Source: PRESS RELEASE, 11/15/11

Charles “Chuck” Wakild of Wrightsville Beach has been named as director of the N.C. Division of Water Quality and will begin his duties on Jan. 1.    

Wakild, the division’s current deputy director, replaces Coleen H. Sullins, who will retire effective Dec. 31. DWQ is responsible for all aspects of water quality protection including rules development, standards setting, monitoring, planning, permitting and compliance activities.

“Chuck has a breadth of experience that will serve him well in this very challenging position,” said Dee Freeman, secretary of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources. “He understands the importance of protecting the state’s water quality, while also having knowledge of the practical concerns of business and industry in the regulated community.”

Wakild has worked at DENR for a total of 21 years; from 1971 – 1990, he held a variety of leadership positions, including deputy director of air, water and groundwater programs; regional supervisor; and chief of the Water Quality Section. Following a stint in the private sector, where he worked at Federal Paperboard Company and Progress Energy, he returned to the division in 2006, serving first as the DWQ supervisor in the Raleigh Regional Office and since 2007 as the division’s deputy director.  

Wakild, a native of Michigan, has an MBA from UNC-Wilmington; a master’s degree in environmental engineering from the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Public Health; and a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Michigan State University.