Board of Directors

The Board of Directors meet in the Water Authority's headquarters at 601 S. Jefferson Street, Second Floor Board Room. Board meetings are open to the public.

The Western Virginia Water Authority has a seven-member governing board. Roanoke County and City of Roanoke governing bodies each select three board members. The seventh position is selected by the six board members and confirmed by the Roanoke City Council and the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors. Serving four-year terms are city resident Dr. M. Rupert Cutler, who is the Authority board chair, county resident H. Odell "Fuzzy" Minnix, who is Authority board vice-chair, Vinton resident Donald L. Davis, city resident Robert Lawson, city resident Marc S. Fink and county resident R. Grayson "Gray" Goldsmith. The seventh member is Richard E. "Rick" Huff, II of Franklin County.

Serving as treasurer is Authority Director of Finance and Administration Mr. Bruce Grant and serving as secretary is Authority Executive Assistant Ms. Jean Thurman.




Dr. M. Rupert Cutler

Authority Board Chair Dr. M. Rupert Cutler was a Roanoke City Council member from July 1, 2002 - June 30, 2006. He served as chair of the Audit Committee and represented the City of Roanoke on the Environmental Quality Policy Committees of the Virginia Municipal League and the National League of Cities.

Dr. Cutler retired in 1999, following a 45-year career in journalism, university-level teaching, environmental policy advocacy and natural resources public administration.

Presently, Dr. Cutler is also a trustee of the Virginia Outdoors Foundation; chair of the steering committee of the Nonprofit Resource Center of Western Virginia; and a member of the board of directors of Opera Roanoke. In the past, he served on state and local citizen advisory committees including those for the City of Roanoke Land Use Plan for Carvins Cove Watershed Lands and City of Roanoke Park Plan. He is also a past president of the Kiwanis Club of Roanoke.

During his academic career, Dr. Cutler worked as assistant professor of resource development, Michigan State University and as instructor, College of Architecture, University of Virginia. He served as Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Conservation, Research, and Education during the Carter Administration and is a past president of the Defenders of Wildlife, Washington, D.C. From 1991 to 1997 Dr. Cutler was the executive director of Virginia’s Explore Park, and from 1997 to 1999, executive director of the Western Virginia Land Trust.

He has an undergraduate degree in wildlife management from the University of Michigan and M.S. and Ph.D degrees from Michigan State University. He and his wife Gladys live in downtown Roanoke and have three children, five grandchildren, and six great grandchildren.

Mr. H. Odell “Fuzzy” Minnix

Authority Board Vice-Chair Mr. Minnix is a Roanoke County resident. Mr. Minnix served on the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors from 1992 through the first half of 2004.

Born in Roanoke County, Mr. Minnix is an Andrew Lewis High School graduate. He served four years in the U.S. Air Force as a Control Tower Operator. A graduate of the FAA Air Traffic Control Academy in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Mr. Minnix is also a graduate of the FAA Management School at Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma.

Currently, Mr. Minnix works as an air traffic controller at Lynchburg Regional Airport. Prior to holding this position, Mr. Minnix was an air traffic controller at Norfolk Air Traffic Control Tower, Dulles International Airport Control Tower, MacArthur Airport Control and Roanoke Municipal Airport Control Tower.

Mr. Minnix is a recipient of the Roanoke Valley Big Brother of the Year Award, the Roanoke Federal Employee of the Year Award and FAA Education Facilitator of the Year Award for the Eastern Region. Mr. Minnix has also received five outstanding ratings in the FAA. A local radio station, WROV, chose Mr. Minnix as an WROV Outstanding Performer Award recipient.

Mr. Minnix has been a member of the Roanoke Valley Economic Development Partnership Board, liaison to the Virginia Association of Counties and a member of the Urban Partnership board. He also serves on the Bio-Ethics Committee at Lewis-Gale Hospital, the Blue Ridge Zoological Society of Virginia and the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission Metropolitan Planning Organization.

Mr. Minnix is a member of Ghent Grace Brethren Church where he is a past moderator and Sunday school superintendent. An avid supporter of youth and sports, Mr. Minnix has served as head football coach at Hidden Valley Junior High, head softball coach, assistant varsity football coach and assistant varsity track coach at Cave Spring High School. Mr. Minnix is also active as a Virginia High School League football and basketball official.

Mr. Minnix is married to Janet Carol Hammers. He has two sons and a daughter-in-law and three grandchildren.

