Silicon Valley water agency selects new CEO

Santa Clara County’s largest water supplier is turning to a longtime employee to lead the agency into its next chapter after a tumultuous split with the last CEO.

The Valley Water board of directors voted 5-2 Tuesday to appoint Aaron Baker as its next CEO. Baker, chief operating officer of water utility, takes over Jan. 4, 2027 with an annual salary of $506,789.03. Until then, he’ll work alongside Interim CEO Melanie Richardson during the transition period.

Baker joined Valley Water in 1999 as an engineer and has since held several leadership positions. He is a California-registered professional civil engineer with more than 25 years of operational and leadership experience at the agency.

“My goal for Valley Water is basically (to be) a place where employees are proud to come to work,” Baker told San José Spotlight. “And where the public is heard.”

Baker said his priorities will include protecting public health and water reliability, advancing major infrastructure projects and preparing for climate-related threats. He also wants the district to maintain strong cost controls and schedule discipline as it moves forward with major investments, such as treatment plant upgrades and the roughly $2 billion Anderson Dam Seismic Retrofit Project.

“I think that we have a very large capital improvement program on the horizon,” Baker said. “Making sure that we adhere to the schedule, make sure we understand the cost, make sure we’re transparent to the community … is one of those key things.”

Baker’s promotion follows the February resignation of former CEO Rick Callender, who had helmed Valley Water since 2020. Callender left the agency after a more than yearlong misconduct investigation found he sexually harassed employees and violated agency policy. The board approved a separation agreement allowing him to remain a paid special adviser for a year, which prompted outcry from Valley Water employees who called for board members to resign over the decision.

Board Chair Tony Estremera said Baker’s more than two decades of experience at Valley Water made him a strong candidate.

“He has a long-term record of achievement and experience,” Estremera told San José Spotlight.

Estremera said the transition period where Baker will work in tandem with Richardson is intended to provide stability, as Baker’s promotion will create vacancies within the agency that will need to be filled.

“We’re gonna promote a chief of the most important unit, in our largest unit, in our district,” Estremera said. “That creates a cascading effect. Somebody’s got to replace that person, somebody’s got to replace that person and so on.”

Valley Water Director Jim Beall was one of two board members who voted against Baker’s appointment — the other being Director Rebecca Eisenberg. Beall said his objection was not to Baker personally, but to the broader transition arrangement.

“We could have had (a) transition that would have been better for the water district,” he told San José Spotlight.

Baker said he wants to focus on Valley Water’s workforce, including empowering employees and creating a workplace where staff feel valued. He said strong internal leadership is essential to providing the services residents rely on every day.

“This is really both a meaningful and a serious responsibility that I take seriously,” Baker said. “I am ready to hit the ground running.”

Contact Maryanne Casas-Perez at [email protected] or @CasasPerezRed on X.