Trustees and Leadership

Kyle Dreyfuss-Wells – Chief Executive Officer

The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District is a regional entity providing sanitary and stormwater management services to Cleveland and 62 suburban communities in Northeast Ohio.

As CEO, Ms. Dreyfuss-Wells oversees the operation of one of the largest clean-water agencies in Ohio, a district that treats nearly 90 billion gallons of water every year thanks to the work of more than 750 employees. She works closely with seven Trustees and nine directors to ensure efficient management of hundreds of miles of sewer and stream networks, a multi-billion-dollar 25-year Project Clean Lake program, and a regional wet-weather strategy for the health of Lake Erie and more than one million residents.

Before becoming CEO, Ms. Dreyfuss-Wells coordinated the District’s watershed management, including the Regional Stormwater Management Program and the application of stormwater control measures to reduce combined sewer overflows under the District’s Green Infrastructure Policy. She is past chair of the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) Stormwater Management Committee and the One Water Council of the US Water Alliance. She serves on the NACWA Board and chairs the District 1 Natural Resources Assistance Council for the Ohio Public Works Commission’s Clean Ohio Conservation Program. In 2012, Ms. Dreyfuss-Wells received the Stormwater Professional of the Year award from the Ohio Stormwater Association and the NACWA President’s Award.

Ms. Dreyfuss-Wells graduated summa cum laude from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. She earned master’s degrees with honors in both Public Affairs and Environmental Science at Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs, and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Samoa. Before joining the District, she was Director of the Chagrin River Watershed Partners, Inc.

James Bunsey – Chief Operating Officer

Mr. Bunsey joined the District in May 2010 after working for 25 years as a consulting engineer for a large national water resources engineering firm where he managed several large capital improvement programs with responsibility for five offices as the Midwest Regional Manager. He has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from Ohio University and is a registered Professional Engineer in Ohio. Upon joining the District as Deputy Director of Engineering and then Director of Engineering, Mr. Bunsey was directly responsible for the planning, design, and construction of approximately $220M of projects yearly delivered by the Districts 65-person Engineering and Construction Department as well as implementation of the 25 year, $3 billion Combined Sewer Overflow Program known as Project Clean Lake. As COO he oversees the Operations and Maintenance department which operates the three wastewater treatment plants, numerous pump stations and the 330 miles of large diameter collection sewers.

Eric Luckage – Chief Legal Officer

As the Chief Legal Officer, Mr. Luckage manages the District’s in-house legal team and the engagement of outside special counsel. He joined the District in April 2016 after 25 years of federal, state and local government experience. He spent 16 years with a private firm representing local governments with water, sewer and stormwater legal issues. Eric was involved in the formation or representation of dozens of regional districts in Ohio and also assisted municipalities, counties and townships. He is on the Board of the Coalition of Ohio Regional Districts and frequently provides testimony on legislation affecting regional districts. He attended The Ohio State University for his undergraduate studies and received his law degree from Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio in 1997. While attending law school in the evenings, Eric worked as a Legislative Aide in the Ohio Senate He also worked for five years at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development office, one of the major funding agencies for rural water and sewer projects.

Kenneth Duplay – Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Duplay joined the District in June of 2003 as a co-op student and progressed through the Finance Department, being promoted to Controller in January, 2014. He was appointed Chief Financial Officer in May, 2017. In his tenure he has been involved in projects including financial system implementations, debt issuances and utility rate studies. As Chief Financial Officer he is responsible for the overall financial management of the District and oversees the departments of Purchasing, Inventory Control, Contract Compliance and Accounting and Finance. Mr. Duplay holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Master of Science in Accounting from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. His is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) licensed in the state of Ohio, as well as a Certified Management Accountant (CMA). Mr. Duplay is a member of the Ohio Society of CPAs, Institute of Management Accountants, Government Finance Officers Association and several other state and national organizations.

