After 30 years at Sacramento State, Dr. Ramzi Mahmood, Executive Director of the Office of Water Programs (OWP), will retire on August 20, 2024.
Dr. Mahmood has led OWP since 1997. Under Ramzi’s leadership, the program expanded from 11 staff members to over 70 staff members, students, and faculty affiliates, becoming the largest self-supported center in the CSU system. In the late 90s, he started a research group with a small Caltrans contract related to stormwater quality. As Caltrans’ needs grew, Ramzi hired engineers and scientists, mostly with graduate degrees, to serve as research staff. OWP’s reputation for delivering high-quality, practical solutions led other agencies to engage OWP for additional projects, allowing OWP to grow to its current size.
Under Ramzi’s guidance, the OWP library of 19 published textbooks was significantly upgraded, enhancing technical content, inclusive language, graphical content, and math resources. In addition, Ramzi spearheaded OWP’s transition to web services, introducing online ordering of course materials, online testing for correspondence courses, and new online modes for course content.
As Civil Engineering Department Chair for nine years, Ramzi promoted strategic planning, industry relationships, and student retention. Ramzi organized and analyzed assessment data, leading to a full six-year accreditation. Working with two industry advisory groups, he created the Ken Kerri Endowment Fund to support curriculum, scholarship, and accreditation-related activities. He also established the annual Ken Kerri Alumni Luncheon and the CE department newsletter, CE Connection, to foster university-industry-alumni interaction. As Interim Dean of ECS from February to July 2014, Ramzi focused on improving internal processes such as budgeting, space assignment, workflow for the Dean’s office, reestablishing the Industry Advisory Board (IAB) for the college, and fundraising activities.
Please join me in thanking Ramzi for his leadership and contributions to the campus as he enjoys his well-deserved retirement. Congratulations and best wishes to Ramzi and his wife, Raida Fahmi.
It is my pleasure to announce that Dr. Akram Botrous has been appointed Executive Director of the Office of Water Programs. Dr. Botrous has more than 30 years of teaching, research, and consulting experience. He received his B.S. in civil engineering from the Cairo University, his Masters in sanitary engineering from IHE, Delft, the Netherlands, and Ph.D. in environmental engineering from the University of Nebraska. His primary interest is environmental engineering, particularly in wastewater treatment.
Early in his career, Dr. Botrous was a lecturer in Cairo University where he taught courses in geotechnical engineering, hydraulics, and sanitary engineering. After finishing his graduate studies, he worked in the industry for more than two decades and designed over 25 wastewater treatment plants in the United States. His areas of expertise include secondary treatment, solids handling, biological nutrient removal (BNR), and membrane bioreactors (MBR). He has delivered projects for many clients on a wide range of topics including process simulation, hydraulic modeling, process optimization, troubleshooting, capacity assessment, and pilot studies.
He has published papers and spoken in conferences on the latest developments in wastewater engineering. He is the primary author of the sixth edition of the primary treatment chapter of the Manual of Practice No. 8 (MOP8). He is a Professional Civil Engineer (PE) and a Board Certified Environmental Engineer (BCEE).
Please help me welcome Dr. Botrous as the Executive Director of the Office of Water Programs.
Carlos Nevarez
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs (interim)
