BOARD OF DIRECTORS
2024 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
PRESIDENT
David Bartholomew
Dave graduated from the University of Arizona in 1987, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts. He is President and CEO of Bartholomew Water Services, Inc., specializing in the Operation & Maintenance of residential and commercial onsite systems and privately owned gravity sewers, lift stations, force mains, stormwater systems and reclaim/reuse water facilities (whew!). BWS, Inc. serves the entire State of Arizona, with Maricopa County as its home. Dave has over 30 years of experience in the water and wastewater industry.
He holds NAWT/University of Arizona certifications in Onsite Systems Inspection, Soils Evaluation, and Systems Design. He is OSHA confined space entry certified. He is also certified by ADEQ in Wastewater Collection Systems, Wastewater Treatment, and Water Treatment.
Dave currently serves as a member of the ADEQ Onsite Wastewater Advisory Committee (OWAC), which advises the State of Arizona in key matters involving our industry.
He joined the AzOWRA Board of Directors in 2009, served as President in 2013, continued to serve as a member of the Board of Directors, and has returned as President for 2023 & 2024.
The Bartholomew family has a three-generation history of protecting Arizona’s precious water resource and the health & safety of its people. Salvarent eos de sordibus suis.
VICE PRESIDENT
Mike Madrid
Mike is a Registered Sanitarian and has been employed at the Apache County Environmental Services Division for seven years.
The department is responsible for Food Safety at food establishments including plan review and permitting, facility inspections and investigating food-borne complaints. The department is responsible for permitting and inspection of public pools, children and youth camps, hotels, and other nightly rental facilities. The department is delegated their wastewater program from ADEQ and is responsible for issuing septic permits, performing septic construction inspections and investigation wastewater complaints.
PAST PRESIDENT
Joelle Wirth, RS
Joelle Wirth is a Registered Sanitarian with over 30 years experience with onsite wastewater in management, planning, permitting, design and administration. She has a Bachelor of Science from Northern Arizona in Resource Management and has been actively involved In the Aquifer Protection Rule writing process that has spanned from 1999 to today.
In addition to her work with Coconino County, she is an active member National Sanitation Foundation's Joint Committee for Onsite Wastewater, is a member of the multiple state, national and international technical advisory committees and in 2016 became a participating member of the Bill and Melinda Gates Reinvent the Toilet Challenge. Her work continues today with both national and international efforts.
Joelle is also a homeowner with a grey water system in her back yard that has been in operation for several years and has gardening as one of her hobbies.
SECRETARY
Kathy Mills, P.E.
Kathryn Mills is the owner of Mills Engineering, LLC, a firm founded in 2006 that provides soil testing and specializing in water and wastewater treatment. Kathryn received a Bachelor's degree from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana in 1989 and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Arizona in 1991. Her experience includes 33 years in the water and wastewater fields in the public and private sectors and is a registered Professional Engineer in Arizona.
Kathryn is a past President of AzOWRA.
TREASURER and EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Lou Brown
Lou Brown is one of the charter members of AzOWRA.
She has been involved in the onsite industry as the owner of Southwest Alternatives, a distributor for the Eljen Corporation.
She has played a key role in the organizing and promoting the organization for the last 14 years.
She has served as president, vide-president, past president and treasure of AZOWRA. This year the organization appointed her as the Executive Director for AZOWRA.
MEMBER AT LARGE
Jake Garrett, P.E.
Jake Garrett has been the Manager of the Gila County, Arizona Wastewater Program since 2002. He has been active in the onsite industry for the last 25 years, first in the private sector as a percolation tester, conventional and alternative system designer, and installation planning and execution under Arizona's Bulletin 12 and then the 2001 Rules.
In 2007 the Gila County wastewater program moved to the Building Department where he has worked to implement *one-stop-shop" for Gila County residents.
Jake was a participant in the 2005 rule revision process and has continued to participate in industry growth and education activities including various leadership roles.
MEMBER AT LARGE
Brian Knisley
Brian Knisley is the Managing Supervisor for Maricopa County Environmental Services Water and Waste Management Onsite (Septic) Program.
Brian graduated from the University of Kansas and has worked as a Registered Sanitarian in Arizona for 15 years.
MEMBER AT LARGE
Tanya Wilson
Tanya Wilson is the Owner and CEO of Priority Pumping, a septic and commercial wastewater company based out of Gilbert, AZ. Tanya has been in the septic industry for 14 years. She has successfully started three separate septic companies within the Phoenix Metro market and has a deep passion for educating homeowners and real estate agents on the importance of septic system maintenance and the functionality of the systems. Tanya and her Priority team work hard in their community as advocates of the trade and regularly participate in many charitable causes. Tanya believes that the changes in the industry start to happen as we work together to create better rules and regulations for the industry. She is extremely passionate about informational marketing and reputation building and she graciously shares it with other septic companies who want to learn how to do it!
Tanya is on the Education Board with NAWT and has been a presenter at both the
WETT Show and the NOWARA conference - focusing on the importance of strategic business planning, work-culture creation and branding your most important asset - your business reputation! She has been named as one of Phoenix's Top 100 CEOs through the TITAN 100 organization in 2022 and was just awarded the prestigious award for a second year in 2023.
Tanya is also the founder of Ladies Kickin Ass - an online community for women who work in the home service/trades industries. She is also the host of the podcast, Ladies Kickin Ass. Together, with both platforms, she is extremely passionate about empowering women to show up as their bold, authentic selves and to create a life and business that they love. Tanya sought after a group of women to share life and business with and had an extremely hard time finding it where the center of the message was for service companies - so she created it herself. Today hundreds of women come together to be mentored, educated, and find new business friends that they can relate with. The podcast also provides a platform for many of these women to tell their business stories and share their life experiences. Tanya is also a speaker and is booked for many events revolving around service and bold leadership.
Tanya is originally from Wyoming so is a true country girl at heart.
Tanya is also a wife, (her husband Jake works with her at Priority) and mama to 5 kiddos
MEMBER AT LARGE
Erin Kas, P.E.
Erin Kas, P.E. is a Civil Design Engineer with Mills Engineering, ULC and a professor at Arizona State University. She works for Mills Engineering designing septic systems for both conventional and alternative septic systems, and grading and drainage plans.
As a College Professor in Arizona State University, Erin teaching Electrical Engineering classes with labs.
Her education includes a M.Sc in Electrical Engineering from University of Illinois.
Erin has been a member of AzOWRA for the last two years and was appointed Secretary in September 2019
MEMBER AT LARGE
Alfredo Zapata
Alfredo Zapata is the owner of Macho Contracting
SECRETARY ASSISTANT
Pauline Higginbotham, R.S.
Pauline Higginbotham is the Senior EHS for Pinal County Aquifer Protection Division. Pauline has a bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies, emphasis in policy and planning, with minors in economics, sustainability and indigenous sustainability studies. Pauline is Registered Sanitarian/REHS and have both inspections and soils certifications from NAWT.