Major General R. Mark Toy, P.E., USACE, Ret., Named New General Manager Of Yorba Linda Water District

After an exhaustive national search, the Yorba Linda Water District (YLWD) selected Major General R. Mark Toy, P.E., USACE, Ret., as its new General Manager. The West Point graduate will bring his extensive experience in water infrastructure, resource management, and people management skills back to California, where he previously served as the Commander and Division Engineer of the South Pacific Division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) encompassing ten states throughout the southwest, and where he received a master’s degree in civil engineering (Environmental Engineering) from UCLA.

Toy has managed some of the nation’s largest water resource infrastructure projects, including serving as the President of the Mississippi River Commission and Commander and Division Engineer, of the Mississippi Valley Division for the USACE, which runs from Canada through 12 states to the Gulf of Mexico. Previously, Toy was the USACE Commander and Division Engineer of the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division, which covers 17 states. In each role, he had thousands of people working under his command and managed a budget of several billion dollars.

Now retired from the military, Toy was looking forward to a new challenge of managing a water district in California and found Yorba Linda Water District to be a perfect fit.

“I was impressed with the fiscal responsibility of YLWD and the leadership that the district showed operating the nation’s largest PFAS plant,” said Toy. “I look forward to amplifying the board’s vision of strong fiscal stewardship and management of our water resources.”

With impressive experience in the military world, including the United Nations Command (UNC,) Toy has been in charge of several hundreds of personnel and has guided them successfully in international negotiations, water infrastructure, and national resource strategy projects.

The YLWD hiring committee was impressed with the range of expertise that Toy brings to the table. “His business acumen and project management skills in developing large, complex water infrastructure projects transcend the military world,” said YLWD Board President Wayne Miller, Ph.D. “We are honored to have such a quality leader as General Manager of our agency and look forward to seeing his leadership drive the district’s vision and mission.”

In addition to earning a master’s degree in civil engineering (Environmental Engineering) from UCLA., Toy has master’s degrees in business administration and National Resource Strategy. He served in the War in Afghanistan and the Iraq War, earning three Army Distinguished Service Medals, two Legion of Merit awards, and a Bronze Star Medal.