Water In Real Life

Stacy Landreth Grau, Ph.D. is a Professor of Entrepreneurship & Innovation Practice at the Neeley School of Business and Director, IdeaFactory at Texas Christian University (TCU). Her specialty is design thinking/human centered design, where she has developed several courses and workshops at TCU for both Neeley and IdeaFactory. She is one of the founders of Design Frontiers, a professional association around design thinking and creative problem solving in Dallas/Fort Worth. Stacy has authored or co-authored more than 30 peer reviewed articles and 2 books. She also consults extensively with businesses, nonprofits and K-12 schools as a founder of Human Centered Organization, an organization she cofounded with two TCU colleagues.

Top Takeaways:

1. What is Design Thinking? It's putting a human at the center of everything you do. You have to spend time with people and use that experience to craft clarity. 
2. Push yourself out of your comfort zone and talk to people who may not agree with you or believe what you believe. A survey is great but a conversation is better. 
3. Build in enough time for brainstorming. It will take several sessions to spark that great idea. You have the permission to think and to keep thinking. 

Sponsor:

Mazars USA LLP, a full-service accounting, tax and consulting firm, is proud to announce its inaugural Women of Water Summit taking place on January 9th, 2020 at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. The Women of Water Summit is a dynamic event promoting industry-leading women and fostering discussions around how to enhance the position of women in the sector. The event will bring together hundreds of senior executives and future leaders from the water industry as well as public and private utility companies from across the country. 

The Mazars Women of Water Summit will provide an effective platform inclusive of diverse, global leadership and insights for the industry as well as a venue to open dialogue and career leadership advancement paths for women.

This full-day event will consist of three dynamic panels throughout the day, three “WaterTalks” tailored after the famous TedTalk format and what promises to be an amazing keynote address given by Carla Reid of WSSC Water. Panel and “WaterTalk” topics will include cybersecurity and data privacy, diversity in the water sector, finance and water reuse to name a few.

 For more details and to register, please visit www.mazarsusa.com/womenofwatersummit.

Please consider rating the podcast with 5 stars and leaving a one- or two-sentence review in iTunes or on Stitcher. This helps tremendously in bringing the podcast to the attention of others. We give a shoutout to everyone who rates the podcast with 5 stars in future episodes.

Give us some love on Twitter by tagging us @THE_H2duO or by using the #WaterInRealLifePodcast

If you know someone you think would benefit, please spread the word by using the share buttons on this page.

Thank you for sharing some of your time with us. We know how precious those minutes are. Share your story, you never know who needs to hear it and remember, “Those who tell the stories, rule the world.”

Dr. Tobin Redwine grew up on a farm in Lazbuddie, a rural community in Northwest Texas. After serving as the Texas FFA President in 2003-2004, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Leadership and Development at Texas A&M University in 2008. While there he developed an affinity for ugly shirts and cheesy jokes. He earned a Master of Science degree in Agricultural Communications at Texas Tech University in 2009, and a PhD in Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications at Texas A&M in 2014.

Dr. Redwine is currently an Instructional Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications at Texas A&M University. He teaches photography, media writing, and other courses in agricultural communications and journalism. Dr. Redwine teaches and researches storytelling. Specifically, his line of inquiry examines how we identify information, how we make meaning of messages and creating audience-specific content, all in the hope that we can better understand how to tell the story of global agriculture and related sciences.

Top Takeaways

Sponsor:

Mazars USA LLP, a full-service accounting, tax and consulting firm, is proud to announce its inaugural Women of Water Summit taking place on January 9th, 2020 at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. The Women of Water Summit is a dynamic event promoting industry-leading women and fostering discussions around how to enhance the position of women in the sector. The event will bring together hundreds of senior executives and future leaders from the water industry as well as public and private utility companies from across the country. 

The Mazars Women of Water Summit will provide an effective platform inclusive of diverse, global leadership and insights for the industry as well as a venue to open dialogue and career leadership advancement paths for women.

This full-day event will consist of three dynamic panels throughout the day, three “WaterTalks” tailored after the famous TedTalk format and what promises to be an amazing keynote address given by Carla Reid of WSSC Water. Panel and “WaterTalk” topics will include cybersecurity and data privacy, diversity in the water sector, finance and water reuse to name a few.

 For more details and to register, please visit www.mazarsusa.com/womenofwatersummit.

Please consider rating the podcast with 5 stars and leaving a one- or two-sentence review in iTunes or on Stitcher. This helps tremendously in bringing the podcast to the attention of others. We give a shoutout to everyone who rates the podcast with 5 stars in future episodes.

Give us some love on Twitter by tagging us @THE_H2duO or by using the #WaterInRealLifePodcast

If you know someone you think would benefit, please spread the word by using the share buttons on this page.

Thank you for sharing some of your time with us. We know how precious those minutes are. Share your story, you never know who needs to hear it and remember, “Those who tell the stories, rule the world.”

