On October 10th we hosted Workforce Through Diversity and Inclusion panel discussion during California Water Professionals Appreciation Week. As the water industry continues to experience retirements and recruitment challenges, there is a need to invest in the water workforce and support leadership development needs and succession planning efforts. Additionally, research indicates increased DEI within organizations...

The US Water Alliance spoke with Louisville MSD and DC Water for some insight into their organizations’ efforts to seek out and maintain a diverse workplace. The VOW Workforce Diversity Toolkit contains materials to assist in the pursuit of a more diverse team—we hope you’ll use these tips, too. 1) Establish company values during the...

Tough engineering challenges in the City of Los Angeles require creative thinking and a wide diversity of perspectives. While the second largest city in the U.S. has plenty of opportunities for engineers to shine, many students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) may not be aware of just how interesting and rewarding public service...

The Centers of Excellence for Labor Market Research (COE) unveiled a new water and wastewater workforce report at today’s Water Energy Education Alliance (WEEA or Alliance) Leadership Roundtable meeting. The Alliance has formed a statewide advisory that will focus on developing collective deliverables that address the recommendations in the report titled “California Workforce Needs in the Water/Wastewater Industry.” This...

What are the big I.D.E.A.s when it comes to increasing diversity in the water profession?  That was the focus of an October 28th workshop in Oakland that brought together the CWEA Board of Directors, DEI Task Force members and several local section leaders. Twenty-eight volunteer leaders and staff members participated in the workshop facilitated by ...

A history-making Los Angeles Board of Water and Power Commissioners is diligently building a sustainable future for one of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas. The City of Los Angeles set a milestone in 2020 with the appointment of its fifth female commissioner, making it the only all-female Board in the city and the first-ever for...

When Joone Kim-Lopez escaped South Korea under the threat of an invasion by North Korea, she was eight years old and didn’t speak English. Although she was happy to be in a country where women have more freedom and rights, she still felt isolated. With a great deal of effort, Kim-Lopez transformed that isolation into...

On February 16th we hosted our second Diversity in California Water panel discussion. Two California water leaders shared lessons learned to support DEI efforts within their agencies. The agencies are members of the California Urban Water Agencies (CUWA). They have developed a DEI Toolkit for water and wastewater agencies to help support their diversity programs....

The California water sector is rapidly hiring. How do we reflect California’s diversity at all levels of our workforce and foster a more inclusive environment with our co-workers? Watch the panel of water leaders discuss workforce development programs, new DEI efforts and what can hold back diversity efforts and the champions we need to move...

In June, West Basin Board President Gloria D. Gray publicly declared the District’s ongoing commitment to support and celebrate the diversity of its workforce and the communities served by the District. Commenting on a number of recent events that have occurred throughout the country, President Gray also stated that racial bias and injustice should never...

In the face of a pandemic, economic slump and deepening utilities talent issues, West Valley Water District (WVWD) leadership united a group of Inland Empire water and wastewater utility agencies, local colleges and community stakeholders to launch a groundbreaking initiative, IEWorks, which will help build a strong regional workforce. “In the face of retirements, a growing population and rising demand for water, we...

Harvard University offers an implicit bias online quiz that anyone may take. WEF’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee frequently refers to this online system. From the Harvard Implicit Bias project website… Take the Project Implicit Quiz > Preliminary Information On the website you’ll be asked to select an Implicit Association Test (IAT) from a list...

Having diversity, equity, and inclusion in all levels of the workforce is vital to innovation and growth in the water sector. WEF’s Board of Trustees has established a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Subcommittee to provide guidance on programs, communications, and membership as the next step in the journey toward becoming as a fully diverse, inclusive,...

Workforce development remains one of WEF’s top priorities, and as we continue to deliver on our commitment to water professionals, we are also working to make sure that the water workforce of the future is one that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. As the conversation around diversity, equity and inclusion magnified after...

Reprinted with permission from the ICMA issue of icma.org/news, published and copyrighted by ICMA, the International City/County Management Association, Washington, D.C. 2020. Often thought of as the invisible disability, people of all neurological processing types should be accepted and included We all want inclusion, diversity, equity, and acceptance (IDEA) in our workplaces. Corporations are creating...

Working together to provide an extraordinary academic and work experience that will deliver stable, higher-paying jobs to the Inland Empire, today West Valley Water District (WVWD) Board of Directors President Channing Hawkins and San Bernardino Valley Community College (SBVCC) President Diana Rodriguez signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to create paid or non-paid and part-time or full-time internships and...

 Calling all women (and women supporters) who want to feel empowered in the water, wastewater and power industries! Join us if you are interested in pursuing these amazing careers. This very special one hour webinar discussion features four woman who work on the frontlines of California water. We’re also celebrating these amazing water professionals...

As a member of the City and County of San Francisco’s leadership team, a father of two young sons, a black man and a human being, I am outraged and horrified at the environment in which we find ourselves today. It is a difficult conversation that I am having, yet again, with my children. They...

Irrespective of gender, race, or culture, young people have unlimited opportunities in clean water and other ‘green’ professions. “They only need to knock and doors will open,” says Mark Harris, operations superintendent at the Town of Hillsborough. “I know that because I’ve lived it,” he adds about his 32 years in the field–from apprentice to...

For Cheyanne Harris, it all started in middle school. Growing up in Sacramento, she attended the School of Engineering and Sciences – a specialized school that invited guest speakers from the math, science and engineering industries. What appealed to Cheyanne about engineering was the opportunity to make a positive impact on the community using math...

Having diversity, equity, and inclusion in all levels of the workforce is vital to innovation and growth in the water sector. We are excited to update you on the work of the WEF Workforce Diversity and Inclusion Task Force, which will be wrapping up in the next month and transforming into a standing board Subcommittee...

Update: On June 26th the CWEA Board formed a Diversity and Inclusion Task Force As water environment professionals, our mission is protecting and saving lives and operating systems that make our communities cleaner, healthier places for everyone to live in. Racism, inequality, and acts of violence are against everything CWEA stands for. CWEA stands with...

The lead sponsor for the Women Impacting Water breakfast is CDM Smith. CWEA held its first Women Impacting Water breakfast meeting at the Annual Conference in Sacramento this past April. The event was so popular it sold out. It was an inspiring morning of networking and discussion with California water leaders, engineers, operators and scientists....

Support for our coverage of Women in Water is provided by DN Tanks. CWEA had the fortunate opportunity to conduct a round table discussion with four inspiring California water leaders. Debi Lewis, Kathy Suter, Tracy Stigers and Heather Collins shared personal experiences of being a woman working in water. Our conversation included the narrowing gender...

Only one in seven engineers in the United States is a woman, according to the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress. And in wastewater, only one in 20 treatment plant operators across the country is a woman (The Institute for Women’s Policy Research). So, is the gender ration any more balanced in California? Yes...