NEVER WASTE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Water Efficiency Program Manager, Regional Water Authority
Amy Talbot attended The University of Texas at Austin and received a Bachelors Degree in Urban Studies from the Department of Geography and the Environment. Ms. Talbot worked for the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) for 7 years where she focused on water and energy savings potential from water-use conservation best management practices. Her work was incorporated into Water 2050: Northeastern Illinois Regional Water Supply/Demand Plan, the result of an 11-county regional water supply planning process. Amy also served as the Committee Chair for the Illinois Section American Water Works Association's Water Efficiency Committee from 2010-2012.
In November 2012, Ms. Talbot joined the Regional Water Authority (RWA), a coalition of more than 20 water purveyors and associated agencies in the greater Sacramento Region. RWA's mission is to represent regional water supply interests and to assist members in protecting and enhancing the reliability, availability, affordability, and quality of water resources. At RWA, Amy is the manager of the Regional Water Efficiency Program's award winning public outreach campaign and school education program. She also oversees several grants that collectively provide $4.5 million to increase water use efficiency in the region.
Amy Vickers, Amy Vickers & Associates, Inc. (2007-2010)
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager for Policy & Programs
Andrew Morris joined the Alliance for Water Efficiency in January 2023 and focuses on policy and programming. He brings to bear his experience with state and federal water policy advocacy, state and local plumbing code development, utility water loss auditing, and a range of water supply and efficiency program support activities for water utilities. While his legal training provides unique insights and experience, he serves in a non-legal role for the Alliance.
Andrew previously served in a dual role as the Water Policy Officer at Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District and as Natural Resources Counsel for the Atlanta Regional Commission. His work focused on water planning, policy, and programing to improve regional resiliency and drought response and to address interstate water disputes. As part of this work, he held leadership and board positions in several national trade associations focused on water policy.
Andrew has also worked for the Georgia Environment Finance Authority and at a private law firm as an energy law attorney. He graduated with honors from the University of Notre Dame Law School with a JD and from the University of Georgia with a BA in History.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Director of the Office of Water Resources
- Director, Office Water Resources, MA Dept. Conservation & Recreation
Anne Carroll is the Director of the Office of Water Resources (OWR) within the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. She received her M.S. in Aquatic Ecology from the University of Michigan, School of Natural Resources and Environment where she studied Michigan Rivers. Anne has over 20 years of experience in the field of water resources protection and management. As OWR Director, Anne oversees 12 staff in three program areas:
Water Resources Science and Planning (including staff to the Massachusetts Water Resources Commission, the Drought Management Task Force and the United States Geological Survey Cooperative Program);
the Massachusetts Lakes and Ponds Program; and
the Massachusetts Flood Hazard Management Program.
Anne lives on the North Shore in Ipswich, MA with her 6 year old twins, her partner Dave and their dog Lola.
Job Titles:
- Treasurer
- Treasurer of the Board of Directors
Bill McDonnell, is the Water Efficiency Manager for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Bill has a BA from the University of Massachusetts and an MBA from University of La Verne. His team manages conservation programs for commercial, industrial and residential customers covering MWD service area of 19 million people. Bill has more than 30 years' experience in water and energy efficiency. Additionally, he is a member of the Board of Directors of the California Irrigation Institute.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Water Efficiency Research Advisory Committee
- Atlanta Regional
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Vice - Chair
- Conservation Coordinator, Jurupa Community Services District
Clover Rogers is the Conservation Coordinator (Water Use Efficiency and Education) for Jurupa Community Services District in Western Riverside County California. Jurupa Community Services District is the retail water purveyor for the cities of Eastvale and Jurupa Valley.
Clover joined JCSD in 2016 to develop and implement water conservation and k-12 education programs for the District. Her current focuses are Disadvantaged Community Programs and learning how Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity is important in Water.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Deputy General Manager - Resources, Southern Nevada Water Authority ( NV )
- Deputy General Manager of Resources for the Las Vegas Valley Water District
Colby Pellegrino is Deputy General Manager of Resources for the Las Vegas Valley Water District and the Southern Nevada Water Authority, which collectively serve more than 2 million residents and 40 million annual visitors in Southern Nevada.
