Jerson Kelman

Jerson Kelman is a Brazilian engineer, born in 1948. He is married, has two children and five grandchildren. He graduated as Civil Engineer and holds an M.Sc. on Hydraulics from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (1971 and 1973), and holds a Ph.D. on Hydrology and Water Resources from Colorado State University (1976).

Since 1974 he has been a professor of water resources at COPPE – the engineering graduate school of Rio de Janeiro. He was a also senior researcher of the Research Center of Electric Energy – CEPEL (15 years), technical director of the authority on rivers and lakes of Rio de Janeiro – SERLA (5 years), consultant of the World Bank (5 years), president of the Brazilian Water Agency – ANA (4 years), president of the Brazilian Electric Energy Agency – ANEEL (4 years), partner of BR-Investments (1 year), president of LIGHT, the Electric Energy Company of Rio de Janeiro (3 years) and president of ENERSUL, Electric Energy Company of Mato Grosso do Sul (2 years). Since 2015, he has been President of SABESP, the water utility of Sao Paulo State, serving 28 million people.

Kelman is or has been member of several boards: Brazilian Sustainable Development Foundation (FBDS); ABENGOA International Advisory Board (Spain), UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education in Delft, Netherlands; Brazilian Council of Energy (CNPE); Brazilian Council of Environment (CONAMA); Brazilian Council of Water Resources (CNRH), the Infrastructure Committee of the São Paulo Industry Federation (FIESP), the Energy Committee of the Rio de Janeiro Industry Federation (FIRJAN) and the Advisory Council of the Global Water Practice of the World Bank.

He is fellow of three Brazilian merit organisations: the Order of Rio Branco, the Order of Scientific Merit and the Brazilian Engineering Academy (ANE). He was the first recipient of the King Hassan II Great World Water Prize, in 2003, by choice of the World Water Council. He received the 2010 Federal University of Rio de Janeiro Engineering Alumni Award, and the 2012 Colorado State University Engineering Alumni Award.

Kelman is the author of two books: “Floods and Hydroelectric Power Plants” (1983) and “Challenges of the Regulator” (2009). He is also the author of more than one hundred technical papers and chapters published in specialised books and dozens of articles published in major newspapers.