2022 Manager of the Year

Lance A. McAvoy: Utility Director for the City of Fort Smith Utility Department

Lance McAvoy is the current Utility Director for the City of Fort Smith Utility Department.  Lance joined the Fort Smith Utility in 1996 as the chemist for the Utility Department and 2015 was promoted to the position of Deputy Director of Operations before being promoted to his current position in December 2019.  Lance has been recognized several times by numerous state organizations for his achievements in the water and wastewater industry.  This includes awards for laboratory, safety, and management.  Lance has serviced in officer positions for the Arkansas Water Environment Association and on committees of the Arkansas Water & Wastewater Managers Association.  Lance also currently serves on both the Wastewater License Committee and Drinking Water License Advisory Committee for both the Arkansas Division of Environmental Quality and Arkansas Department of Health.  Lance is also the past chair for the Arkansas Water Works and Water Environment Association (AWW&WEA) after being the longest sitting chair from 2019 to 2022.  AWW&WEA holds the largest water professional conference in Arkansas every spring. 

As the Utility Director, Lance oversees 320 full-time employees, administers a budget over $40 million annually, and works with a dedicated team of professionals to comply with federal, state and local environmental and health regulations.  Lance also is leading the ICARE (Integrity, Customer-service, Accountability, Respect, Engagement) culture for the Department.

Prior to coming to Fort Smith, Lance worked in the private environmental consulting field where he supervised a laboratory and worked with clients to identify and address operational issues at their treatment facilities.

Lance holds licenses in water treatment and distribution, wastewater treatment, and serves as adjunct facility for the Arkansas Environmental Training Academy.