Chester County Names New Executive Director of Water Resources

WEST CHESTER, PA — Chester County Commissioners have hired Seung Ah Byun, Ph.D., PE, as Executive Director of the Chester County Water Resources Authority (CCWRA).

Dr. Byun brings to Chester County more than 20 years of extensive water resources experience in nonprofit, government, academia and private consulting. Commissioners Marian Moskowitz, Josh Maxwell and Michelle Kichline announced Byun's appointment Aug. 20.

Byun most recently served as a water resource engineer with the Delaware River Basin Commission in West Trenton, New Jersey and the Senior Planner for Water Resources with the Brandywine Conservancy. She also contributed to the development of watershed management plans, conducted source water assessments, and analyzed wastewater collection systems during her time with CDM Smith, Inc., an engineering and construction firm.

Her collective experience spans the water resources field, ranging from water supply availability to stormwater management to local policy-based initiatives for water quality improvement.

Byun received her bachelor of science degree in Systems Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, .aster of science degree in Environmental Engineering from Drexel University, and a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania in City and Regional Planning, with a focus on environmental planning and urban design.

She has also served as an adjunct instructor at the University of Pennsylvania, Weitzman School of Design.

The Commissioners approved Seung Ah Byun’s appointment as Executive Director of the County’s Water Resources Authority following the move by former Executive Director Jan Bowers to lead the Chester County Department of Facilities Management. While Seung Ah knows she has big shoes to fill, she is looking forward to the challenge of managing and protecting Chester County’s valuable water resources.

Chester County’s award-winning Water Resources Authority was created by the County Commissioners in 1961 and remains Pennsylvania’s only county-level water resources management agency. Today, CCWRA oversees flood protection, the County’s stormwater and water quality improvement plan, and is responsible for other sustainable water resources management programs.