Sonoma Water - Management

Management

Executive Management Team

Listed alphabetically by last name

Grant Davis

General Manager

As General Manager of Sonoma Water, Grant Davis is responsible for Sonoma Water’s core functions of providing drinking water to 600,000 residents in portions of Sonoma and Marin counties and wastewater management for eight zones and districts throughout Sonoma County. Mr. Davis and his team also maintain nearly 100 miles of streams and detention basins for flood protection and manage a nationally recognized Russian River Watershed Restoration Program for the benefit of three federally listed fish species.

Since 2015, Sonoma Water has implemented a renewable energy portfolio that resulted in a carbon free water supply and distribution system. Sonoma Water has also been a leader in the development of several successful federal and state initiatives, such as the North Coast Resource Partnership, San Francisco Bay Area Integrated Regional Water Management Program, North Bay Water Reuse Authority and Pacific Coastal Salmon Restoration Fund.

Prior to joining Sonoma Water in 2007, Mr. Davis was Executive Director of The Bay Institute, a science-based nonprofit, dedicated to protecting the San Francisco Bay-Delta Watershed and improving water management in California. His experience also includes working for three members of Congress, a State Senator and an Assemblywoman.

Mr. Davis has served as Director of the California Department of Water Resources under Governor Brown. He is past President of WateReuse, California and is currently a member of the University of California’s President’s Advisory Commission, for the Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Mr. Davis also serves as a member of the Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program Technical Advisory Committee for the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research. Mr. Davis received his Bachelor’s Degree in political science from the University of California at Berkeley.

Kent Gylfe

Director of Engineering

Mr. Gylfe is Director of Engineering and is responsible for managing Sonoma Water’s Engineering and Resource Planning Division. He joined Sonoma Water in 2000 as a design engineer and, since 2004, has progressively served in engineering management roles, with a focus on implementing capital projects for Sonoma Water’s water supply, wastewater management, and flood control infrastructure systems. Prior to joining Sonoma Water, Mr. Gylfe worked for 10 years as an engineering consultant. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from the University of California, Davis.

David Manning

Assistant General Manager for Environmental Resources

Mr. Manning is responsible for leading Sonoma Water’s natural resources stewardship programs in the Russian River watershed and throughout the agency’s service area. During his 25 years with Sonoma Water, Mr. Manning has progressed from Senior Environmental Specialist to Principal Environmental Specialist, Environmental Resources Manager, and Division Manager. He leads teams of environmental professionals dedicated to minimizing the effects of water supply, flood control, and sanitation activities on terrestrial, riparian, and aquatic resources, including threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead. Before joining Sonoma Water in 1999, he worked as a fishery biologist for the National Park Service at Point Reyes National Seashore. He is also a past president of the California-Nevada Chapter of the American Fisheries Society. Mr. Manning received a Bachelor of Science degree in resource management from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master of Science degree in natural resources from Humboldt State University.

David Royall

Assistant General Manager for Operations & Maintenance

Mr. Royall serves as Assistant General Manager for Operations & Maintenance (O&M) at Sonoma Water. He brings more than 12 years of experience with Sonoma Water, including nine years in senior-level administration across water supply, sanitation, and flood control. Mr. Royall began his career as an Engineering Technician III in Stream Maintenance and later became Environmental Services Coordinator, where he supervised staff and managed sanitation budgets, facilities, and emergency response efforts during events such as the 2017 Tubbs Fire and the 2017 and 2019 Russian River floods. As Maintenance Division Manager, he led Sonoma Water’s response to challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic and workforce transitions while maintaining seamless operations. Mr. Royall’s leadership and extensive management experience make him well suited to his role as Assistant General Manager for Operations & Maintenance.

Brad Sherwood

Assistant General Manager for Business Services & External Affairs

Mr. Sherwood serves as Assistant General Manager for Business Services & External Affairs, overseeing administration, finance, government relations, community affairs, emergency management, security, and project management. Since joining Sonoma Water in 2006, he has worked with colleagues to develop and implement strategic legislative, funding, and community affairs programs that support the reliable delivery of drinking water to 600,000 residents in portions of Sonoma and Marin counties; wastewater collection and treatment services for eight sanitation districts and zones; and flood protection projects. Mr. Sherwood is a graduate of the Leadership Santa Rosa and Sonoma County Higher Leadership institutes. He earned a master’s degree in political management from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and an undergraduate degree in government and journalism from California State University, Sacramento. He is an active member of the Association of California Water Agencies, having served for nearly a decade on the Region 1 Board of Directors, and participates on a variety of leadership committees for the North Bay Watershed Association and California Special Districts Association. Mr. Sherwood is also active in his community and has volunteered on a variety of neighborhood improvement projects since the 2017 Tubbs Fire destroyed his home and thousands of others in Sonoma County.