Team

David L. Gadis serves as Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of DC Water, one of the largest and most highly regarded water utilities in the nation. Mr. Gadis oversees a one billion dollar annual budget and leads a workforce of approximately 1,200 employees. He joined DC Water in May 2018 and is implementing a new strategic plan with a redefined vision and focused priorities. That includes improving both customer satisfaction and employee engagement, and a commitment to performance planning and business process improvement.

In addition, Mr. Gadis has formed a Stakeholder Alliance of city residents, business owners, members of the faith community and others to help address the twin challenges of rising rates and aging infrastructure. Under his leadership, DC Water is delivering on its $2.7 billion commitment to build a massive system of deep tunnels and other infrastructure to nearly eliminate combined sewer overflows to the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers and Rock Creek in the nation’s capital.

Mr. Gadis brings 20 years of industry experience to his current role, having previously served as Executive Vice President of Veolia North America and as CEO and President of Veolia Water Indianapolis. He was that utility’s first African American CEO/President and the first African American CEO to lead a major utility in Indianapolis.

Mr. Gadis has been a frequent presenter at utility and government services conferences, including the U.S. Conference of Mayors, speaking on both Underground Infrastructure and Managing Utilities, as well with the National League of Cities and the National Association of Public Private Partnerships. His expertise in demonstrating how private firms can help municipalities as valued partners in securing significant cost savings, has earned him a reputation among city and municipal leadership as an innovative leader and a trusted partner who truly understands their challenges and desired goals. 

Mr. Gadis is Chairman of the Board of Blue Drop, DC Water’s nonprofit sales and marketing affiliate. He also current serves on the boards of the National Association of Clean Water Association (NACWA), the National Forum of Black Public Administrators (NFBPA) and the DC Utility Infrastructure Advisory Council.  Mr. Gadis has previously served on the boards of the Indianapolis Urban League, Fifth Third Bank, Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, Indianapolis Sports Corporation, Indiana Business Diversity Council, Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce, the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, and Indianapolis Downtown Inc. 

Gadis attended Pike High School in Indianapolis, where he was the school’s first Indiana All Star basketball player. He earned a basketball scholarship to Southern Methodist University and was a four-year basketball player and team captain before graduating from SMU with a B.A. in Marketing Communications. Gadis was inducted to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014.

Mr. Matthew Brown has overall responsibility for DC Water's financial management and policies, including: accounting operations and financial reporting; budget formulation and execution; program analysis and evaluation; treasury; controller; investment and debt management; and risk management. Mr. Brown previously served as the Director of the Office of Budget and Finance of the District of Columbia. Prior to his current position, Mr. Brown served as Director, Department of Transportation and as the Deputy Director for Resource Allocation for the District's Department of Transportation, in addition to a variety of public sector management and budget positions for several large municipal government entities. Mr. Brown also has significant private sector experience as a result of his tenure with Public Financial Management, Inc.

Mr. Brown holds a B.A. in Political Science from Texas Wesleyan University, and an M.P.A. in Budget and Public Finance from the George Washington University.

Mr. Ivan Boykin serves DC Water as Vice President, Finance, working in the Finance, Procurement, and Compliance cluster. Mr. Boykin has served the Authority in several roles since initially joining DC Water as a Water Billing Assistant, Collections, in August 1999.  Most recently, Mr. Boykin held the position of Director, Finance. 

As Vice President, Finance, Mr. Boykin is leading enterprise-wide customer payment initiatives and enhancing visibility for DC Water’s strategic initiatives (Environmental Social and Governance, capital plan) with the financial community and managing compliance with the Authority’s financial policies, including management of the operating reserves. Mr. Boykin is also helping to lead efforts to identify, evaluate, and implement innovative finance solutions like solar and other clean energy investments.

Mr. Boykin oversees DC Water’s $3.8 billion debt portfolio, with $8.2B in net assets, and $350-500 million cash balance. He is responsible for directing programs that protect DC Water, with risk management through the purchasing of insurance for the Authority. Additionally, Mr. Boykin is responsible for the accounts receivable function including daily reconciliation of revenues (like customer payments). Mr. Boykin holds a master’s degree in Finance from Southern New Hampshire University and a master’s degree in Entertainment Business from Full Sail University.

Mr. Henok Getahun is responsible for cash management, investments and banking relations, account receivable operation and debt management, including the outstanding debt portfolio and the issuance of new debt to ensure strong financial performance and adherence to board policies. Additionally, He oversees treasury and debt services to ensure that all regulatory obligations are consistently met. As part of these duties, also develops and recommends capital finance plans and implements as required. Mr. Getahun also has several accounting and auditing experiences in private and public entities.

Mr. Getahun Holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Addis Ababa University. In addition He is Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM) and a member of the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants (CPA).

Mrs. Gurung initially joined DC Water as a consultant in December 2022 and transitioned to a full-time employee in May 2023, serving as a Finance Liaison in the Treasury and Debt department. Throughout her tenure, Ms. Gurung played a crucial role in bank reconciliation, reporting analysis, identification of reconciliation variances, suggesting corrective actions, and contributing to system implementation. Before joining DC Water, she held positions as an Audit Officer and Senior Associate and Supervisor in a Financial Institution.

In her new role as Senior Financial Analyst, Mrs. Gurung will take on primary responsibilities, including bank reconciliation, reporting analysis, identification of reconciliation variances with corrective action suggestions, assistance in system implementation, managing monthly debt and investment journal entries, supporting Authority’s bond issuance processes, and aiding Finance Liaisons in inquiries.

Mrs. Gurung holds a Master of Commerce from Indira Gandhi National Open University and is a Chartered Accountant (CA) accredited by The Institution of Chartered Accountants of India.

Mrs. Villavicencio initially joined DC Water as a Permit Operation Associate in March 2020, later transitioning to Customer Service in January 2023. Her diverse experience and commitment were evident as she assisted both department teams, notably the permit operation team, during the pandemic by ensuring office presence to serve our customers' needs.

Before joining DC Water, she gained valuable experience working for a Financial Institution and an accounting firm. During her tenure, she played a pivotal role in managing bank branch operations for Santander Bank and overseeing clients' book of records for the accounting firm.

In her new role, Mrs. Villavicencio will be responsible for tasks such as bank reconciliation, reporting analysis, identifying reconciliation variances with corrective action suggestions, assisting in system implementation, managing non-retail customers' account ledger, and supporting the Authority's bond issuance processes.

Mrs. Villavicencio holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting from Baruch College-City University of New York.