Board of Trustees

Ellen Bussert is a community volunteer representing the City of Bixby. She is a founding member of the Central Oklahoma Recycling Coalition (CORC) which was instrumental in getting curbside recycling for Oklahoma City, OK. and later merged with the Oklahoma Recycling Association (OKRA). Ellen was also the first Director of Public Information and Education for the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) and was with this organization for almost 20 years. She is a past member of the Ada Recycling Coalition and Keep Oklahoma Beautiful and has supported The M.e.t. since 1987.

Prior to becoming a City Councilor in 2021, Ford spent 20 years as the Crime Prevention Specialist for the Broken Arrow Police Department. She has also worked as a Program Administrator for the Citizen's Crime Commission overseeing the Alert Neighborhood, Crime Stoppers, and Arrest Arson programs.

Her certifications include Crime Prevention through Environmental Design by the American Crime Prevention Institute in Louisville, Ky., and FBI-LEEDA Media, Public Relations, and Community Engagement Training through the University of Kentucky, and she is a Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training (CLEET) basic instructor.

David White is representing the City of Claremore. David has enjoyed many roles in several departments over his 15-plus years at the City of Claremore and is currently a project manager for the Public Works Department. He has a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Oklahoma and a Master’s of Public Administration from Arkansas State University. He is an advocate of environmental responsibility.

Craig Stokes is the Public Works Director for the City of Collinsville. Craig is a Certified Floodplain Manager. In his current duties, he is responsible for the cemetery, streets, parks, stormwater, solid waste, and water and sewer systems. Craig has 28 years of municipal government experience. Craig graduated with a B.A. degree from Northwestern University in Enid, Oklahoma.

Jesse Hale is the Public Works Director for the City of Glenpool. He oversees the streets, parks, water, sewer, and facilities maintenance departments. Before working at the city, Jesse spent 20 years working as a controls engineer working with everything from powdered donuts, to garden hoses, to sewer and potable water systems. Jesse graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Kansas State University. He enjoys disc golf, hiking, camping, and spending time with his wife and 2 rambunctious boys.

Lauren Kimbrough is the Pretreatment and Stormwater Administrator for the City of Owasso. Lauren has worked in the water quality field in Oklahoma for 20 years. She advocates for clean water initiatives and has spent her career managing municipal water quality programs for pollution prevention, water conservation, drinking water, and stormwater.

Barry Parsons is currently the Public Works Director for the City of Jenks. He was the City Administrator In Kansas, the Public Works Director in Georgia, and the Water Supply Manager in North Carolina. He has worked in Water, Wastewater, and public works most of his adult life. He has Bachelor’s degrees in Business Management and Public Administration. He retired from the Air Force as a First Sergeant in 1999. He is married with 5 children and 8 grandchildren. He also loves to fish.

Derek B. Campbell, PE, has been the City Engineer and Public Works Director for the City of Sand Springs since 2006. He received his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering and his MBA from Oklahoma State University. Derek oversees 75 employees and manages all water, wastewater, solid waste, airport, environmental compliance, raw water, streets, and stormwater operations. Derek has also served as Interim City Manager and Interim Assistant City Manager for the City of Sand Springs when needed. He has served on the Transportation Policy Committee at INCOG since 2006. He spent 12 years as a Project Manager in the Oil and Gas Industry before he began at Sand Springs.

Terry Ball, P.E., is the Streets and Stormwater Department Director for the City of Tulsa. He oversees solid waste agreements, ordinances, street repairs, contract management, snow removal, and other duties for the Stormwater section. He leads 300 employees.

James Rea is the Chief Deputy County Commissioner for Tulsa County, District 2. James is a Cascia Hall alum and attended Miami University (Ohio), where he earned a B.A. and was subsequently commissioned as an Ensign in the United States Navy. After completing almost 10 years of active naval service, James graduated from Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law in 2005. James practiced law privately in Dallas until 2019 when he returned to Tulsa, where he advised Tulsa County’s elected officials in litigation and transactional matters. James also holds an M.B.A. from the University of Dallas, and an M.A. in Political Science from the University of Central Oklahoma. He is a United States Naval War College Command & Staff Program graduate. James retired from the United States Navy as a Commander.

City of Wagoner, Director of Development Services.