Executive Management

Michael Carlin  is the Acting General Manager of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. In this capacity, he provides leadership and management of the agency’s public policies and strategic initiatives, assets and resources, and all operational, administrative, and financial functions of the agency. Appointed as the Deputy General Manager and Chief Operating Officer in 2009, Michael supervises the agency’s efforts in capital planning, emergency response, asset management, and other functions across the three business lines—water, power and wastewater.

Prior to this position, Michael served as the Assistant General Manager for Water and led the effort to diversify the water supply portfolio. In that role, he continues to lead many of the environmental initiatives including addressing the impact of climate change on the organization.

He joined the SFPUC in 1996 as the Water Resources Planning Manager and spearheaded the effort to develop comprehensive capital plans. That effort led to the establishment and execution of the Water System Improvement Program. Prior to joining the City, Michael worked for more than a decade at the San Francisco Regional Water Board where he was the Planning Chief. Michael is a native San Franciscan and continues to live in the City today.

Barbara Hale is Assistant General Manager of the Power Enterprise, with an annual operating budget of $150 million and annual capital budget of approximately $25 million. She oversees all aspects of the sales of 1.6 billion kWh/yr to retail and wholesale customers; needed purchases of energy, transmission, and distribution services; development and implementation of energy efficiency and renewable generation projects and programs; and maintenance and operation of City-owned and located streetlights, switchgear, and substations. She provides strategic advice on energy policy matters to the SFPUC Commission, and she acts as liaison for the SFPUC with State and Federal agencies responsible for energy policy. She previously worked for the State of California Public Utilities Commission in various positions, including Advisor to the President, Administrative Law Judge, and Director of Strategic Planning.

Greg Norby is the Assistant General Manager of the Wastewater Enterprise. His professional background includes more than a decade in water and wastewater utility management and 14 years in the private sector, providing civil and water resources engineering solutions to utilities throughout California. He served for five years at the Ross Valley Sanitary District, where he led a comprehensive modernization of the operations and maintenance systems and practices, capital program, infrastructure asset management systems, competency-based training and certification, and organizational structure refinement. He also spent 14 years at CH2M HILL, where his duties included conveyance systems design, strategic planning, hydraulic modeling of wastewater and stormwater systems, integrated water resource planning, and project team management for local, state, and federal water clients. He earned a BS in civil engineering from CSU Chico and a Master’s degree in water resources engineering from Utah State University. His professional affiliations include WEF, CWEA, AWWA, CASA, ASCE, and ACWA.

Kathy How is Chief Engineer and Assistant General Manager of Infrastructure, where she is responsible for capital programs and project implementation for SFPUC facilities, including the Water System Improvement Program, Sewer System Improvement Program, and the Hetch Hetchy System Improvement Program. Previously she was Deputy Assistant General Manager for Project Delivery, where she managed engineering design, construction, and environmental review for all capital projects. Prior to joining our team in 2003, she was Assistant City Engineer at the SF Department of Public Works, where she oversaw project management, architectural and engineering design, and construction management for projects in the Seismic Safety bond programs; and Program Director for the Marina Yacht Harbor Renovations at the Recreation and Park Department. She is a licensed professional civil engineer in California, and holds a degree in civil engineering from UC Berkeley.

Steven Ritchie is Assistant General Manager of the Water Enterprise, where he oversees water system operations and planning from Hetch Hetchy through the Regional Water System to the City Distribution Division, and the management of lands and natural resources. He served as Manager of Planning from 1995-98. Previously, he managed the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project, a multi-agency effort to restore 15,100 acres of valuable habitat in South San Francisco Bay while providing for flood risk management and public access. He has served in management positions at the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board (1987-95), the CalFed Bay-Delta Program (1998-2000), and URS consultants (2000-04). He holds a B.S. and M.S. in civil engineering from Stanford University.

Eric Sandler is Chief Financial Officer/Assistant General Manager of Business Services, where he manages a range of internal and external service functions including finance, customer service, information technology, and strategy, innovation, and change. Appointed in 2015, he has more than 30 years of experience in public utility management and infrastructure development and financing. He previously served as Director of Finance/Treasurer for the East Bay Municipal Utility District, Director of Finance/Treasurer for the San Diego County Water Authority, and Director of Financial Planning for the SFPUC. Prior to his public service career, he worked in early-stage venture capital, renewable energy project finance, and municipal investment banking. He has served on boards and committees of industry organizations including the Association of California Water Agencies and the National Association of Clean Water Agencies. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in biology from Stanford University and a Master’s degree in business administration from UC Berkeley.

Justine Hinderliter is the Chief People Officer and is responsible for directing and overseeing human resources operations across the organization. She joined the SFPUC in 2011 as a Senior Employee Relations Analyst; became Employee & Labor Relations and EEO Programs Manager in 2014; served as Deputy Director of Human Resource Services in 2016; and took on the role as Interim Director of Human Resources in 2018, before being appointed to her current role in 2019. Prior to working for the City and County of San Francisco, she was a practicing attorney and specialized in labor and employment litigation and appellate practice. She earned her B.A. in economics from Ithaca College and her J.D. from USF School of Law. She is a PROSCI Change Management Practitioner, a Lean Continuous Process Improvement Executive Leader, certified in Strategic Workforce Planning, and a licensed attorney with the State Bar of California.