Valoria Armstrong
Valoria Armstrong has been named president of Tennessee American Water, effective next Wednesday. She replaces Deron Allen, who was named president of Indiana American Water.
A native of Tennessee, Ms. Armstrong most recently served as the human resources director for American Water in several states, including Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan and Missouri.
In her new role, she will be responsible for leading overall operational and financial performance, as well as strengthening customer, regulatory and local government relationships. She will also be the principal executive for American Water in Tennessee.
“American Water is very pleased to have Valoria return to her home state to lead our operations there,” said Walter Lynch, president and chief operating officer of American Water’s regulated operations. “She will build on the great work that Deron has done and I know her commitment to delivering excellent customer service along with her passion to build community relationships will make her a great fit for the Volunteer State.”
Ms. Armstrong joined American Water in September 2011 as a human resources business partner, supporting Tennessee and Kentucky. In this role, she served as a strategic partner to the state management teams with a focus on employee and labor relations, performance management, workforce planning and operational efficiencies.
Prior to joining the company, she worked for Food Lion in various roles for 15 years, including in diversity management and training and development.
Ms. Armstrong has been actively involved in numerous professional, civic and community pursuits. She was the first woman and youngest president elected to lead the Chattanooga chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) from 2005-2012. She also has served as chair of the Chattanooga chapter of the American Cancer Society, and has been actively involved in the Chattanooga chapter of the Society of Human Resources Management, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Chancellors’ Diversity Advisory Council, and the Volkswagen Diversity Council. She also serves on the board of the Orange Grove Center.
Ms. Armstrong has a bachelor of arts degree in business administration with an emphasis in accounting from Georgia Southern University. She is also pursuing her masters of science in human resource development at Villanova University. She is certified as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR).
Tennessee American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water services to more than 374,000 people in Tennessee and northern Georgia.