05 Jul John Morris and Ray DuBose appointed to the OWASA Board; Ruchir Vora reappointed
John N. Morris and Raymond DuBose took the oath of office as OWASA Board Members on Wednesday, July 5th. On May 22nd, the Chapel Hill Town Council reappointed Ruchir Vora to a second three-year term on the OWASA Board.
Raymond DuBose
Appointed by the Orange County Board of Commissioners, Mr. DuBose is a licensed Professional Engineer (PE). He retired from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as the Director for Energy Services, with more than 37 years of service. Mr. DuBose has resided in Orange County since 1975.
His responsibilities at UNC included managing energy, water, sewer, reclaimed water and stormwater services; serving on the Sustainability Coalition and Sustainability Advisory Committee; leadership in creating the UNC Climate Action Plan and managing its implementation; and leading the UNC team which contracted with Orange County to use gas from the County’s landfill as an energy source for the North Campus.
Mr. DuBose’s volunteer service includes more than 30 years as a member, technical editor and chair of the International District Energy Association (IDEA); serving as a director of the South Orange Rescue Squad; serving on the National Research Council’s Committee on the Architect of the Capital Power Plant; and serving as a US judge for the 2013 International District Energy Climate Award.
He earned a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.
Ray enjoys playing guitar and golf. He has been married to his wife, Pinkey, for 37 years and they have two sons and two grandchildren.
“I feel it is a huge honor to be appointed to OWASA Board by the County Commissioners. During my entire employment with the University, I had the pleasure of working closely with OWASA. I always was impressed with the professionalism, knowledge, and cooperativeness of OWASA employees and look forward to my service on the Board,” said Mr. DuBose.
John Morris
Appointed by the Chapel Hill Town Council, Mr. Morris served as Director of the NC Division of Water Resources from 1980 until retirement in 2008 and since has been a water resources consultant. He has resided in Chapel Hill since 1959.
At the NC Division of Water Resources, he was responsible for river basin water supply planning, water use permitting, drought response assistance to local governments, management of state participation in planning and funding navigation and flood control projects, and development of proposed legislation and administrative rules on water management.
His most rewarding projects, accomplished along with his colleagues, were the resolution of unsustainable ground water use in the NC coastal plain and establishing river basin hydrologic models that provide a foundation for sustainable water use planning.
His professional service includes chairing the Interstate Council on Water Policy, an organization of state water management officials, and the NC Water Resources Association.
Mr. Morris has been awarded the NC Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the Governor’s Award for Conservation Achievement, and the Department of the Army Commander’s Award for Public Service.
John and his wife Julie McClintock have four children and eight grandchildren between them. He enjoys travel, hiking, photography, and reading, especially history and the literature of the ancient world.
“After working with OWASA from the state level and developing a great respect for its capability and service to the community, I am honored to be able to take part in its work as a Board member,” said Mr. Morris.
Ruchir Vora
Mr. Vora began serving on the OWASA Board on August 28, 2014. He chairs the Community Engagement Committee and serves on the Natural Resources and Technical Services Committee.
Mr. Vora is a Senior Consultant with the firm of ERM NC, Inc., where he does environmental health and safety audits, program development and environmental analyses.
In addition to his professional experience in environmental health and safety since 2002, Mr. Vora served on the Conservation Commission in Cambridge, MA from 2009 to 2012 and in the Peace Corps from 1999 to 2001 in Kingston, Jamaica as a sanitation engineer doing training, research and data collection to support water and wastewater systems.
He received a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering from Tufts University in 1999 with a minor in economics, and has taken graduate courses in chemical engineering. Mr. Vora is certified in the Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Standard and he speaks conversational Spanish.
Ruchir’s interests include tennis, basketball, vegetarian food, reading and playing with his sons. He was born in Mumbai, India and grew up outside of Boston. He and his family have lived in Chapel Hill since 2012.
“I’m grateful to the Chapel Hill Town Council for reappointing me, and I look forward to continuing to address issues and challenges that OWASA will face for the next three years,” said Mr. Vora.
For more information
Board Member Raymond DuBose, rdubose@owasa.org
Board Member John N. Morris, jnmorris@owasa.org
Board Member Ruchir Vora, rvora@owasa.org