Frank Foley – Director of Operation & Maintenance

Mr. Foley began his career with the District as an operator at the Southerly Wastewater Treatment Center in 1988. In his current role, he oversees the operation and maintenance of the District’s three wastewater treatment plants, the collection system and affiliated budget centers. Prior to his appointment as Director of Operation and Maintenance, Mr. Foley held various positions in both the Operation and Maintenance and Watershed Programs Departments, including Shift Manager at the Easterly Wastewater Treatment Plant, Superintendent of Environmental Services, Superintendent at the Westerly Wastewater Treatment Center, and Deputy Director of Operation and Maintenance. Mr. Foley holds a Bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Dayton and a Master of Business Administration from Cleveland State University. He is certified by the Ohio EPA as a Class IV Wastewater Operator.

Matt Scharver – Director of Watershed Programs

Mr. Scharver has served as Director since December 2023 and has more than 10 years of service with the Sewer District, including the past six as Deputy Director of Watershed Programs. He is a former Associate Director of the Chagrin River Watershed Partners and spent more than a decade at Lake County Soil & Water Conservation District as a Resource Specialist.

Constance T. Haqq – Chief Administrative Officer

Ms. Haqq joined the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District in 2005 as Director of Communications and Community Relations. She also served as Director of Administration and External Affairs responsible for the organization’s internal and external communications, public outreach and education, media relations, customer service and government affairs functions. In March 2019, Ms. Haqq was appointed to Chief Administrative Officer overseeing Administration and External Affairs and Human Resources. Ms. Haqq has held several leadership positions in her career including Executive Director of both INROADS/Northeast Ohio, Inc. and the Nordson Corporation Foundation. A native of Cleveland Ohio, she holds a Bachelors degree from Tufts University and a Masters Degree from Case Western Reserve University’s Mandel School of Applied Social Science. She has served on numerous philanthropic boards including: Ohio Boys Town, Inc., Karamu House, Inc., Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital and Business Volunteers Unlimited. Ms. Haqq currently represents the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District on the Greater Cleveland Partnership’s Equity and Inclusion Leadership Committee and their Construction Utilities Building Equity (CUBE) Committee. She is also a founding member of the Greater Cleveland Water Equity Partners and participates on the Water Agency Leaders Alliance (WALA), a national organization of water and wastewater executives.

Mohan Kurup – Director of Information Technology

Mr. Kurup joined the District in November of 2018. He is a native Ohioan, born and raised in the suburbs of Cleveland. Mr. Kurup graduated from Case Western Reserve University with a bachelor’s degree in biology. After college, Mr. Kurup served in the US Army as a combat medic, and a respiratory specialist stationed at Ft. Sam Houston, San Antonio. Mr. Kurup has been in the IT field for 25 years and has worked for several multi-national chemical companies, as well as the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

Devona Marshall – Director of Engineering and Construction

Ms. Marshall is joined the Sewer District nearly 20 years ago as an entry-level Engineer and during her tenure served as Planning Manager and Deputy Director of Engineering and Construction prior to her promotion to Director in 2017. Ms. Marshall received her BS in Civil Engineering from the University of Akron in 1997 and her MS in Civil Engineering from Cleveland State University in 2001 and is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Ohio. She was part of the District’s technical team during Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Consent Decree negotiations with U.S and Ohio EPA and the Department of Justice. As Director, Ms. Marshall is responsible for the delivery of the District’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP) including those projects associated with the $3 billion CSO Long-term Control Plan known as Project Clean Lake.

Jean E. Smith – Director of Administration & External Affairs

Jean Smith joined the Sewer District in 2006 as a Public Information Specialist. As Director of Administration and External Affairs, she is responsible for internal and external communications, public outreach and education, and media relations. She serves as the Co-Chair of the National Association of Clean Water Agencies’ Communications and Public Affairs Committee. Prior to the Sewer District, Ms. Smith worked for the American Red Cross Northern Ohio Blood Services Region handling communications and media relations for 19 counties. She worked at Hermes Sports & Events and Clear Channel Communications (now iHeart Media), including as Promotions Director for 96.5 Kiss FM and Mix 106.5. A native of Columbus, OH, she holds a Bachelor’s degree from Baldwin Wallace University and a MPA Degree and a MBA Degree from Cleveland State University (CSU).