Patty Cortez
Assistant General Manager – External Affairs
Patty Cortez joined the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District in September 2013 as the Director of Government and Community Affairs. She has over fifteen years of diversified experience in the management of public relation campaigns, public affairs and crisis communications. Patty is responsible for managing the District’s legislative agenda, public relations and educational outreach to the community.
Prior to joining Upper District, Patty was a Public Affairs Manager for Edison International in the Legislative Affairs division. There, she managed public outreach programs for Edison’s legislative priorities and new infrastructure projects. Patty also served as a District Representative for Congressman Gary Miller and has extensive experience in public relations with Formula PR, where she developed national PR campaigns for sports and entertainment clients.
Patty’s innovative outreach programs has earned Upper District regional and statewide recognition. In September 2015, Upper District was awarded the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments’ 2015 Sustainability Award and the California Special Districts Association’s Excellence in Outreach Award for its first-of-its-kind water conservation program, The San Gabriel Valley Water Smart City Challenge. In June 2016, the San Gabriel Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce awarded Upper District with Business of the Year for its broad public outreach activities on water conservation. In March 2017, Patty was honored with the 2017 Woman of Achievement Award in Environmental Protection for the 22nd Senate District by Senator Ed Hernandez. Patty earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Loyola Marymount University and a Master in Public Administration from the University of La Verne.