Gilbert F. Ivey is the Chief Administrative Officer of The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.  He served as interim Chief Executive Officer during the agency’s five-month search for a permanent replacement in 2005.

During his forty year career at Metropolitan, Ivey has risen from a summer trainee as a high school student from Compton to serving as an executive at the nation’s largest wholesale water agency.   He has held various positions in Finance, Right-of-Way and Land, Operations, Human Resources and Executive Offices. He has led various complex and sensitive negotiations ranging from Board governance issues with the California state legislature to real estate and labor issues.  As interim CEO, he represented Metropolitan at the historic signing of the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation program.  He was also involved with the Quantification Settlement Agreement, one of the largest water transfers from agriculture to urban use. 

Ivey is the chief liaison to the board chairman and directors.  He is responsible for managing the administrative functions of the district, including the office of the board of directors-supporting its 37 member board, human resources—serving Metropolitan’s nearly 2,000 employees, management of Metropolitan’s real property portfolio of approximately 190,000 acres of land, an award-winning business outreach program with more than 15,000 certified small businesses and Metropolitan’s headquarters building at Union Station.

He was the project director in charge of development and construction of Metropolitan's headquarters at Union Station. At 535,000 square feet above ground and another 317,000 square feet below ground, he delivered this $135 million facility two months ahead of schedule and under budget.  The building has received LEED Silver certification from the United States Green Building Council, recognizing it as a pioneering example of sustainable design.  Since the official opening, his team and the project have won several awards and accolades. The Building Operators and Managers Association recognized Metropolitan's headquarters building twice as an outstanding government building in Los Angeles.

Ivey also served as project manager for the Diamond Valley Lake Visitors Center campus, recognized by the United States Green Building Council as the first LEED Platinum museum in the nation.

Ivey has contributed to the community by serving in leadership positions on numerous boards and commissions. He was awarded the Southern California Leadership Network’s Visionary Award for Public Sector Leader of the Year in 2009.  He currently serves on the executive boards of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, Los Angeles Central City Association, California State University Dominguez Hills Foundation Board, American Association of Blacks in Energy, the Infrastructure Academy, Think Together Board and Los Angeles County Fairplex Advisory Board.

He is a member of San Diego's prestigious Catfish Club, the Regional Economic Association Leaders of California and the Greater San Diego.. He also serves on the City of La Verne’s Youth & Family Action Committee Executive Board.  Ivey was the recipient of the American Society for Public Administration, Los Angeles Metro Chapter, Tom Bradley Equal Opportunity Award in 2004. This award is presented to an individual who has successfully promoted equal opportunity in the workplace or the community. Mr. Ivey also received special recognition in 2005 by the Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber of Commerce.  His most recent accomplishment was being named to Who’s Who in Black Los Angeles 2010.

Born in Oceanside and raised in Compton, California, he earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from California State University, Dominguez Hills. He also has earned several professional designations and certifications in management from both Pepperdine University and the University of Southern California.