Board of Directors

The Water Authority is governed by a five member Board of Directors. Each member is appointed to a five year term and appointments are staggered. Appointments are made by the Town of Clifton Park Board and the chairman is appointed by the Town Supervisor each January first for one year.

Mr. Gerstenberger has been a resident of Clifton Park since 1971, and is a 1979 graduate of Shenendehowa High School. He has a Bachelor of Science degree from the State University at Albany. He is currently employed by Citizens Bank. Helmut has been a board member since 2002. He was named Chairman in 2005. Helmut and his wife, Ginger, have four children.

John Ryan has been a resident of Clifton Park since 1994. He holds a B.A. in Economics/Business Administration from the State University of New York, College of Arts and Sciences at Plattsburgh. He retired from AT&T in 2021. At the end of his career, John was the Sales VP - ATT Premier Client Group. John has 20 plus years of business experience and has held progressive leadership assignments throughout his career. He has held numerous positions in Sales, Operations and Management across Upstate N.Y. and New England. John has been a board member since 2008 and has been a resident of Clifton Park since 1994. He and his wife Donna have two children.

Peter Taubkin has been a resident of Clifton Park since 1996 and joined the CPWA board in May 2012. He is Director of External Relations and Corporate Communications for The Research Foundation for The State University of New York. Prior to that Peter spent 16 years in the cable industry as Vice President of Government Relations and Public Affairs for Time Warner Cable’s Albany Division. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from Colby College in Waterville, ME and JD from New England School of Law in Boston, MA. Peter and his wife Kathy have two children.

Bill Butler has been a resident of Clifton Park since 1986. He holds a B.S. in Accounting and MBA from Monmouth University in New Jersey. Bill worked as a Program Manager of Industrial Programs for Groundwater and Environmental Services, an environmental remediation projects firm until his retirement in 2020. Bill brings more than 33 years of sales, strategic planning and management experience to the position. He and his wife Camille have two grown, married children.

Ms. Haig has been a resident of Clifton Park since 2005.  She is a 2017 graduate from Shenendehowa High School.  Julia holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Politics, Philosophy, and Law from Binghamton University.  She served as a Constituent Services Representative for the U.S. House of Representatives for two years.  She currently works as a Constituent Liaison for Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh of the 112th Assembly District, which encompasses Clifton Park.. 

Mr. Wheland has a Bachelor's Degree in Biology from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and a Master's Degree in Organizational Management from Sage Graduate School.  Chris has over twenty years experience in the water, wastewater, and stormwater industry.  He was previously employed by the City of Troy as the Superintendent of Public Utilities.  He and his wife Amy have two daughters.