Global Water Resources, Inc., a water resource management company serving fast-growing regions in Arizona, has appointed Christa Steele to its board of directors effective January 1, 2026. She will fill the seat currently held by Debra G. Coy, who plans to step down at the end of the year to spend more time with family and pursue other interests. With Steele joining and Coy departing, the board will remain at seven members, including four independent directors.

Steele comes to the company with more than twenty years of leadership experience across public and private organizations. Her background includes work in regulatory strategy, digital transformation, financial oversight, mergers and acquisitions, and growth planning.

Most recently, she served as interim CEO of BALCO Holdings, the parent company of Bay Alarm, Bay Alarm Medical, and BALCO Properties, overseeing a workforce of about 1,200 people and roughly 300 million dollars in revenue. Before that, she was president and CEO of Mechanics Bank, where earnings improved during her tenure and the stock price doubled prior to the bank’s acquisition by a Ford Financial Fund subsidiary.

Ron Fleming, chairman, president, and CEO of Global Water, said Steele’s arrival brings valuable experience to the board. He pointed to her strategic and operations-focused leadership across multiple industries and noted that her background aligns with Global Water’s focus on customer service, water resource management, and water recycling technologies.

Steele currently serves on the boards of Deep Isolation Nuclear, which develops nuclear waste disposal technology, and Tanimura & Antle, one of the country’s largest independent vegetable growers. She also holds several committee roles with The Doctors Company, the nation’s largest physician-owned medical malpractice insurer.

In a statement, Steele noted that joining Global Water is especially meaningful given Arizona’s rapid population growth and ongoing challenges related to water scarcity. She highlighted the company’s work in utility consolidation, automation, and advanced water management, saying those efforts position it well for the future. She added that she looks forward to supporting the company’s continued expansion in the Phoenix and Tucson metropolitan areas.

Steele has been widely recognized for her leadership, including being named to the National Association of Corporate Directors’ Directorship 100 in 2023 and appearing twice on the San Francisco Business Times’ Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business list. She holds an MBA from the University of Southern California, a bachelor’s degree from California State University–Sacramento, and a cybersecurity oversight certification from Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute.

A Closer Look at Global Water Resources

Global Water owns and operates 39 water, wastewater, and recycled water systems, primarily in high-growth corridors around Phoenix and Tucson. The company recycles more than 1 billion gallons of water each year and has recycled 18.9 billion gallons since 2004.

It is known for its implementation of Total Water Management, a model that integrates water, wastewater, and recycled water services in the same geographic areas to maximize the reuse of treated water. This approach supports conservation programs such as remote metering, advanced operational technologies, and rate structures built to encourage efficient water use.

Over the years, Global Water has earned several national awards. It has been recognized as a “Utility of the Future Today” by a consortium of water and conservation organizations led by the Water Environment Federation for its water reuse programs. The company also received Cityworks’ Excellence in Departmental Practice Award for its asset management strategies and long-term planning.