Pellegrino joined the organization in 2003 and was an instrumental part of the Water Resources division where she supported Colorado River modeling efforts to anticipate changes caused by climate change, reduced flows and other inputs. In her current capacity, Pellegrino is responsible for the management of the SNWA's water resource portfolio, which includes protecting Nevada's interests and rights to Colorado River water through interstate negotiations, developing regional water conservation programs, managing groundwater resources, and water resource planning. She also serves on the Board of Alliance for Water Efficiency, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the efficient and sustainable use of water and water conservation advocacy throughout North America.
Pellegrino is a native of Las Vegas, earning her bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and her Masters of Business Administration from Mississippi State University. An avid cook, hiker and outdoors enthusiast, she and her husband, Mark, have two children.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Infrastructure Planning Engineer With Kerr Wood Leidal Associates Ltd
- Infrastructure Planning Engineer, Kerr Wood Leidal Associates Ltd. ( BC, Canada )
Colwyn is an infrastructure planning engineer with Kerr Wood Leidal Associates Ltd. in Victoria, BC with over 20 years of experience in consulting, local government and industry in the water sector. Colwyn is licenced to practice professional engineering in BC within the municipal water, wastewater and stormwater disciplines, and his work is focused primarily on water demand management and municipal infrastructure management. Colwyn has worked with utilities serving populations of a few hundred to a few million on water efficiency plans and programs, and specializes in demand forecasting, program design and evaluation, industrial, commercial and institutional programs, irrigation, water rate design, metering, distribution system water loss management and asset management planning. Colwyn has been actively involved in leadership of water industry associations since the 1990s, and is a past President of the British Columbia Water and Waste Association and the Canadian Water and Wastewater Association.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Executive Vice President, Government Relations at the International Association of Plumbing
- Executive Vice President, Government Relations, the IAPMO Group ( DC )
Dain Hansen is the Executive Vice President, Government Relations at the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) where he oversees international, federal legislative, and state policy initiatives impacting the plumbing industry in the U.S. and abroad. Dain also serves on the executive management of IAPMO's nonprofit arm, the International Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Foundation (IWSH). He also serves on the Board of Directors for DigDeep.
Before joining IAPMO, Mr. Hansen worked in association management and Capitol Hill as a senior policy adviser for Senior Members of Congress on federal water policy. Through these experiences, he was able to gain considerable expertise in energy and water policy, including federal appropriations.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Director of Water Efficiency at Cavanaugh
- Director of Water Efficiency, Cavanaugh & Associates, P.a. ( NC )
Drew Blackwell is the Director of Water Efficiency at Cavanaugh. Drew has more than 18 years of experience in water resource management. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington in Environmental Studies. Drew's focus and passion are in working with state and regional agencies to identify their needs in water loss control and designing training and technical assistance programs based on the American Water Works Association (AWWA) M36 methodology to meet those needs through execution, evaluation, and continued monitoring of progress. Drew has facilitated Water Loss programs in more than 15 states and provinces; with appreciation that just like every water system is different, so are the drivers, state policies, and requirements where they are located. In addition to water loss teaching, Drew is involved in water auditing and analysis, water audit validation, and non-revenue water program design and implementation.
Drew is the Secretary of the AWWA Water Loss Control Committee and a member of the International Water Association - Water Loss Specialist Group's Leakage Emissions Initiative. He is also the author of Journal AWWA article, Assessing Recent Efforts and the Future of Water Loss Control in the Tar Heel State (2021), co-Principal Investigator for Water Research Foundation Project 5057: Level 1 Water Audit Validation Guidance Manual, Second Edition (2021), and co-author of the AWWA Technical and Educational Council report, Governmental Policies for Drinking Water Utility Water Loss Control (2022).
