Behrend MBA alumnus holds top job at Erie Water Works

ERIE, Pa. — At Penn State Behrend, where he earned an MBA in 2007, Craig H. Palmer learned to navigate the dynamics of a group project.

“I think every single course had a group project,” he said. “That was valuable, because that’s what managers do. It’s like overseeing a big group project.”

Today, Palmer is the chief executive officer of Erie Water Works. He leads a team of 106 employees who provide clean drinking water to the utility’s 220,000 customers.

Only a fraction of that water is consumed, Palmer said. The rest is used for bathing, cleaning dishes, washing clothes, flushing toilets, watering flowers, cooking, farming, and other purposes. But every single drop, no matter its use, must be safe to drink.

“It all has to be potable,” he said, “even if it’s being used to wash a car.”

Palmer’s team pumps that water through 775 miles of underground pipes to more than 64,000 homes and businesses, he explained. It isn’t easy to maintain that service, especially in a region with Erie’s climate, where freeze-thaw cycles are frequent.

“I think a lot of people take for granted what is required to get water from Lake Erie into your home or business,” Palmer said. “We have an average of 250 water main breaks a year, and they almost never happen between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.”

After graduating from Penn State in 1997 with a degree in civil engineering, Palmer spent a few years working for a water/wastewater engineering firm, wanting to position himself to advance in the company. He said he then decided to learn more about the business side of the firm.

An MBA from Penn State Behrend was the logical next step, he said.

“Behrend was an easy choice because it has such a robust and respected business program,” he said. “And the caliber of individuals in my classes was impressive. I almost felt out of place.”

In class, and in his group projects, Palmer said he learned a lot about leadership, marketing, budgeting, human resources and technical writing.

“I use most of what I learned at Behrend every day,” he said.

He has been at Erie Water Works since 2006. He was senior manager of engineering services before becoming CEO in 2024.

“It’s an awesome responsibility to provide clean and safe drinking water to nearly a quarter of a million customers,” he said. “We never lose sight of the gravity of our work.”

Among the utility’s biggest challenges, Palmer said, are emerging contaminants and aging infrastructure.

“Water treatment has become much more complex with the discovery of microplastics, PFAs and other potentially harmful contaminants,” he said. “We have to stay on top of the science so we can be as proactive as possible.”

To make infrastructure improvements, his team stays alert to potential funding opportunities, said Palmer. Erie Water Works was one of the first public utilities to receive federal funding to replace lead “gooseneck” pipes in the water system.

“We are replacing our goosenecks 400% faster than we would have without the funding,” Palmer said. “We are on track to eradicate all lead by the end of 2027. That has made Erie a model for other cities that are far behind in the process.”

Beyond the day-to-day operation of Erie Water Works, Palmer also is focused on the future, he said: With access to fresh water, an affordable cost of living and a low chance of natural disasters, Erie is expected to benefit from climate migration.

“We need to be poised for economic development,” he said. “Erie is going to become a destination city, and we plan to be ready to meet the community’s needs.”