Public Service Board

El Paso Water is governed by the Public Service Board, which consists of the Mayor of the City of El Paso and six board members, who are appointed by the City Council. Board members serve four-year terms.

In 1952, City ordinance gave complete oversight of El Paso’s water and wastewater systems to the Public Service Board (PSB). In 2008, at City Council’s direction, the PSB gained the oversight of the City’s stormwater utility.

The PSB adopts an annual combined operating, capital and debt service budget for El Paso Water with associated rates and fees for services. The PSB has the responsibility to issue updates to its Rules and Regulations, which have the force of law.

Current PSB Members

Mayor Oscar Leeser

Mayor Oscar Leeser previously served as Mayor of El Paso from 2013 to 2017 as well as previously serving on the Public Service Board. He is the owner of  the largest Hispanic Hyundai car dealership in the nation, and is serving his second term as Mayor of the City of El Paso.

Category: City Government
Elected 2021

 

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Bryan Morris, Chair

Bryan Morris has 36 years of experience in engineering construction and design. He and his partner started RBM Engineering, Inc. in 1993. This company provides mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering design for the building construction industry. He is a professional engineer registered in Texas, Arizona and New Mexico. He has served as the State Director for the Texas Society of Professional Engineers. Morris received his Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Texas at El Paso.

Category: Engineering
Second Term Expires: March 2027

Charlie Intebi, Vice Chair

Charlie Intebi brings 25 years of financial and business management experience to the Board. He is the cofounder and Vice President of Nova Safety Products, a small business that provides safety, industrial and scientific supplies and equipment to companies in the region.  He is also a partner in IN Properties and Max Investments. Intebi is active in the community and has served as a board member on Keep El Paso Beautiful and the Kern Place Neighborhood Association among others.

Category: General Business Management
First Term Expires: February 2025

Stefanie Block Uribarri, Secretary-Treasurer

Stefanie Block Uribarri is General Manager at Pearl Properties, a locally owned real estate investment and management company. She has served on the executive board of the El Paso Apartment Association and the board of directors of the Texas Apartment Association, where she also chaired the Independent Rental Owners Committee. Previously, Block Uribarri served on the City of El Paso’s Building and Standards Commission and Public Art Committee, among others. Block Uribarri is a native El Pasoan, but she built a career working at the United Nations, the Committee for Hispanic Children and Families, and Columbia University. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Latin American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin and a master’s degree in education from Columbia University Teachers College. She had the honor of serving as a Fulbright Fellow in Chile in 2004.

Category: Consumer or Citizen Advocacy
First Term Expires: February 2026

Lisa Saenz

Lisa Saenz has more than 24 years of expertise in the financial services industry. She is the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of WestStar Bank. Saenz’s career in includes work in the areas of accounting, treasury, information technology, branch operations and wealth management. She is currently serving as Board Chair for the Paso del Norte Health Foundation.

Anna Gitter is an Assistant Professor with the El Paso Campus of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health (UTHealth). Gitter has a Masters and Ph.D. in Water Management and Hydrological Science from Texas A&M University. She mentors and teaches graduate students, manages a water quality lab and works closely with the Community Health Worker network to provide environmental health training and resources for local schools and underserved communities. Gitter has research expertise in environmental public health, quantitative risk assessment, water resources management and environmental sustainability. For six years, she was a researcher with the Texas Water Resource Institute.

Category: Communications, Public Administration or Education
First Term Expires: February 2028

Hector Ocaranza

Hector I. Ocaranza, MD is a board-certified pediatrician with over 25 years of experience in general pediatrics. He also has a master’s in public health from the University of Texas HSC-Houston, School of Public Health and over 16 years of experience serving the community as the Health Authority. He has led our community through different public health threats and challenges such as the H1N1 pandemic, Tuberculosis exposure of infants, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Ocaranza is an active member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Texas Medical Association, New Mexico and El Paso County Medical Society and Texas Pediatric Society.

Category: Environmental or Health
First Term Expires: August 2028