B.S. in Civil Engineering, 1980M.S. in Civil Engineering, 1982
Greg Heitzman is a nationally respected civil and environmental engineering leader who has strengthened drinking water treatment, infrastructure renewal and utility management across Kentucky.
A native of Louisville, Heitzman earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering, specializing in hydraulics, from the University of Kentucky in 1980 and 1982. In 1988, he completed his MBA at the University of Louisville. He credits former UK civil engineering professor, Don Wood, for inspiring his career in water resources.
Heitzman began his 45-year career at the Louisville Water Company in 1982, where he rose through the ranks to become chief engineer, senior vice president of operations, and ultimately president and CEO. During his tenure, he directed more than $500 million in capital improvements and pioneered one of the nation’s first GIS-based pipe evaluation and replacement programs — an approach now recognized as an industry best practice for replacing aging water infrastructure. Under his leadership, Louisville Water Company achieved an AAA bond rating for financial excellence and was twice named “Best Tasting Tap Water in America.”
Heitzman guided delivery of the award-winning Riverbank Filtration Tunnel Project, recipient of the 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award. He also oversaw the creation of the Louisville Water Museum at the historic Water Tower, an ASCE Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. In 2013, he chartered the Louisville Water Foundation to assist customers in need with bill payment, award grants for water education and provide water access to vulnerable communities worldwide.
At the request of Louisville’s mayor in 2011, Heitzman assumed leadership of the Louisville and Jefferson County Metropolitan Sewer District during a period of organizational challenge. As CEO, he restored financial stability, strengthened governance, implemented performance management systems and advanced the $850 million EPA Integrated Overflow Abatement Program to ensure compliance with the Clean Water Act.
Following his retirement from utility leadership in 2015, Heitzman founded BlueWater Kentucky, where he continues to advise rural and regional water systems on strategic planning, regulatory compliance and operational excellence. Through his consulting work and volunteer service with WaterStep, he remains committed to expanding access to safe, reliable drinking water both locally and globally.
Heitzman is a graduate of both Leadership Louisville and Leadership Kentucky. He has held leadership roles in numerous organizations, including the American Water Works Association (AWWA), Better Business Bureau, Louisville Water Foundation and WaterStep. His many honors include the AWWA George Warren Fuller Award, the ASCE Gillim Award, the Kentucky Water Resources Institute Lyle Sendlein Award and the University of Kentucky Department of Civil Engineering Career Achievement Award.
Heitzman and his wife, Linda, reside in Louisville. Their daughter, Claire Bishop, and her husband John (both UK graduates), reside in Charlotte, North Carolina. Claire teaches Latin at Charlotte Christian School, and John practices law. The Heitzmans have two grandchildren, Calvin and Simon.
