Ronald E. Starrs has been a director since 1992 and served as board president from 2000 through 2005. He gained an early interest in water and the Agency itself from his father, Ray, a longtime Desert Water Agency employee who retired in 1978.

Serving in his fourth consecutive term as a director of Desert Water Agency, Ron has also served as regional chairman and director of the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA). He was elected Desert Water Agency Representative to the Riverside County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) in 2004 by the LAFCO board.

Ron, who is a 30-year veteran with the Palm Springs Police Department, presently holds the rank of captain. He has been a resident of Palm Springs since 1955, attending local schools and graduating from Palm Springs High School and COD. He also attended Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah where he earned a BS degree. Ron earned a masters degree in Public Administration from Cal State San Bernardino and is the recipient of the Police Officers Association’s Professional Excellence Award.

Ron and his wife, Denise, are the parents of six children.