A public works organization has been alive in the Delaware Valley since 1932 when the American Public Works Association (APWA), although chartered in Chicago in 1937, began with the Metropolitan Philadelphia Chapter as its first chapter. APWA is an international educational and professional association of public agencies, private sector companies, and individuals dedicated to providing high quality public works goods and services. The Metropolitan Philadelphia Chapter primarily served the public works profession in the City of Philadelphia, but eventually expanded to serve, not only the City of Philadelphia, but surrounding counties in southeastern Pennsylvania of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery, as well as the entire state of Delaware and southern counties of New Jersey. Because of this expansion in service area, the chapter was renamed the Delaware Valley Chapter in 1968.
In the late 1980s, the Southern New Jersey branch of the Delaware Valley Chapter aligned with the Northern New Jersey branch of the New York Metro Chapter to form the New Jersey Chapter. Then in the early 1990s, the Delaware State Chapter was created with seed money donated by the Delaware Valley Chapter.
Although the service area of the Delaware Valley Chapter now included only the five southeastern Pennsylvania counties of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia, the Chapter continued to be known as the Delaware Valley Chapter until the Chapter name was once again changed – this time in November 2005, to the current name of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter.
You will find a short list of Past Chapter Presidents under the Leadership tab. However, this link will take you to the list of all Past Chapter Presidents dating back to 1938.