WASHINGTON, DC Common Ground Alliance (CGA), the stakeholder-run organization dedicated to protecting underground utility lines and the people who dig near them, announces the selection of Sarah K. Magruder Lyle as its second President, effective Jan. 23, 2017.

Magruder Lyle will replace Bob Kipp, who has served as CGA's President since the organization's inception in 2000. Kipp's term as president will officially end in late April, creating a three-month transition period for the change in leadership.

As President of CGA, Magruder Lyle will work to build partnerships among 1,700 CGA members across 16 stakeholder industries with one common goal of eliminating excavation-related damage to nearly 20 million combined miles of underground facilities nationwide. She will manage all CGA staff, serve as a resource to CGA's member-run committees and report directly to CGA's board of directors.

"We are thrilled that Sarah has joined CGA to continue our mission of preventing excavation-related damage to our nation's buried infrastructure," said CGA Board of Directors Chairman Ron McClain of Kinder Morgan. "Her depth of experience in the energy sector and national associations, combined with her extensive knowledge of federal and state policy, made her the perfect candidate to lead CGA."

Magruder Lyle most recently served as vice president of strategic initiatives for the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM), a Washington, D.C., -based trade association. At AFPM, Magruder Lyle was responsible for leading a team that executed strategies to educate consumers, key stakeholders and elected officials about the implications of national energy policy decisions on their communities. 

Prior to joining AFPM, Magruder Lyle held positions with America's Natural Gas Alliance, the United States Chamber of Commerce's Institute for 21st Century Energy, American Petroleum Institute, U.S. Department of Energy as White House liaison and a senior advisor in the Office of Policy and International Affairs.

"CGA exemplifies how an association comprised of varying viewpoints and goals can collaborate to advance the organization's mission and benefit public safety and utility service reliability," said Magruder Lyle. "I look forward to bringing my experience to CGA to help further the important cause of utility damage prevention." 

Magruder Lyle earned a Bachelor of Arts in business administration from Transylvania University and earned a Juris Doctor from The Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law. She and her family reside in Alexandria, Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C.