Board of Trustees

AWBD’s Board of Trustees consists of elected trustees including the current President, Immediate Past President, Executive Vice President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. There are currently four Regional Trustees for Central Texas, Gulf Coast, North Texas, and West Texas.

Wendy Duncan
President

INFRAMARK, LLC

Kara E. Richardson
Executive Vice President

Marks Richardson PC

Mike Rozell
First Vice President

Fort Bend Co LID 11

Larry Goldberg, P.E., ENV SP
Second Vice President

Harris Co MUD 261

Kaci Schlachter, P.E.
Secretary

Quiddity Engineering, Inc.

Dwayne Mason
Treasurer

Harris Co ID 18

Ellen Hughes
Immediate Past President

Fort Bend Co MUD 23

Regional Trustees

Linda Backlund
North Texas
Sergio D. Handal, P.E.
Gulf Coast

Fort Bend Co MUD 35

Florence K. Thomas
West Texas
Horizon Regional MUD

MEETING INFORMATION

If you would like a copy of the agenda, minutes and complete proceedings of the monthly meeting of the Association’s Board of Trustees, please write the Association at 11700 Katy Freeway, Suite 450, Houston, Texas 77079 or call the office, 800/597-0122 or 281/350-7090. A copy of the proceedings will be mailed to any member district or firm. Copies are limited to one per member, however.

The Association’s Board of Trustees meets the second Wednesday of each month. If you would like to attend the meetings, please call the Association office in advance to confirm the meeting schedule.

Wendy Duncan

President

INFRAMARK, LLC

Wendy currently serves as the President of the AWBD Board of Directors, Chair of the AWBD Strategic Planning Committee, and is an active participant on the Legislative, Local Government, Conferences, and Communications Subcommittees. She began her tenure on the Board as an At-large Trustee in 2022 and, prior to being elected President in 2024, served as First Vice President, Programs Chair, Government Affairs Vice Chair, and Outreach & Engagement Chair.  Wendy currently works as an Account Manager for a water operations company in the greater Houston area.

Wendy received a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies from Texas A&M University in 1993 followed by a Master of Education Administration from the University of Houston in 2000. Wendy was appointed as a Director at Willow Fork Drainage District in 2017. Three months later, Hurricane Harvey devastated the community which launched her advocacy efforts to acquire better flood resilience. Wendy has built effective working relationships with the USACE, Harris County Flood Control District, Fort Bend County Drainage District, and local, state, and federal officials to propel sound solutions and appropriate funding mechanisms. Currently, she serves as a Director at Austin Point MUD 1 in Fort Bend County and a board member of Houston Stronger.

Wendy is happily married to her husband of 25 years and is the proud mother of three grown sons and one daughter-in-law.

Kara E. Richardson

Executive Vice President

Marks Richardson PC

Kara Richardson is a partner in the Houston law firm of Marks Richardson PC.  For the past 20 years, she has served as bond counsel and general counsel to municipal utility districts and other special purpose districts in Texas and has worked with real estate developers in the formation and development of such districts.  Additionally, Ms. Richardson serves as general counsel to certain non-profit 501(c)(3) corporations affiliated with special districts in Texas.

Ms. Richardson received her undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University in 1998 and her law degree from Baylor Law School in 2000. In her spare time, she volunteers her time and legal expertise to various non-profits in the Houston area.

Mike Rozell

First Vice President

Fort Bend Co LID 11

Larry Goldberg, P.E., ENV SP

Second Vice President

Harris Co MUD 261

Currently serves as a Senior Technical Advisor at BGE Inc., in the Public Infrastructure Group, bringing with him over 40 years of civil engineering and construction management experience.  His technical experience and expertise are in the areas of residential land developments, MUD District management, Public Infrastructure, Harris County Recovery & Resilience Drainage & Roadway Improvements, and site development.

Prior to BGE Larry was at Woolpert Inc. (formerly CivilTech Engineering, Inc.-CEI), as a Program Director for Infrastructure projects for 6 years. Before joining CEI, Larry served as Regional Sales Director for Neuvokas Corporation, and Prior to Neuvokas he served as Executive Vice President of Landev Engineering for 3 1/2 years.  Larry partnered in developing software for theadvancement of earthwork compaction for 6 years. His experience spans design, management, and construction of public and private infrastructure, residential and commercial developments, transportation, and flood control projects.  

Serves as a Board Director for Harris County MUD No. 261 since 2012

Larry holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University Zachry Department of Civil Engineering (Class of ’81), and is a licensed engineer in the state of Texas (No. 63531), and Envision Specialist Certification.

Kaci Schlachter, P.E.

Secretary

Quiddity Engineering, Inc.

Kaci embarked on her professional journey at Quiddity following her graduation from Texas A&M University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in 2016. She then obtained her Professional Engineer license in 2020. Currently, she holds the position of Client Manager, overseeing municipal utility districts and other special districts across the Houston-Metro region.

In her role as a District Engineer, Kaci prioritizes effective communication and strategic long-term planning throughout the entire life cycle of a District. She adeptly serves as a project manager on various projects, including bond application reports, mobility enhancements, wastewater treatment plant expansions, and sanitary sewer rehabilitation projects.