Job Titles:
- Senior Director of Codes and Standards at Toto USA, Inc
- Senior Director of Codes and Standards, TOTO USA, Inc.
Fernando Fernandez is the Senior Director of Codes and Standards at Toto USA, Inc. During his 27 year career in the industry, his work has greatly focused on aspects of product design, testing, and compliance. His role entails directing Toto's regulatory affairs and conformity compliance program in the Americas including managing activities related to standards development and water efficiency initiatives. He has helped champion the cause in Toto's role as a major industry leader in high-performance, water-efficient plumbing products.
During his tenure at Toto, Fernando has also served on the Board of Directors for the Plumbing Manufacturers Institute (PMI) and was Board President in 2015. He was re-elected to the Board and is currently serving his second term with PMI as the Technical Liaison to the Board. One of his most significant accomplishments was being part of a multi-industry, collaborative effort to support the California Energy Commission on updated changes to the Appliance Efficiency Regulations during a time of one of California's worst multi-year droughts.
Fernando has also been an avid supporter of water efficiency advocacy. He has lobbied to advance sustainability measures at both State and Federal levels meeting with representatives to further the cause. He has been involved in promoting the U.S. EPA WaterSense® program since its development and inception in 2006 and continues to support water efficient measures as a corporate representative and member of the Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating (CIPH).
Job Titles:
- Director of Operations
- Member of the Senior Management Team
Jeffrey is a member of the senior management team, directly overseeing administration, business operations, and governance activities; involved in financial management and strategic planning functions, as well as being responsible for human resources, information systems, facilities, and day-to-day office management.
Prior to becoming the second employee of AWE in early 2008, Jeffrey worked in nursing home administration, municipal administration, and five years with the California Urban Water Conservation Council (now the California Water Efficiency Partnership).
Jeffrey graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Public Administration from California State University, Chico, and is a Certified Association Executive (CAE) conferred by the American Society of Association Executives.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Secretary
- Secretary / Director, Texas Coast & Water Program, National Wildlife Federation ( TX )
Jennifer has 18 years experience focusing on water policy issues in Texas with an emphasis on water planning, water conservation and bay and estuary protection. She has considerable experience working on water policy/resources issues and strives to work collaboratively and approach resource management challenges with a solution oriented perspective.
Jennifer serves on the Board of Directors of the Alliance for Water Efficiency and the Colorado River Alliance and has a BS in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology from the University of Texas at Austin.
Job Titles:
- Technical Advisor
- Member of Seven Different ANSI U.S
- Principal of Koeller & Company
John Koeller is principal of Koeller & Company, based in California and providing engineering and environmental consulting services since 1973. He is a registered professional engineer (California) with extensive experience in and primary focus on water-efficient technologies and products. Internationally recognized as a specialist in these fields, Mr. Koeller is a consultant to various North American water authorities and private sector firms.
Mr. Koeller is currently a member of seven different ANSI U.S. national plumbing standards committees under the umbrella of ASME, CSA, and IAPMO, where he represents water efficiency interests. For Canada, he is a member of the Canadian Standards Association B45 and B125 Technical Committees responsible for developing product plumbing standards.
He is a technical advisor to the international Alliance for Water Efficiency (AWE) and past technical advisor to the California Urban Water Conservation Council (CUWCC). His is also an advisor-consultant to the U.S. EPA's WaterSense® program, and other green building programs and initiatives.
