Distinguished Engineer Citations

 

Jennafer Piper Covington 

 

Distinguished Engineer

2025

 

Degree

B.S. Environmental Engineering - Texas Tech Univeristy 2001

M.S. Environmental Engineering - Texas Tech Univeristy 2001

 

Citation

 

Jennafer (Jenna) Piper Covington is a forward-looking executive leader who has a passion for serving in the water utility industry and a proven ability to excel in leadership. In her current role as Executive Director and General Manager for the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD), she oversees all aspects of the organization which delivers water, wastewater and solid waste services for more than 2.3 million people in one of the fastest growing regions in the United States. Wholesale utility services are provided for up to 80 communities across a 2,200 square miles in 10 North Texas counties with an annual budget of about $819 million and over 900 employees.

Jenna grew up in Odessa, Texas.  The combination of academic strength in math and working during school breaks for her father, who is a land surveyor, provided exposure that resulted in interest in the engineering field.  

After graduating from Permian High School, Jenna followed in family footsteps and became a third generation Red Raider.  She invested heavily in being active in student organizations, developing leadership skills that have proven valuable throughout her career.  Jenna was a member of the Epsilon Epsilon Chapter of Alpha Delta Pi Sorority and served on the Executive Board, as Senior Panhellenic Delegate, Guard and Pride Leader.  She was also active in the Student Government Association and served as College of Engineering Senator, Graduate School Senator, Secretary of Rules and Administration Committee and a member of the University Vision Committee.  She was a member of the Mortar Board National Honor Society, an inaugural Chancellor’s Ambassadors member, and active in American Society of Civil Engineers.  Jenna was a part of starting two student associations within the college of engineering.  She was the founding President and subsequently Vice President of the Society of Environmental Professionals, the first student chapter of the Water Environment Association of Texas.  She also was founding Treasurer and subsequently President of the student chapter of Texas Society of Professional Engineers.  Jenna graduated in 2001 with a Bachelors and Masters of Environmental Engineering.

Upon graduation, Jenna joined the engineering consulting firm of CH2M HILL as a Staff Engineer.  Her consulting work spanned water and wastewater treatment, water reuse, conveyance systems, water resources and asset management where her roles included Vice President, Client Portfolio Manager, and Project Manager.

In 2015 Jenna came on staff with her biggest client, the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) as Assistant Deputy for Wastewater where she oversaw wastewater operations.  Some areas of emphasis in her role included workforce development and training to ensure all staff are properly trained and equipped to be successful and realize personal growth objectives, improvement of maintenance and asset management practices, and infrastructure expansions across the region to provide necessary capacity.

The NTMWD Board of Directors selected Jenna to serve as Executive Director and General Manager in 2021.  In this role, her area of responsibility expanded to include all aspects of the organization, delivering water, wastewater and solid waste services.  Operation, maintenance and expansion of civil infrastructure is vital to water, wastewater, and solid waste services.  For water, NTMWD draws water from 6 reservoirs, operates and maintains 7 water treatment plants with 946 million gallons per day (MGD) capacity, 20 major raw and treated water pump stations, and more than 695 miles of water transmission pipelines.  For wastewater, there are 13 wastewater treatment plants with a combined treatment capacity of 163 MGD and a complex conveyance system.  For solid waste, NTMWD operates 3 transfer stations and a Regional Disposal Facility (landfill) where over one million tons of solid waste are disposed of each year.  

A recent significant milestone is the completion of Bois d’Arc Lake, the first major reservoir in Texas in over 30 years.  This $1.6 billion dollar investment includes a 16,000 acre reservoir, mitigation, a new water treatment plant, and conveyance infrastructure to deliver drinking water to the thriving region.  Additionally, to keep up with the growing service population and aging infrastructure, billions of dollars of capital investment are being made, and efforts are ongoing to secure future water supplies as the service population is expected to double in the coming decades.  

Jenna is a licensed professional engineer in the State of Texas and Board Certified Environmental Engineer by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists.  She has been inducted into the Texas Tech University Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering Academy.  She serves on the Boards of the Texas Water Conservation Association and the John Bunker Sands Wetland Center.  She is the Secretary of the Texas Water Development Board Region C Water Planning Group. Her recognitions include receiving the Water Environment Federation Arthur Sidney Bedell Award and the Water Environment Association of Texas Emerging Leader Award. She is also a Past President of the Water Environmental Association of Texas.

Jenna is married to Paul Covington, a Texas Tech College of Engineering graduate in Computer Science.  They have three children: Greyson (18), Piper (15), and Claire (13), who attend school in Allen, all play club soccer, and participate in various school and church activities.