FRANCIS G. WARTHLING

CHAIR

Appointed April 2012

Francis G. Warthling is serving his second term as Commissioner of the Erie County Water Authority (ECWA), and was recently elected by his colleagues to serve his first term as Chairman. He comes to the ECWA with more than twenty four years of private sector business management experience.

Mr. Warthling is the owner of Warthling Properties, LLC. , a property management group whose portfolio includes nearly 150 commercial and residential properties. He is also the Vice President of Diamond Cutters of Western New York, a wholesale and retail jewelry business with locations in downtown Buffalo and Lackawanna. His jewelry business enjoys the distinction of being the only certified diamond cutting operation in Western New York. Fran also helps manage Curly's Grill & Banquet Center, a family owned and operated restaurant, banquet facility and catering business, now enjoying a renaissance under the guidance of the family's third generation of ownership.

Mr. Warthling also continues to serve on numerous civic and community based organizations based in his lifelong hometown of Lackawanna, including the Lackawanna Planning Board, Lackawanna Board of Education Audit Committee, Lackawanna Chamber of Commerce and as Chairman of the Lackawanna Democratic Committee.

He resides in the City of Lackawanna with his wife Joyce and two children.

Christopher O'Brien

COMMISSIONER

EARL L. JANN, JR.

VICE CHAIR

Appointed May 2011

Earl L. Jann was appointed to his first term in May 2011. A graduate of Canisius College, he is retired after 36 years of private sector experience in the pharmaceutical business.

Mr. Jann previously was a councilman for 7 years and Supervisor of the Town of Marilla for 7½ years. He also served on the Marilla Planning Board as Chairman. He has been active in his Church as well as active in the Moose, East Aurora Fish and Game Club as well as several other organizations.

Mr. Jann currently resides in the Town of Aurora with his wife Barbara. They have four adult children and nine grandchildren.

ROBERT A. MENDEZ

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Appointed by Board of Commissioners June 3, 1996

Robert A. Mendez is the Executive Director of the Erie County Water Authority (ECWA). He coordinates, directs and manages the overall daily operation of the organization and reports directly to the Board of Commissioners of the ECWA.

Previously, Robert served as the Commissioner of Senior Services for the County of Erie from 1990 to 1996, where he was responsible for developing and directing programs and services for the county.s 200,000 aging persons. He also served as Executive Director of the Lackawanna Municipal Housing Authority from 1984 to 1990, where he managed a full range of administrative, fiscal and technical and other specialized disciplines necessary for the successful operation of an inner-city public housing authority.

Robert earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial Administration from the GMI Engineering and Management Institute in Flint, Michigan.

He resides in the City of Lackawanna

ROBERT J. LICHTENTHAL, JR.

DEPUTY DIRECTOR

Appointed by Board of Commissioners October 1, 2007

Robert J. Lichtenthal, Jr. was appointed Deputy Director of the Erie County Water Authority (ECWA) effective 10/1/07. He has over thirty years of private and public sector management experience, primarily in the fields of financial planning and control, with a focus on budgeting and cash flow planning.

Since 1990 he has worked in municipal government and municipal utility management, specifically sewer, water and electric utilities. From October 1990 until mid 1997, Mr. Lichtenthal served as the Administrator for the Village of Bergen in Genesee County, New York where he directed all financial operations of the village government and its utilities.

In April 1996, he was appointed to a three-year term on the ECWA.s Board of Commissioners. He was subsequently reappointed in 1999, 2002, and 2005.

Mr. Lichtenthal holds a Bachelor of Science degree and an MBA with a concentration in Financial Planning and Control from the School of Management at the State University of New York at Buffalo.

He resides in the Town of Newstead.

WESLEY C. DUST, P.E.

EXECUTIVE ENGINEER

Appointed by Board of Commissioners July 15, 1996

Wesley Dust is a Professional Engineer and currently serves as Executive Engineer of the Erie County Water Authority (ECWA). He has 29 years of various engineering and managerial experience in the fields of utility operations, construction management, regulatory compliance, contract administration, facility management, design and resident engineering.

From 1990 to 1996, Wes was the Senior Distribution Engineer at the ECWA where he was responsible for the operation and maintenance of the transmission and distribution systems.

Before joining the ECWA, Wes was an Associate at Malcolm Pirnie, Inc. where he managed and coordinated construction administration, resident inspections and filed survey work for the Buffalo Regional office. From 1983 to 1985, he was a Project Engineer at Birdair Structures. Prior to that, Wes was a Project Engineer at Malcolm Pirnie, Inc. and an Engineer at Black and Veatch from 1975 to 1981.

Wes is a member of several professional organizations, including the Western New York American Public Works Association, the American Water Works Association and the Erie County Agricultural Society.

He resides in the Town of West Seneca.