Mr. Koeller is the co-developer of Maximum Performance (MaP) testing for toilet fixtures and other products, another very successful initiative dealing with product performance. https://www.map-testing.com is now a leading web-based resource in North America for design professionals and consumers.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Vice - Chair
- Vice - Chair / Vice President of Water Conservation San Antonio Water System ( TX )
- Vice President of Water Conservation for San Antonio Water System
Karen is the Vice President of Water Conservation for San Antonio Water System (SAWS). In this role she leads a team that deploys conservation programs for residential, industrial, and institutional customers resulting in over one billion gallons of savings each year. Outside of SAWS Karen has served on in roles that include the TCEQ Irrigator Advisory Council, the Smart Water Applications Team (SWAT) and the WATR Advisory Committee for Texas A&M San Antonio. Karen is currently the Presiding Officer for the Water Conservation Advisory Council which provides input on conservation progress for the Texas Legislature. Karen has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Michigan and a Master of Public Administration from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Job Titles:
- Director of Communications & Membership
Kelly Connolly joined the Alliance for Water Efficiency in December 2022. In this capacity she oversees the organization's strategic communications efforts and directs the membership programming.
Kelly earned her baccalaureate and graduate degrees in Social Work from Gordon College and Baylor University, respectively. Throughout her career in nonprofit administration, Kelly has led strategic communications efforts to leverage both digital and traditional media for optimum impact. She has also managed millions of dollars of public funds while overseeing state and federal grants serving marginalized communities.
Most recently, Kelly served as the Mayor Pro Tem of the city of Waco, TX where she crafted a strategic campaign messaging plan utilizing videos, social media platforms, email campaigns, and her website resulting in a highly informed and engaged constituent base. She championed an increase in living wage jobs, affordable housing, and equitable economic development.
Kelly has also taught courses on Public Policy, Social Justice, and Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion at Baylor University. She's thrilled to be a new Chicago transplant and work alongside this great team in pursuit of water conservation and efficiency.
Liesel Hans joined the Alliance in April 2022 and focuses on program leadership and management, knowledge development, and fostering partnerships and collaborations, while serving a collective of amazing water conservation and efficiency organizations and professionals.
Liesel was previously the Water Conservation Manager at Fort Collins Utilities in Fort Collins, CO leading a team that continues to improve and build programs, policies, education, and incentives to help the community do more with less. Prior to this she worked at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory on energy policy, behavioral research, and the energy-water nexus. She received her PhD in Economics from Colorado State University where she focused on water and energy, rates, behavioral economics and was a member of the City of Fort Collins Water Board.
Liesel lives in Fort Collins, CO with her partner, two hilarious kids, and a dramatic dog.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Corporate Advisory Committee Chair
- Director of Engineering, Kohler Co. ( WI )
Lowell Lampen has worked in engineering and product development leadership roles throughout his career with over 20 years of experience in the automotive industry from OEM and supplier perspectives, and the past 13 years in the plumbing industry with Kohler Company. For 12 of the years with Kohler, he served as Director of Engineering for Kohler's Sanitary Products within the Americas. Most recently, he leads Kohler's Strategic Technology Partnerships for the Kitchen & Bath Group. Throughout his tenure at Kohler, he has gained experience in the design and development of kitchen & bathroom fixtures and the many challenges which surround them. Further, he has a passion for the reducing our environmental impact and improving water sustainability.
Beyond Kohler, he currently serves as Co-Chair of PMI's Advocacy/Government Affairs Committee, a role he had held for the past 3 years. He has also served in leadership capacities on boards of two religious institutions.
Mr. Lampen earned an M.S. from Texas A&M University in the Industrial Engineering Department (human factors engineering specialization) and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago (financial management specialization). He did his undergraduate work at the University of Michigan in the areas of psychology and science.
Job Titles:
- Technical Advisor
- Co - Chair of the Water and Planning Network for the American Planning Association
Mary Ann Dickinson is the past President and CEO of the Alliance for Water Efficiency, which she helped found in 2007. She retired as CEO in March, 2021 and will continue as needed to serve as a Technical Advisor to the Alliance staff.
Prior to joining the Alliance in July of 2007, Mary Ann was Executive Director of the California Urban Water Conservation Council, a non-profit organization composed of urban water supply agencies, environmental groups, and other entities managing statewide water conservation in California and implementing the nation's first set of Best Management Practices.
