Palencia Mobley, PE, is a Member of the LimnoTech Board of Directors. Palencia is an experienced and accomplished executive with a demonstrated history in the water industry. She is a strategic and visionary leader with extensive experience in asset management, capital program planning and execution, and program management. Palencia served as the deputy director and chief engineer at the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD), responsible for field service operations, engineering, facilities, fleet, capital construction, and regulatory affairs. Under her leadership, DWSD increased investment in green stormwater infrastructure by $19 million in ten years, the City of Detroit passed the first post-construction stormwater ordinance, and DWSD implemented a full lead service line replacement program in 2018. That same year, Palencia was appointed to the Michigan Infrastructure Council, where she currently serves as the Board Chair.

Palencia’s experience and background include consulting and advisory roles and acting as the City Council-Mayoral liaison during the Detroit municipal bankruptcy of 2014. She also serves on academic boards, including the Wayne State College of Civil Engineering Advisory Board and the Transformative Research in Urban Sustainability Training (T-RUST) advisory board. Mobley is also a board member for the Michigan League of Conservation Voters.

Palencia earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from Wayne State. She is a licensed water treatment and distribution operator and a certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt. Mobley is also a graduate of the Duke University Water Innovation Leadership Development fellowship.

In 2022, Palencia founded Mode Collective and is the CEO. Mode provides operations consulting for utilities, government, and non-profit organizations.