Mr. Donald L. Davis

Mr. Davis has lived in Vinton since 1965. Mr. Davis served on the Vinton Town Council for fifteen years, the last four years as Mayor. He was employed in the banking industry from 1965-1997, retiring after 32 years.

Mr. Davis has served as President of the Vinton Chamber of Commerce, The Vinton Dogwood Festival, held Club, District, and State offices in the Lions Club and as Vice Chairman of the Roanoke Valley Alleghany Regional Commission. He currently serves on the board of the Vinton Needy Family Program, Habitat for Humanity and is chairman of the Roanoke Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization.

He is a long time member of Thrasher Memorial United Methodist church in Vinton where he serves as Treasurer of the Church.

Mr. Davis has a banking degree from the University of Virginia. He and his wife have one daughter, one son, and one granddaughter.

Mr. Robert C. Lawson, Jr.

Mr. Lawson is a resident of the City of Roanoke. He joined SunTrust Bank in Lynchburg, Virginia, as a vice president in the Commercial Lending Group in May 1979. In 1982, he moved to Roanoke. In 1986, he was elected president of SunTrust - Roanoke, which included management responsibility for the Radford, Virginia, market. In 1997, his management duties were expanded to include responsibility for all commercial banking activities for SunTrust Bank, Western Virginia. In 2000, he assumed the role of president and chief executive officer, SunTrust Bank, Western Virginia until his retirement in 2007.

Mr. Lawson has an undergraduate degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Richmond.

He has served as board chairman of the United Way of Roanoke Valley, Inc.; Downtown Roanoke, Inc.; and Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce. He currently serves on the boards of the Greater Roanoke Valley Development Foundation, Roanoke Valley Development Corporation, Jefferson College of Health Sciences, YMCA of Roanoke Valley, Western Virginia Foundation for the Arts, Art Museum of Western Virginia, Hotel Roanoke, LLC, Virginia Tech Foundation, Roanoke Valley Economic Development Partnership and Foundation for Roanoke Valley.

In 1996, Mr. Lawson was awarded the Wiley S. Hubbard Award for Outstanding Service to United Way. In 2000, he received the John W. Hancock, Jr. Award for Outstanding Community Service. He was also awarded the Perry F. Kendig Award in 2000 for Outstanding Support of the Arts.

Mr. Marc S. Fink

Marc Fink is CEO and Chairman of Fink’s Jewelers, Inc. which operates fourteen stores. Nine stores are in Virginia – two in Roanoke, one in Lynchburg, one in Charlottesville, three in Richmond, one in Norfolk and one in Dulles. The other four stores are in North Carolina – two in Charlotte and three in the Raleigh – Durham area. Marc Fink is a third generation jeweler.

Mr. R. Grayson "Gray" Goldsmith

Mr. Goldsmith was born and raised in the Roanoke Valley and has been a resident of Roanoke County since 1978. He started his banking in Roanoke with the old First National Exchange Bank (predecessor to Wachovia Bank) in 1976, and served there in a multitude of roles and responsibilities until 1998. He then joined SunTrust Bank as a Senior Vice President in the Commercial Banking Group with management responsibility for commercial sales activities in the Roanoke, New River Valley and Southside markets. In 2007, Mr. Goldsmith joined Valley Bank and assumed his present position as Business Banking Group Manager.

Mr. Goldsmith has taken an active interest in community endeavors over the years. He is a life long member of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Roanoke and has served on numerous civic and professional organizations. He currently serves on the corporate boards of YMCA of Roanoke Valley and Junior Achievement of Southwest Virginia.

Mr. Goldsmith is a graduate of Hampden-Sydney College with a Bachelor Degree in Psychology. He and his wife, Eva have two daughters and one son.

Mr. Richard E. "Rick" Huff, II


Mr. Huff has served as County Administrator of Franklin County since 1999. Prior to coming to Franklin County, Mr. Huff served as Deputy County Executive for Albemarle County, Pittsylvania County Administrator and an earlier term as both Assistant County Administrator and County Administrator for Franklin County.

Mr. Huff holds a Masters Degree in Administration from Lynchburg College and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Public Administration from Virginia Tech.

Mr. Huff is active personally and professionally through a number of organizations in the region. He is currently the Treasurer for the Roanoke Valley Economic Development Partnership, Vice President of the Chief Local Elected Officials Committee of the Area III Workforce Development Board, a member of the Rocky Mount Rotary Club, Treasurer and elder for Blue Ridge Gospel Tabernacle and a member of both the International City Managers Association and the Virginia Local Government Management Association.

A native of Staunton, Virginia, Mr. Huff is married and the father of two sons and a daughter.