A distinguished alumna of Class 2 of AWBD’s Emerging Leaders Program, Kaci actively contributes to the organization as an AWBD Ambassador, notably engaging with the Regulatory Affairs Subcommittee. Additionally, she serves as Secretary for Harris County MUD 493.

Beyond her professional commitments, Kaci remains deeply invested in community service and philanthropy. She proudly sits on the Board of Directors for the Quiddity Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to fostering stability, creating opportunities, and enriching the community.

Dwayne Mason

Treasurer

Harris Co ID 18

Dwayne L. Mason serves as the head of the Texas Intellectual Property Litigation Practice. Dwayne’s practice focuses on patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, and technology-based commercial litigation. Dwayne also manages patent and trademark portfolios and assists companies in protecting and commercializing their intellectual property, including many transactional matters in the technology, media, life sciences, energy, and natural resources industries.

Dwayne has litigated numerous intellectual property disputes in various state and federal district courts, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal and 5th Circuits, and in domestic and international arbitration proceedings before the American Arbitration Association and International Chamber of Commerce. His technology experience includes medical devices, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, hydrocarbon and chemical processing, power, oil and gas production, seismic equipment and data processing, neural networks, data analytics, IoT, machine learning, process control, software, and business methods.

Dwayne writes and lectures frequently on intellectual property matters and has authored articles on many intellectual property law topics. Dwayne is a Founding Member and Master for the Nancy F. Atlas Intellectual Property American Inn of Court and has previously served on the editorial board of Nanotechnology Law and Business. Prior to practicing law, Dwayne was a Professional Engineer in the State of Texas and focused on the engineering, design, and construction of refineries, chemical plants, power plants, and oil and gas production and processing facilities.

He is a member of the State Bar of Texas and is admitted to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Federal and 5th Circuits and several U.S. District Courts.

Ellen Hughes

Immediate Past President

Fort Bend Co MUD 23

Ellen currently serves as the Immediate Past President of the AWBD Board of Directors, Chair of the AWBD Nominating Committee, Vice Chair of the AWBD Programs & Education Committee, and is an active participant on the Office Relations, Communications, and Conferences Subcommittees. She began her tenure on the Board as the Gulf Coast Regional Trustee in 2018 and, prior to being elected President in 2021, served as Executive Vice President.  Ellen currently works as Office Manager for a civil engineering firm in Houston.

Ellen is a proud Aggie who received a Bachelor of Speech Communication in 1989 followed by a Master of Public Administration in 1991. Introduction to MUDs came with her first job after graduation, working at the City of Sugar Land, which experienced tremendous growth through ETJ MUD annexation. Little did she know that the purchase of her home in Fort Bend County MUD 23 in 1993 would eventually lead to the start of service as a resident Board Director lasting over 28 years. During that time MUD 23 has grown from less than 500 homes to greater than 4500. Ellen’s early career at Sugar Land, coupled with service as a Director, has given her a unique perspective and deep passion for the importance of MUDs in the growth of communities in the State of Texas.

She is happily married to her husband of 33 years and is the proud mother of two grown children and one perfect grandson who lives 20 minutes away. She is an active member of Sugar Land Baptist Church where she sings Soprano in the Choir.

Linda Backlund

North Texas

Linda is currently serving her second term on the AWBD Board of Trustees and working with Infrastructure Rehabilitation USA, Inc. She is the subcommittee chair of Office Relations and the subcommittee co-chair of Regional Initiatives.

Linda has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, a Master of Science in Management and Administrative Sciences, and over 35+ years of experience with the Federal Reserve Bank as an enterprise business manager focused on developing strategic plans for service excellence.

Linda is a Director and President of CR 915 Municipal Utility District of Johnson County created in 2022 and confirmed in 2023. She is a former Director of McKinney Municipal Utility District No 1 in Collin County from 2019 through 2022.

Sergio D. Handal, P.E.

Gulf Coast

Fort Bend Co MUD 35

Mr. Handal has over twenty-two years of experience providing civil engineering services in design, project management, and construction administration to land development and municipal clients. Having graduated from Texas A&M University with a B.S. in civil engineering, Mr. Handal has worked on numerous projects involving new and existing developments in the greater Houston area.

His expertise includes project management, design, and construction of rehabilitation of existing water, sewer, drainage, and paving facilities for residential subdivisions. He has served as District Engineer for several districts in Harris and surrounding counties and as project manager for the City of Arcola Water Distribution System and City of Houston local drainage projects. He also serves as a Board Director for Fort Bend County M.U.D. No. 35.

Mr. Handal enjoys serving his municipal clients and establishing long-lasting relationships with his clients and co-consultants. His approach to client service is always to put the client first and look out for their best interest.

Kit Thomas

Ms. Thomas has been a Director on the Horizon Regional MUD since 2004 and currently serves as the Board Treasurer. “As a MUD Board Member, I am excited and willing to serve the West Texas Region. I thank you in advance for opportunity to represent the people of the West Texas Region. I believe that my years of experience on the Horizon RMUD Board has equipped me with the knowledge and skill needed.”