure Strategy & Performance, and Operational Optimization.
The plan to focus on Customer Satisfaction entails providing reliable, responsive, and affordable services in line with explicit, customer-derived service levels. That is, the Authority intends to utilize a mix of evolving technologies to understand and respond to customer needs and expectations, by seeking their feedback and improving two-way communications, especially during emergencies.
As for Employee and Leadership Development, the Authority is focused on recruiting, developing, and retaining a competent, motivated, adaptive, and safety-focused workforce. In addition, Carnell wants to see more institutional knowledge shared and transferred among the generations.
Infrastructure Strategy and Performance is a priority at the HCWA because of the importance for all employees to understand the conditions and costs associated with the care of existing water and sewer infrastructure and expansion of the system in the future.
Finally, Operational Optimization ensures ongoing, timely, cost-effective, reliable, and sustainable performance and improvements of all facets of water and sewer operations in the spirit of public health and environmental stewardship.
Under Carnell’s leadership and with the full support of the HCWA Board of Directors, the Authority is investing more time and resources to increase Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) within the organization, while expanding the Authority’s Community Presence through additional vendor opportunities, public outreach, education, and communication.
“We want to be fair, deliberate, and purposeful in hiring and retaining employees, so we make sure everyone is aware of opportunities for professional growth and development within the Authority,” says Carnell. “One of many ways for us to do that is to be more involved and engaged with our community, beginning with the students in our schools, especially those who may not be aware of the benefits and appeal of the water profession.”
As evidence of this dedication to cultivating the next generation of water professionals, the HCWA General Manager is preparing to speak to approximately 600 high school students in Henry County through the Chamber of Commerce’s Work-Based Learning Success Seminar.
“We want to help our youth see the opportunities we have available for them, not just for fun or employment, but for their personal and professional development regardless of the career path they choose,” concludes Carnell.
As a Henry County native, a product of Henry County Schools, and a Professional Engineer by trade who worked his way up to lead one of the most accomplished water utilities in Georgia, Carnell personifies success that can come from opportunity. Thus, his willingness to share his story and his determination to provide such opportunities for others, especially the next generation of water professionals.
Captions for Photos (top to bottom):
1. Tony Carnell is the first African American General Manager in the 60-plus history of the Henry County Water Authority.
2. Tony Carnell (right) pays tribute to former HCWA Clerk Kim Osborne (left) during her retirement ceremony in January.
3. Tony Carnell (far right) coaches first base during the Kickin It Charity Kickball Tournament in October -- an event won by the HCWA Kickball Team.
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Media Contact: Chris Wood, Ph.D.
P: 770-757-1681
E: chris@jwapr.com or john.wood@gcsu.edu