Amanda Kinnick - Interim Director

Amanda Kinnick is a dedicated water utility management professional with more than 15 years of experience across the public and private sectors. She holds a Master of Public Administration from Florida International University in Miami, Florida, and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A licensed Professional Engineer in both Florida and Wisconsin, Kinnick has consistently demonstrated excellence in organizational leadership, strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, project management, capital improvement oversight, operational efficiency, policy development, regulatory compliance, risk management, and the application of a One Water approach to resilience and sustainability.

Currently serving as Interim Director for Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department, Kinnick directs operations and manages infrastructure across three regional water treatment plants, five local water treatment plants, and three regional wastewater treatment facilities—ensuring the production of 330 million gallons of water and treatment of 375 million gallons of wastewater daily for over 2.8 million residents. She also spearheads an $8.7 billion multi-year Capital Improvement Plan designed to ensure regulatory compliance, enhance reliability, and promote long-term resilience. Her role involves overseeing departmental finances—including budgets, bond issuances, and pursuit of state and federal funding—while fostering transparent, responsive customer relationships and a collaborative culture among staff, government officials, and community stakeholders.

Prior to this role, Kinnick served as Chief of Staff for Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department, acting as the senior advisor to the Director on all contractual, operational, and policy matters. In this capacity, she represented the Department in high-level meetings with elected officials, community leaders, and other key stakeholders. She leveraged her engineering acumen to review design and construction contracts for technical accuracy and feasibility, while leading cross-departmental initiatives to spur innovation and meet strategic objectives. Notably, she orchestrated emergency response coordination as the Department’s Incident Commander and championed public outreach campaigns such as the “Water Is Life” initiative, strengthening community trust and engagement.

Earlier in her career, Kinnick served as a Senior Project Manager in both the public and private sector, consistently delivering projects on time and within budget by aligning scope, sustainability, and strategic district goals. She led an enterprise-wide asset management project, driving cultural transformation, risk-based prioritization, and advanced analytics to extend asset lifecycles and enhance system reliability. Initially, she honed her technical expertise as a Water and Wastewater Engineer, providing specialized solutions for infrastructure challenges nationwide. Whether optimizing hydraulic models or conducting risk analyses for municipalities across the country, Kinnick has remained committed to balancing environmental stewardship with economic viability, ensuring resilient and sustainable water services for diverse communities.