Board of Directors

Rick Roelle
President

Rick Roelle joined the Mojave Water Agency Board in November 2020 and represents Division 5 that encompasses most of Apple Valley. A life-long Apple Valley resident, Roelle graduated from Apple Valley High School and has dedicated his life to public service.

Rick chose a career in law enforcement, and joined the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department holding a number of positions that spanned his 32 years with the department. Roelle worked as a Detective in the Narcotics Division for many years. He was an Investigator for Internal Affairs, and a Supervisor for the Detective Division for the City of Victorville, as well as other assignments.  Upon retirement he had earned the rank of Lieutenant.

In addition to service in law enforcement, Roelle served the citizens of the Town of Apple Valley as a Council Member from 2004-2012. While serving on the Council he was voted by his fellow Town Council Members to lead as Mayor from 2006-2007 and from 2008-2009, and also served as the Town’s representative on the Board of the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority for eight years. Currently, he is member of the Apple Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees.

Roelle’s goal for MWA is to maintain reliable water for the area. “Our service area is diverse, and each community is unique, but we all share the need for a reliable water supply for today, and for our future.”

Roelle and his wife Angela Valles enjoy living in Apple Valley. They share four children and seven grandchildren.

Marina West
Vice President

Marina West, PG, was elected to the Board of Directors for Division 2 in 2022. She is a fifth generation Californian whose family pioneered in farming, water science, and management, as well as environmental protection.

A professional geologist licensed by the State of California, West earned a Bachelor of Science degree in geological sciences from California Polytechnic State University of Pomona, and holds a master’s degree in public administration from California State University, San Bernardino.

She has worked in the water industry for more than 35 years. She is licensed by the state of California as a Water Treatment Operator and holds the highest-level certification offered by the state in Water Distribution.

West serves as vice chair of the California Water Systems Alliance, an initiative to provide a voice in Sacramento for water systems serving disadvantaged communities that are reliably and affordably providing water to low income and income limited residents such as seniors.

Since 2021, she has also served as a director/treasurer to the CalMutuals/Joint Powers Risk and Insurance Authority which secures affordable insurance for 400 water systems that mostly serve rural and smaller communities.

Kathy Hoffman
Secretary

Kathy Hoffman was installed to serve on the Mojave Water Agency Board to represent Division 3 on April 13, 2023. In addition to her Division 3 responsibilities, Kathy also serves on the Personnel, Finance, Security and Technology and Legal, Legislative and Community Partners Committees.

Kathy was in her second term with the Phelan Pinon Hills Community Services District (CSD) when she was appointed to the Mojave Water Agency Board of Directors. She formerly served as Vice President and President of the CSD and sat on several committees including the Pinon Hills CSD Engineering Committee, Parks & Recreation, Finance and Legislative Committees.

She has also been a Board Member of the San Bernardino County Tax Assessors Tax Appeal Board for the past 14 years and is currently in her second year as the Board Chair of Tax Appeal Board #1.

She is the President of the Phelan Chamber of Commerce.

Mike Page
Treasurer

A long-time resident of the High Desert, Mike Page has dedicated his career to community issues. In November of 2001, he first ran for the Mojave Water Agency, was elected and subsequently re-elected, and has since represented Division 4. This division encompasses Spring Valley Lake, and most of Victorville.

He serves on the MWA Planning, Resources, & Technology Committee and the Personnel, Finance, & Security Committee. An advocate of taking a long-term approach to water sustainability, Page supports the recharging of local basins with State Water Project water, as well as augmenting water supplies through conservation, and water purchases.

Currently, Page is a Senior Director with St. Mary Medical Center Foundation. Previously he worked in the telecommunication industry for more than 25 years including serving as the Director of Governmental and External Affairs for Verizon. An active community member, Page participates with local chambers of commerce, and is a member of the Victorville Rotary Club.

He graduated from California State University, San Bernardino with a double major in Political Science and Business Management. Page resides in Spring Valley Lake with his wife Sharon and their three daughters.

Kimberly Cox

Kimberly Cox was first elected to the Board of Directors in 2003, representing Division 1. As a resident of the High Desert since 1985, she brings professional experience in city government and special districts, as well as expertise in water management to the Mojave Water Agency board.

Currently, Dr. Cox serves as the General Manager for the Helendale Community Services District, a position she has held since 2007. She previously worked for the cities of Hesperia and Victorville, and as an instructor at Victor Valley College.

A recognized water expert, Cox was appointed in 2013 and reappointed twice by Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. to serve on the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board.  Lahontan RWQCB is responsible for protecting water quality within Region 6 of the state.  There are nine RWQCB regions in California.

Additionally, Dr. Cox has served on the San Bernardino County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) since 2004 representing special districts. She has also served on the San Bernardino County Solid Waste Task Force representing special districts.  Cox was a contributing author for the Special Districts Formation Guide available through the California Special Districts Association (CSDA).

She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management and a Master’s degree in Public Administration with an emphasis in Water Resource Management and a Doctorate in Public Administration.

Jesse Ramirez

A Barstow High School graduate, Ramirez began his career as a Water Distribution Operator and has been the Operations Superintendent for Golden State Water Company since 2005. He holds his Grade-5 Water Distribution Operation Certification as well as a Grade-3 Water Treatment Operator Certification. He has more than 40 years of dedicated service as a professional in the water industry. Jesse was appointed Director of Division 6 of the Mojave Water Agency in October 2023.

Jesse’s goal is to use his extensive experience in water to help meet the challenges in today’s water industry and continue with tireless efforts to meet the water demands of our growing communities in the service area of Division 6 as well as all water needs throughout the Mojave Water Agency’s service areas. Jesse has a strong history in the City of Barstow where his family established themselves for more than 100 years.

Ramirez has served as a Board Member of the Barstow College Foundation since 2019, and on the Barstow Cemetery Committee since 2020. He is the past president of the Barstow Kiwanis Club for the 2018-2019 year. He has served as a Science Fair Judge for over 20 years for the Barstow Unified School District Science Fair awards.

Jesse and his wife Patricia have been married 44 years and have lived in Barstow for over 64 years. They share 3- married daughters and 10 grandchildren.

Michael Limbaugh

Michael Limbaugh was elected to the MWA Board in November 2020 and represents Division 7 that includes Hesperia and the far southeastern portion of Apple Valley. He is no stranger to the water industry, or serving as an elected official, and brings extensive experience as an engineer in the public and private sector.

Among his goals as a new Director is to provide a successful level of service. “Where water flows, community grows. We are charged with managing the region’s water resources, and I believe we can best accomplish this based on value, quality, integrity, and preservation,” Limbaugh says.

The new Division 7 Director entered the water industry working with MWA as the Project Engineer with Bechtel Corp. for the Morongo Basin Pipeline Project. He then joined the Agency as a staff member in 1994 as an Engineer and served in that capacity until he retired in 2009.

Prior to a focus on water, Limbaugh’s career included serving as the Project Engineer and Construction Engineer for various power generation and oil refining projects. He was also employed as a Civil Engineer with Caltrans and lead the Measure A Riverside County Route 91 project.

Dedicated to public service, Limbaugh was elected in 1998 to the Board of Directors of the Hesperia Recreation and Park Board and was reelected four times serving until 2018.

He earned his Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the University of California, Davis. He is also certified as a Desert Tortoise Biological Monitor.

Limbaugh and his wife Leania have been married 43 years and have lived in Hesperia 34 years. They share two married children and two grandchildren.