Along with the start of a new year, the Brazos River Authority Possum Kingdom Lake office began under new management. 

Randall McCartney began his tenure Jan. 1 as reservoir manager at the office overlooking the 79-year-old Morris Sheppard Dam. Possum Kingdom Lake, located on the main stem of the Brazos River northwest of Fort Worth, was the first water supply reservoir constructed in the Brazos River basin.

McCartney joins the BRA after having spent the past decade with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Texas A&M University graduate worked in Waco, Somerville and Grapevine with the Corps of Engineers overseeing a wide variety of duties, including managing all aspects of recreation for seven multipurpose reservoirs, creating and maintaining several multi-million-dollar budgets, and communicating with stakeholders and the public.

He served in the United States Marine Corps and holds a Bachelor of Science in recreation, park and tourism sciences.

McCartney steps into the role following the promotion of former reservoir manager Blake Kettler, who became the BRA Technical Services Manager in October 2019. As Technical Services Manager, Kettler oversees capital improvement planning, project management, engineering services, construction management, and property administration for the Brazos River Authority.

Also joining the staff at the Possum Kingdom Lake office is Lambert Jefferson, who was hired as the reservoir’s Lake Ranger Sergeant. Jefferson has almost three decades of veteran officer experience of which half was as a corporal and a sergeant, Jefferson will supervise the reservoir’s complement of lake rangers.

Jefferson joins the BRA after a decade working as an emergency medical technician with CareFlite Ambulance Service in Grand Prairie. At the same time, he has spent more than 19 years as a safety officer with Lone Star Camp in Athens and as a sergeant for the Hillsboro Police Department. He also holds a state firefighter certification.