Destin Water Users (DWU) proudly announces a leadership transition as it welcomes Monica Wallis as its new general manager. This milestone marks both an exciting new chapter and a heartfelt farewell to Lockwood Wernet, who is retiring after 25 years of dedicated service and outstanding leadership.
Wernet began his career with DWU in March 2000 after being appointed to the DWU board of directors. He served as the chairman of the Strategic Planning Committee, secretary, treasurer and vice president before joining the DWU team in 2010 as the assistant general manager and then promoted to general manager in April 2014.
Under Wernet’s guidance, DWU has experienced significant growth, innovation, and a lasting impact on the community and industry. During his tenure, DWU has completed multiple projects to ensure the company can serve their members now and well into the future. Projects included the opening of a new wellfield and transmission line, providing a safe and reliable water supply to customers, as well as new wells, water towers, and the replacement of aging and obsolete treatment equipment to expand capacity. Other notable improvements that have fallen under Wernet’s leadership include the conversion of treatment disinfection process to improve public safety, the construction of new hurricane-proof offices and warehouse space to ensure recovery efforts could be facilitated, and the installation of automatic readers to improve the treatment process and response time.
“Not only did we invest in improving our equipment and facilities, but we also invested in the people who carry out the daily operations, so they are equipped to provide the highest level of service to our customers and community,” Wernet said.”
Over the past 25 years, DWU has won several awards recognizing their outstanding staff, team of technicians, and facilities, including being named Tank of the Year in 2020, multiple Plant Operations Excellence Awards, and consecutive Safety Awards recognizing the employee-run safety program. Their wastewater operators participated in the Operators Challenge taking home multiple awards, and locally, DWU has won awards for their float entries in the annual Destin Christmas Parade.
“I am most proud of the people I’ve worked with at DWU and their dedicated professionalism to serve the public health and safety of our community,” Wernet said. “The awards we have displayed in our training building are a testament to their dedication and service and I am proud that I was able to help facilitate their success.”
While Wernet is looking forward to his retirement and spending more time with his grandchildren, traveling with his wife Delores, and volunteering in the community, the thing he’ll miss most about his time with DWU is the people he has worked with over the years and their shared goal of providing the best service to the community and their customers.
“Monica is a natural born leader who possesses the knowledge, education, and experience to lead Team DWU into the future and the Board of Directors made the wise decision in appointing her as the next General Manager,” said Wernet. “Additionally, it gives me a sense of satisfaction to know that the Board has appointed someone who can carry on our Mission Statement: We live and work in a little piece of paradise, and DWU is intent on doing our part to keep it that way – I am confident that she will do her part.”
Wallis has been with DWU since 2010 where she began as the Engineering Manager before being promoted to Operations Manager in 2014. She is no stranger to DWU as her grandfather, Jimmy Trammell, was a founding Director of DWU when it incorporated in 1963 and her mother, Sandy Trammell, has served on the company’s board of directors since 2006.
“My grandfather helped to instill a good work ethic in me as a child and taught us about community, pride and hard work,” said Wallis. “Continuing in their footsteps and helping chart a vision for a growing community with the most precious resource of water – what better way than to lead DWU and establish a legacy of reliable service and high-quality water to our customers, the residents and visitors of Destin.”
Wallis currently oversees the technical operations of the company and is involved in all major plant upgrades and capital improvement projects including funding, design, and construction. She manages multi-million-dollar budgets for various projects and daily operations as well as implementing and organizing safety and training for employees.
“My goal as the general manager will be to guarantee reliable and sustainable safe drinking water for our customers and visitors, while being efficient and adhering to ever-changing regulations,” Wallis said. “I’m dedicated to managing our resources and infrastructure to both deliver clean, safe drinking water as well as collect and treat wastewater in an environmentally beneficial manner.”