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Executive Director
Fred Partin
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Fred has served as Executive Director of Bonita Springs Utilities since 1981, leading the not-for-profit utility through three decades of growth and progress.
Almost a Florida native, he began his career in the wastewater division of the City of Naples. Fred worked for Capri Water Works, Inc., on Isle of Capri, Florida, from 1978 until 1981, when he was promoted to plant manager. He is a member of the National Rural Water Association and serves as one of three trustees-at-large on the board of governors for the Florida Section of the American Water Works Association. The section has 2,400 members, including 120 utility members that supply potable water to 90 percent of the state's population.
The Bonita Springs Area Chamber of Commerce honored Fred as its 1991 Director of the Year and 1998 Citizen of the Year. He is a past vice president of the chamber, past President of the Bonita Springs Rotary, a board trustee of the CREW Land & Water Trust and is active in a variety of civic, youth sports and community improvement activities in Bonita Springs. He holds a bachelor's degree in public administration from Barry University. |
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Director of Engineering
Michael J. Liggins, P.E.
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As director of engineering, Michael J. Liggins, P.E., is responsible for planning, design, permitting, project budgeting, scheduling and construction administration for Bonita Springs Utilities. He supervised the construction of the utility’s reverse-osmosis water-treatment plant, which began operation in spring 2004, and the design and construction of for the East water reclamation facility, which began operation east of I-75 in 2007.
Liggins, who joined BSU in 2002, has a decade of experience in civil engineering and water resources. He previously served as project engineer with WilsonMiller in Fort Myers and Naples, and holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering from the University of Central Florida.
He is past president of the Southwest Florida branch of the American Society of Civil Engineers and is a member of the National Society of Professional Engineers, the American Public Works Association, the Water Environment Federation and the Florida Engineering Society. |
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Director of Operations
Mel Fisher
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Mel, who joined Bonita Springs Utilities in 1997, holds degrees in chemistry and mathematics from Pennsylvania State University. He is certified to teach in Florida community colleges and has taught safety courses for the American Red Cross and the National Safety Council.
Mel began his career as a research lab technician with the Mallinckrodt Chemical Company. He has more than three decades of environmental protection, safety and water/wastewater utility experience, working for the National Institute of Health, General Electric, ITT and Florida Water Services before joining the BSU team. Mel holds memberships in the American Water Works Association, the Water Environment Federation and the Florida Water and Pollution Control Operators Association. He also holds Water and Wastewater Plant Operator licenses in the State of Florida
Mel manages 80 employees and oversees the operation of the water plant and both water reclamation facilities, as well as associated fieldwork and service activities. |
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Director of Finance
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Debra J. Bautista
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Debra J. Bautista, who joined BSU in 2003, is director of finance, responsible for maintaining the utility’s financial records, supervising investments and overseeing all accounting activities.
She previously served as financial services director for the City of Fort Myers, where she oversaw city utility billing, collections and customer service. She joined the city staff in 1990 as treasurer, and was later promoted to finance director and financial services director. She earlier had served as financial analyst for the City of Pompano Beach and as an accountant with KPMG Main Hurdman in Pennsylvania and Fort Lauderdale. She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania. Debbie is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Florida Government Finance Officers Association, and is past president of the Southwest Florida Chapter of the Florida Government Finance Officers’ Association. |
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Manager of Information Systems
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Cynthia McHenry
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Cynthia McHenry, who joined BSU in 2000, is the manager of information systems. She is responsible for computer hardware, software and network infrastructure for the utility including its local- and wide-area networks and its communications systems. She also manages the GIS (global information system) function as well as the records management group.
Cynthia previously spent 15 years with Mellon Bank's credit card department in Wilmington, Delaware, as manager of their Specialized Systems group. Her past experience includes end user support, data security, computer-telephony applications, network protocols and applications development. She holds a number of technical certifications including MCSE, Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer. |
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Member Serivces Manager
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Evelyn Ferguson
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Evelyn oversees the customer service activities of the utility including customer accounts and billing. She has three decades of customer service, human resources, bookkeeping and management experience, including 15 years with Collier County Utilities. |
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Meet Our Staff
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