Nationally recognized leader in the utility industry, Kathy L. Pape, has joined McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC. Pape will work in McNees’ Financial Services and Public Finance practice groups, with additional emphasis in the Public Sector Group and the Government Relations group.

Since 2007, Pape has been the President of Pennsylvania American Water and since 2011, the Senior Vice President of American Water’s Mid-Atlantic Division, which includes Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, and Maryland. American Water is the largest water and wastewater service provider in the United States and Pennsylvania American Water is the largest water and wastewater service provider in the Commonwealth with 700,000 customers in 400 municipalities. She most recently was the Senior Vice President of Regulatory Policy and Business Development for American Water.

“Kathy is a great addition for our Clients and our Firm,” Chairman of McNees Wallace & Nurick David M. Kleppinger said. “She brings a proven client and practice focus to McNees, and she is a hard worker, a great asset, and her leadership will significantly strengthen our firm as we continue to grow our Public Sector and the Government Relations practices. In addition, Kathy’s commitment to our ‘Clients First,’ ethos will further enhance her value to our Clients and the Firm.”

As president of Pennsylvania American Water, Pape was accountable for operational and financial results and led customer, regulatory and local government relationships. During her tenure as president she focused the company on customers and employees, spending most of her time and effort in the field with employees, customers, municipal officials and legislators to find solutions to replacing aging infrastructure while maintaining reasonable rates. To that end she was instrumental in passing legislation which combined water and wastewater rates, permitted fair market value purchase price for municipal sales of water and wastewater systems and defining combined sewer systems as wastewater utilities.

From 1994 to 1999, Pape was regional counsel and manager of finance for American Water where she led rates and regulatory affairs, finance, budgeting and customer service for 10 states.

Between her stints at American Water, Pape worked as senior vice president, treasurer and regulatory counsel for Aqua America, Inc. from 1999-2007. She previously was also vice president of rates and corporate counsel for General Waterworks Management and Service Company, assistant counsel to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, and assistant consumer advocate for the Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate.

In 2008, Governor Ed Rendell appointed Pape to the Sustainable Water Infrastructure Task Force. She also served as Chairperson of Pennsylvania Business Council since 2007, and is among 30 task force members from across Pennsylvania selected by Governor Tom Wolf to address the estimated $20 billion funding shortfall needed to upgrade Pennsylvania’s aging water infrastructure.

Pape was the first woman to serve as chair of the Pennsylvania Business Council board of directors. She also is active in her community by serving on the boards of the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, The Earth Conservancy, The Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, The Foundation for Enhancing Communities, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (Central PA Chapter) and the Hampden Township Industrial Development Authority and the Council of Trustees of Edinboro University. She is a past chair of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Association of Water Companies, and served on the Finance Council of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, and the Board of Gwynedd Mercy Academy.

Pape was named to Central Penn Business Journal’s “Women of Influence” in 2010, and she was selected as one of the Northeast Pennsylvania Business Journal’s Top 25 Women in Business in 2011.

The mother of three children, Pape resides with her husband in Hampden Township, Pa. Pape received a BA in Political Science from Edinboro University, a JD from Dickinson School of Law and an LLM in Taxation from Villanova University School of Law.