Crystal Yezman
Manager of Maintenance & Construction/Water Operations
Crystal Yezman was appointed as the Manager of Maintenance and Construction for the East Bay Municipal Utility District in 2023. She has over 24 years of experience working for some of the largest water and wastewater agencies on the West Coast. Crystal is excited to bring her knowledge of best practices and innovations in managing all aspects of municipal water and wastewater utilities, including engineering, operations, maintenance, and natural resources. Previously, she served as the Director of Engineering for the Marin Municipal Water District, where she managed $400 million in capital projects, including designing and constructing new water distribution pipelines. In 2013, her successful efforts to take the Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center from construction to full operations were featured nationally on NPR’s All Things Considered. Crystal is committed to ensuring the delivery of safe, reliable water to her community and actively serves on the Board of Directors for the California Sanitation Risk Management Association and Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District.
Crystal was the first woman in her family to graduate from college. She earned an undergraduate degree in Environmental & Physical Science and a Master of Science in Civil & Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. Throughout her career, she has broken barriers, becoming the first woman to hold leadership roles in many maintenance and construction positions within the water industry. "I have always had non-traditional interests, spending my free time engaged in all sorts of DIY projects from home construction to auto mechanics. This passion has led me to collaborate with women-in-trades groups to help model a successful career path. I hope to encourage and mentor more women to get started in the industry and help diversify our workforce."