Mary Ann has over 50 years of experience, having worked at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority, and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. A graduate of the University of Connecticut with a degree in environmental planning, Mary Ann has authored numerous publications on water conservation, land use planning, and natural resources management, and has co-produced two films which have aired on public television and community cable stations.
Mary Ann is currently the Co-Chair of the Water and Planning Network for the American Planning Association. She also is past Chair of the Efficient Urban Water Management Specialist Group for the International Water Association, past Chair of the American Water Works Association National Water Conservation Division, past President of the California Irrigation Institute, past President of the Lake Arrowhead Community Services District, and past Treasurer of the Texas Water Foundation. Mary Ann has presented numerous papers on water conservation internationally and all across the United States and Canada.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Sustainability Team Lead, Los Alamos National Laboratory ( NM )
Paula Paciorek is currently the Sustainability Team Lead, Operations Support & Improvement in the Utilities and Infrastructure department of the Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Prior to joining LANL, Paula was the Water Programs and Education Manager for Houston Water. She was responsible for developing and guiding the strategy for water conservation efforts in Houston via the implementation of best management practices and measures and cost-effective programs within the City and through its residential, industrial-commercial-institutional (ICI) and wholesale customers. In addition, Paula was responsible for the development and implementation of resource recovery and water loss reduction strategies and measures, as well as the Drought Contingency plan. Furthermore, Paula oversaw the water conservation and sewer overflows prevention educational and outreach programs, such as the WaterWorks Education Center, the WaterWorks Festival, Imagine a Day Without Water, Fix-a-Leak Week, school and community programs, and the recently developed "Protect Our Pipes" campaign.
Prior to joining the City of Houston, Paula worked in multi-national, governmental and environmental non-profit organizations, in the areas of water management, program development and community engagement.
Paula received a B.A. in Psychology in 2007 and a M.S. in Applied Geography with concentration in water management in 2014, from the University of Louisville, KY.
Job Titles:
- Technical Advisor
- Professional Engineer
- Water Expert
Peter Mayer is a professional engineer and urban water expert in the areas of water use, water efficiency, demand management, and water resource planning. For more than 25 years, Peter's work has focused on urban water management, researching water use patterns, assessing the impact of water rate structures, evaluating water efficiency measures and programs, forecasting future demand with and without conservation, preparing water demand management plans and conducting water supply scenario analysis.
Peter was the lead author for the Water Research Foundation (WRF) "Residential End Uses of Water" studies published in 1999 and 2016 and a key contributor to the companion "Commercial and Institutional End Uses of Water" study. In 2013, Peter founded WaterDM - Water Demand Management. WaterDM's clients include: the California Department of Water Resources, the Marina Coast Water District, the City of Tucson, Colorado Water Conservation Board, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the City of Austin, AWE, Rachio, Flume, WRF, and Northern Water; and throughout his career Peter has worked with more than 100 water providers across the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Peter earned his Master's Degree in water resources engineering from the University of Colorado in Boulder in 1995 and holds a bachelors degree from Oberlin College. He lives in Boulder, Colorado with his wife Amanda and two sons - Zachary and Miles. His hobbies include playing electric and acoustic guitar, skiing, hiking, movies, and reading.
Job Titles:
- Manager, Membership and Events
Rachel joined the Alliance in Spring 2020. Her goal is to share the Alliance's mission with members and potential members. She builds relationships with utilities, corporations, and other program members to work towards the common value of water efficiency and conservation in North America.
Rachel achieved her Master's in Business Administration with Dominican University in River Forest and has been involved with nonprofits her whole career. Rachel spends her free time with her family, but especially the family dog, Mallow. Rachel and Mallow are working on their Canine Good Citizens certification so they can do more fun activities like agility coursing!
