American Water Works Co. announced Feb. 8 that Lori Sutton will serve as the company’s new chief inclusion, diversity and equity officer.  

Reporting to President and CEO Susan Hardwick, Sutton is tasked with leading the Camden-based water utility’s ID&E efforts, including a strategy to drive diversity, equity, mutual respect and inclusiveness across the organization.

Hardwick, who described Sutton as a “seasoned and tested ID&E leader,” said in a statement about the position that “Creating an environment where everyone can bring their whole selves to work is essential for our employees and makes us more successful in providing the best possible service to our diverse communities and customers.” 

Bringing more than a decade of experience in the field – including in the utility sector – Sutton comes to American Water from Alcoa Corp., where she was global head of inclusion, diversity and culture and led ID&E strategy across 10 countries. Previously, she led ID&E efforts at Berry Global Corp.

Sutton earned a bachelor’s degree in science from the University of Southern Indiana and an MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University. She also earned a Certified Diversity Executive designation. 

Sutton succeeds Valoria Armstrong, American Water told NJBIZ. Armstrong had been with the company for more than 11 years, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Founded in 1886, American Water is the largest publicly traded water and wastewater utility company in the U.S. New Jersey American Water is the Garden State subsidiary of American Water, serving about 2.8 million people.