Broken Arrow Announces New Director of Engineering and Construction

City Manager Michael Spurgeon selected Ethan Edwards to lead the City’s Engineering and Construction Department beginning in early February. Edwards joins the City from Cowan Group Engineering, LLC, where he has been the operations manager since 2017.

Following a comprehensive nationwide search, Ethan Edwards has been selected to serve as the new Director of Engineering and Construction for the City of Broken Arrow. “I am truly honored to be selected as the Director of Engineering and Construction for the City of Broken Arrow,” Edwards said. “I understand the importance of this position, and I am looking forward to working alongside City personnel to proudly serve the residents of Broken Arrow by improving infrastructure and quality of life.”

Edwards joins the City from Cowan Group Engineering, LLC, where he has been the operations manager since 2017. Prior to Cowan, he spent nine years as the Water and Wastewater Division Manager, Principal, and Tulsa Office Lead at Professional Engineering Consultants.

“I am beyond excited to have Ethan Edwards join the City’s leadership team,” said City Manager Michael Spurgeon. “BA is a fast-growing community with an abundance of capital and infrastructure projects that we need to complete. Between the 2018 GO Bond Package and Utility capital reinvestment plan, we have over $300 million of work to be done over the next eight years. Whether it’s road widening, street and sidewalk repairs, water and wastewater improvements, parks work or building new buildings; our city needs a leader that has the experience and intangibles to keep up with these demands. I believe Ethan is the right person to lead our Engineering and Construction Department.”

Edwards has a wealth of experience managing infrastructure projects, especially water and wastewater, which will be important as the City of Broken Arrow continues work on over $27.5 million in Utility-related capital improvements currently underway. He has successfully completed numerous projects throughout Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas.

A graduate of Oklahoma State University, Edwards holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering. He is a member of the Water Environment Foundation and the Oklahoma Water Environment Association. He starts work in Broken Arrow in early February and will lead the department’s four divisions: Construction, Engineering, Planning and Stormwater. The Engineering and Construction Department is responsible for the design and construction of all public infrastructure in the City, including roadways, bridges, water and sewer, stormwater, parks, public buildings and public safety (Police and Fire) projects, as well as floodplain management and securing grants and other alternative funding for many infrastructure projects.