Executive Management

General Manager

Scott McClelland joined the Encina Wastewater Authority Team in 2016 as the Assistant General Manager, and was selected as the General Manager in 2021. Scott provides executive oversight to the 72 staff at the Encina Wastewater Authority with a $46 Million annual budget. Scott has served in public utilities since 2003. Previously Scott has managed the operations and maintenance of three water treatment plants, laboratories, environmental compliance, and distribution systems. Prior to his public utility experience Scott worked for nine years as a design engineer for a multinational Civil Engineering design firm designing water, wastewater and water reuse treatment facilities. Scott holds a Master of Business Administration, a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering, and a Grade 5 Operator’s License, is a Registered Professional Engineer (Civil) and a Board Certified Environmental Engineer for the American Academy of Environmental Engineers in Water and Wastewater Treatment.

Assistant General Manager

Jennifer Sabine joined the Encina Team in 2022 as the Assistant General Manager. Jennifer has over 25 years of public management experience. Prior to joining Encina, Jennifer worked for 10 years at Sweetwater Authority, a public water agency serving over 200,000 customers, as the Assistant General Manager and Interim General Manager. Before that, she worked for 15 years at the City of Encinitas as a Management Analyst, Assistant to the City Manager and Director of Finance. Jennifer earned a bachelor of arts degree in Political Science from the University of Delaware and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in municipal finance from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She also holds a SWRCB Grade 2 Operator’s license.

Director of Environmental Compliance

Alicia Appel joined the Encina Team in 2022, bringing over 15 years’ experience collaborating with regulators, businesses, and municipalities on water quality protection policies. She was most recently the Environmental Programs Manager at City of Escondido Utilities, developing and implementing programs to meet municipal stormwater, wastewater, and water permit regulations including Pretreatment and Industrial Waste enforcement.  Alicia earned a Master of Environmental Science and Management from UC Santa Barbara and a B.A. in Marine Science from University of San Diego.

Director of Finance

Aaron Beanan joined the Encina Team in 2023 as Director of Finance. Aaron brings over 16 years of public sector experience. Prior to joining Encina, Aaron worked for the City of Poway as the Director of Finance for three and a half years leading the Finance, Customer Services, and Information Technology divisions. Before that, he worked for the City of Carlsbad for 13 years in various roles, his last role being Finance Manager leading the financial reporting and accounting group and accounts payable group. Aaron earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance and a minor in Economics from California State University San Marcos.

Director of Operations

Octavio Navarrete joined the Encina Team in 2004 and has served in Operations Management since 2012. Mr. Navarrete holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and a SWRCB Grade 5 Operator’s License. Prior to Encina, Mr. Navarrete worked for Teradyne Circuits as project manager providing advanced engineering support for the manufacturing of printed circuit boards.

Director of Technical Services

Dimitris Papachristoforou joined the Encina Team in 2022 as Director of Technical Services. Dimitris is overseeing the engineering, projects, maintenance, and system programs for the Encina Wastewater Authority. He is implementing tactics such as preventive, predictive, technical improvements, and asset evaluation to ensure environmental compliance and steady operations. Prior, Dimitris was involved with several water treatment projects in Europe, Latin America, and the United States including the Carlsbad Desalination plant and Santa Barbara Water-Treatment Facility. For the last 10 years, Dimitris worked on large-scale water treatment plants including design, construction, commissioning, and O&M. He has additional experience in heavy industries such as cement manufacturing and pharmaceutical industries. Dimitris is a registered professional mechanical engineer in the state of California and the European Union.