The board of directors of Gulf Coast Authority has appointed Elizabeth Fazio Hale to succeed Lori Traweek as general manager and chief executive officer, effective Nov. 16. Fazio Hale joined GCA last year as assistant general manager, bringing an extensive background in legal, legislative and financial matters related to water and wastewater management. Traweek will be retiring after 27 years with the organization.

“GCA has benefited from the fast-paced, yet deliberate, leadership of Lori,” said Board Chairman Frank Jones. “Her executive service caps a work record that covers nearly three decades of environmental and economic development leadership along the Gulf Coast and in West Texas. GCA is better today because of her strategic capabilities, including the recruitment of her successor, Liz Fazio Hale. On behalf of the entire board and the Authority, I wish Lori a fulfilling retirement and congratulate Liz on her promotion.”

Traweek joined the Authority in 1992 as regulatory compliance coordinator and then served in several management positions, most notably as chief operating officer for 17 years. She was promoted to chief executive office/general manager in 2017. Previous to GCA, she was involved in the management of several biomonitoring laboratories in both Louisiana and Texas, including regional manager for Bioaquatic Testing immediately prior to joining GCA. Traweek studied marine biology at Louisiana State University and, after moving to Lafayette, graduated from the University of Southwestern Louisiana with a Bachelor of Science in Aquatic and Fisheries Management.

“GCA is such an amazing organization and I am so proud to have been part of it and its mission to protect the waters of Texas,” said Traweek. “While I am looking forward to retirement, I will miss the work, our customers, our communities, and, most of all, my GCA family.”

She will continue her commitment of service as board chair of the Galveston Bay Foundation and as a member of the board of directors of Texas Water Trade.

Fazio Hale will be leading GCA into its next 50 years of wastewater and water management. “I love to tell the GCA story to those who are seeking success stories about public-private partnerships in Texas,” said Fazio Hale. “As general manager for the Authority, I will seek to honor the 50 years of excellent history in our organization, respect the experience of our accomplished staff, and live up to the faith that the Board has placed in me to carry on a highly respectable reputation for providing services to protect and support our natural resources.”

Prior to joining GCA Fazio Hale served as the executive director/CEO of Riverbend Water Resources District in New Boston, Texas, and managed the regional water and wastewater operations for 12 municipalities, three counties and an industrial park in Northeast Texas. Previously, she spent more than 10 years at the Texas House of Representatives, including as director of natural resources and in roles with several other committees. In the private sector, Fazio Hale practiced law and was a tax consultant at KPMG, LLM in Denver. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Government and Bachelor of Science in Communications from The University of Texas at Austin, as well as a Juris Doctor and legal master’s degrees from the University of Denver. She serves as a member of the board of directors for the Texas Water Foundation; secretary for the Gulf Coast Industrial Development Authority; treasurer for the Texas Conservation Fund; member of the Galveston Bay Council; member of the Economic Alliance – Houston Port Region’s legislative committee; and member of the Economic Development Alliance for Brazoria County.

Gulf Coast Authority (www.gcatx.org) was created by the Texas Legislature in 1969 to protect the waters of the state of Texas through environmentally sound, economically feasible, and technologically advanced wastewater and water management practices. GCA provides regional industrial and municipal wastewater treatment services, solid waste management, industrial water services, and financial services – all with the goal to protect the environment, preserve water resources and promote industrial development for a strong economy.

Blackhawk Facility Manager Brianna Morales was elected Secretary of the Texas Association of Clean Water Agencies (TACWA) on January 31. She will serve in that capacity for two years before transitioning to the role of Vice President.

Morales entered the wastewater industry as an operator with GCA 12 years ago and is currently the Facility Manager of the Blackhawk Facility. She holds a BS in Environmental Management from the University of Houston Clear Lake, an MS in Industrial Management from the University of Texas in Tyler, and a TCEQ Class A Wastewater Operator License. Morales currently serves as the Texas Water Utilities Association Liaison for The Water Environment Association of Texas (WEAT).

TACWA’s national group, the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), is a nationally recognized leader in environmental policy and a sought-after technical resource on water quality and ecosystem protection issues. NACWA was established in 1970 by a group of individuals representing 22 large municipal sewerage agencies. They came together to secure federal funding for municipal wastewater treatment and discuss emerging national interest in improving the quality of the nation’s waters. Based on the shared goal of effectively representing the interests and priorities of publicly-owned treatment works (POTWs), they formed what is now known as NACWA.

HOUSTON — Fifty years ago, prompted by deteriorating water quality in the Houston Ship Channel and Galveston Bay, the Texas Legislature established the Gulf Coast Authority (GCA) to protect the waters of the State of Texas through regional wastewater treatment and waste disposal solutions. The organization was empowered to own and operate wastewater treatment and other waste management facilities. GCA is also authorized to issue bonds for qualified projects and has issued over $3 billion in such bonds statewide since its inception.
Today, GCA operates four industrial and one municipal wastewater treatment facilities, an industrial landfill, a central laboratory, and two trucked-in waste disposal facilities. In 2013, Gov. Rick Perry signed legislation expanding GCA’s role to enable it to build, own and operate other types of water systems to help provide solutions to potable water shortages across the state.
For more information, visit www.gcatx.org or call (281) 488-4115.