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Chief Executive Officer, Flume, Inc. ( CO )
Ric has 40 years of experience in high technology, serving in various sales, marketing and executive roles. He's currently the Chief Executive Officer at Flume. Prior to Flume, Ric spent 4 years at Rachio, helping manage the company, influencing strategy, and building the business. At Rachio, Ric developed a deep understanding of the water challenges water agencies face. He founded IntelliReal in 2005 and remained CEO through Equifax's acquisition of the Company. Miles joined Equifax as senior vice president in charge of property data and analytics, and remained in place through 2013.
Prior to IntelliReal, Miles was CEO of Workplace Software in NYC; successfully building and then selling this company. He served as EVP of field operations for FrontRange Solutions (a CRM company), managing a global team of sales, marketing, services and support personnel. Prior to FrontRange, Mr. Miles was in Silicon Valley as SVP of Global Alliances at PeopleSoft. He joined PeopleSoft as part of the merger with Vantive - an industry-leading provider of CRM solutions. At Vantive, he served as chief marketing officer. Mr. Miles was also VP of solutions marketing at Compaq.
Ric holds an MBA in finance from Xavier University, a BS with honors from Purdue University, and completed executive programs at both Harvard Business School and the London Business School.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Sustainability Consultant, Rob Zimmerman, LLC. ( WI )
Rob is the former Director of Sustainability at Kohler Co., in Kohler, Wisconsin, USA. He retired in December 2019. While at Kohler, he led efforts to create strategies and tools to capitalize on Kohler's leadership in design, energy and water efficiency, and sustainability while reducing the environmental impacts of Kohler's operations, products, and supply chain.
Rob helped create Kohler's formal sustainability program in 2007 and remained an active member and leader. His areas of emphasis included partnering with executives to align sustainability strategies with other business needs, driving innovation in new products that reduced lifecycle environmental impact, and reporting progress within and outside the company. Rob also established and grew relationships with key non-governmental organizations that are global advocates for water efficiency, environmental education and corporate sustainability. Rob presented training sessions on water efficiency and sustainability issues at national conferences and universities, authored numerous articles for trade publications, and is frequently quoted on water efficiency and sustainability issues in the media. In addition, he was actively involved in developing and implementing Kohler's corporate responsibility programs and supporting business development activities in underserved markets.
Rob currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Alliance for Water Efficiency and is a member of the Conference Board's Sustainability Council. Rob is a LEED Accredited Professional.
Rob has a BS in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University, and a MS in Engineering Management from the Milwaukee School of Engineering.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- President
- AWE 's President & CEO
- President and CEO of the Alliance for Water Efficiency
Mr. Burke became the President and CEO of the Alliance for Water Efficiency on March 22, 2021. Ron spent the first twenty years of his career working on environmental policy and programs as an Environmental Scientist for the U.S. EPA, the Environmental Health Director and Deputy Executive Director for the American Lung Association of Metropolitan Chicago, the Associate Director for the Illinois EPA, and Midwest Office Director for the Union of Concerned Scientists.
More recently, he was Executive Director of the Chicago-based Active Transportation Alliance for nine years and ran government relations for Lyft's bike share and scooter share programs in the Central U.S.
Mr. Burke earned an M.S. from Washington University's Department of Engineering and Policy and did his undergraduate work in life sciences at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Chairman / Founder, Sustainnovation LLC ( MI )
Job Titles:
- President, Water Management, Inc. ( VA )
Russ co-founded Water Management, Inc. in 1980. As a water practitioner and someone that is passionate about saving water, Russ provides hands-on technical assistance and advisory services to clients in the areas of water conservation, water demand management, and best management practices. He has been responsible for auditing, pricing, designing, and implementing thousands of guaranteed savings programs over the past 40 years.
In addition, Russ has assisted residential, commercial, and industrial clients in developing strategies, analyzing water data to determine consumption patterns, and forecasts for their specific geographical regions. He has also worked closely with utilities in developing protocols for water assessments, leak detection, conservation techniques, and meter testing. Russ is happily married, a proud father, and an active member in his church. He is an Eagle Scout and earned his Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry and Zoology and Master of Business in Science and Technology from George Washington University.
Job Titles:
- Global Water Stewardship Leader, Procter & Gamble ( OH )
Dedicated to embedding sustainability and sound science into business decisions, Shannon has studied and worked in the field of environmental planning, safety, and sustainability for 10 years. Her current role as Procter & Gamble's (P&G) Global Water Stewardship Leader allows her to guide the development of corporate water policies, cultivate external partnerships, and create innovative processes that will prepare the Company for the future.
She received her B.S. in Biology and International Studies from The Ohio State University before spending a year teaching English and American Culture in Seville, Spain. Upon her return to the United States, she enrolled in the University of Cincinnati, DAAP, and received her Master of Community Planning degree with a focus in Environmental Planning in 2011 before starting with P&G.
Job Titles:
- Global Lead for Integrated Water Resources Management, Jacobs Engineering Group ( TX )
Susan serves as the Global Lead for Integrated Water Resources Management for Jacobs Engineering Group. In that role, she leads the firm's international practice to plan for and implement long-term One Water solutions integrating water supply, drought management, and conservation strategies with stormwater, flooding, and urban design approaches. Prior to working for Jacobs, Susan served as the Assistant Public Works Director for the City of Leon Valley Texas where she started the first conservation rebate and curbside recycling programs in south Texas. As the Water Resources and Conservation Director for the San Antonio Water System, she led a team to develop an award-winning conservation program.
Susan earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Trinity University (San Antonio) and a Masters of Public Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio. She also attended the Executive Development Program at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and received Facilitation certification from the University of New Mexico.
Job Titles:
- Leader of Government Relations and Policy for LIXIL International
- Leader of Government Relations and Policy, LIXIL International ( NY )
Troy Benavidez is the Leader of Government Relations and Policy for LIXIL International where he works with global leaders on public policy issues related to water, sanitation, and hygiene.
LIXIL is a maker of pioneering water products and home to iconic brands American Standard and GROHE. In the Americas region, Benavidez has spearheaded LIXIL's efforts to support state and federal policies on water efficiency, quality, and access. He has also concentrated his efforts to address the gap in the skilled labor force, specifically plumbers, by leading initiatives to support plumbing education, outreach, and diversity. Troy represents LIXIL in policy matters with industry trade, not for profit, and academic organizations and is co-chairman of the Plumbing Manufacturing International Government Relations and Advocacy Committee.
Benavidez has a wealth of experience in corporate public affairs and communication strategy development. In his career, he served in various corporate and global public affairs roles for the pharmaceutical industry at Pfizer and AstraZeneca. Previously, he held a variety of positions within state and federal government with staff roles in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S Senate.
Benavidez holds an MBA from Drexel University and a Bachelor of Science in political science and economics from Colorado College.
Job Titles:
- Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Hunter Industries
Warren S. Gorowitz, director of corporate social responsibility at Hunter Industries, is a 27-year respected industry leader, and water efficiency and sustainability professional. He sits on numerous industry association boards and is a speaker and expert on issues related to water and sustainability in the Green Industry.
Warren provides global leadership and strategic direction in all areas of Corporate Social Responsibility for Hunter Industries, including Hunter's corporate social responsibility report, employee volunteer and community development programs, and Hunter's Charitable Giving Committee. He previously served as Ewing Irrigation and Landscape Supply Vice President of Sustainability and maintained oversight of all sustainability initiatives and Sustainable Solutions product at Ewing.
Warren is an Irrigation Association Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditor. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Ornamental Horticulture from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California, and received an Executive Master of Sustainability Leadership from Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. He currently is a Faculty Associate at Arizona State University in the School of Sustainability
Warren is on the Executive Committee of the Irrigation Innovation Consortium, a Professional Grounds Management Society Board Member, and a Boys and Girls Club of San Marcos Board of Directors. Warren is Past President of the Irrigation Association and a Past Founding Board Member of the Alliance for Water Efficiency.