Mark Poling is the Business Strategy and Performance Systems Director for Clean Water Services and has more than 35 years of experience working for utilities; serving in a management role for more than 25. Mark is a Past President of the Pacific Northwest Clean Water Association and currently serves on the Water Environment Federation Board of Trustees. A certified Group 4 operator he also holds a M.S. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Washington. 

Top Takeaways

1. You can be leader right where you are. Informal leaders are a big part of getting things done in organizations. Don’t wait to be a leader. Educate yourself and then act on what you’ve learned. 
2. When you get asked to get involved, say yes. For those doing the asking, make the ask personal. Start with a small ask so people don’t get intimidated.
3. Tackling diversity and inclusion begins within. Start to challenge your own thinking and actions. Did you make others feel welcome? Could your words have been offensive to someone else different than yourself?

Sponsor:

Mazars USA LLP, a full-service accounting, tax and consulting firm, is proud to announce its inaugural Women of Water Summit taking place on January 9th, 2020 at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. The Women of Water Summit is a dynamic event promoting industry-leading women and fostering discussions around how to enhance the position of women in the sector. The event will bring together hundreds of senior executives and future leaders from the water industry as well as public and private utility companies from across the country. 

The Mazars Women of Water Summit will provide an effective platform inclusive of diverse, global leadership and insights for the industry as well as a venue to open dialogue and career leadership advancement paths for women.

This full-day event will consist of three dynamic panels throughout the day, three “WaterTalks” tailored after the famous TedTalk format and what promises to be an amazing keynote address given by Carla Reid of WSSC Water. Panel and “WaterTalk” topics will include cybersecurity and data privacy, diversity in the water sector, finance and water reuse to name a few.

 For more details and to register, please visit www.mazarsusa.com/womenofwatersummit.

Please consider rating the podcast with 5 stars and leaving a one- or two-sentence review in iTunes or on Stitcher. This helps tremendously in bringing the podcast to the attention of others. We give a shoutout to everyone who rates the podcast with 5 stars in future episodes.

Give us some love on Twitter by tagging us @THE_H2duO or by using the #WaterInRealLifePodcast

If you know someone you think would benefit, please spread the word by using the share buttons on this page.

Thank you for sharing some of your time with us. We know how precious those minutes are. Share your story, you never know who needs to hear it and remember, “Those who tell the stories, rule the world.”

Dr. Sarah Martin is currently Director of Health Solutions at mySidewalk--a technology firm specializing in making local government data effectively inform policymaking. She was previously the Deputy Director of the Kansas City, Missouri Health Department where she oversaw the Department’s initiatives to influence the social and economic policies that shape health inequities. Prior to her job with the city, she was an Assistant Professor of Health Services Research at the University of Missouri, Kansas City’s Bloch School of Management. Dr. Martin received a Master of Public Policy, a Master of Public Health (Epidemiology) and a Ph.D. in Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Martin is currently a Gubernatorial Appointee to the Missouri State Board of Healing Arts, a board member for the Missouri Budget Project and a PHRASES (Public Health Reaching Across Sectors) fellow with the Aspen Institute. She also enjoys reading trash novels, using her instant pot, drinking champagne, hanging at the pool w/ her partner and kids, hop hop dancing, and reading the NYT weddings and obit sections.

Top Takeaways

1. Don't underestimate the power of debriefing. If things went poorly, this isn't the time to reprimand but rather its time to grow.
2. Giving credit doesn't mean you're not taking any. Take the opportunity to lift others up with you.
3. Every good branding campaign begins with empathy.

Sponsor:

Mazars USA LLP, a full-service accounting, tax and consulting firm, is proud to announce its inaugural Women of Water Summit taking place on January 9th, 2020 at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. The Women of Water Summit is a dynamic event promoting industry-leading women and fostering discussions around how to enhance the position of women in the sector. The event will bring together hundreds of senior executives and future leaders from the water industry as well as public and private utility companies from across the country. 

The Mazars Women of Water Summit will provide an effective platform inclusive of diverse, global leadership and insights for the industry as well as a venue to open dialogue and career leadership advancement paths for women.

This full-day event will consist of three dynamic panels throughout the day, three “WaterTalks” tailored after the famous TedTalk format and what promises to be an amazing keynote address given by Carla Reid of WSSC Water. Panel and “WaterTalk” topics will include cybersecurity and data privacy, diversity in the water sector, finance and water reuse to name a few.

 For more details and to register, please visit www.mazarsusa.com/womenofwatersummit.

Please consider rating the podcast with 5 stars and leaving a one- or two-sentence review in iTunes or on Stitcher. This helps tremendously in bringing the podcast to the attention of others. We give a shoutout to everyone who rates the podcast with 5 stars in future episodes.

Give us some love on Twitter by tagging us @THE_H2duO or by using the #WaterInRealLifePodcast

If you know someone you think would benefit, please spread the word by using the share buttons on this page.

Thank you for sharing some of your time with us. We know how precious those minutes are. Share your story, you never know who needs to hear it and remember, “Those who tell the stories, rule the world.”

Karen DeBaker serves as Communications and Marketing Manager for Clean Water Services — the water resources management utility serving more than 600,000 residents of Oregon’s Tualatin River Watershed in the Portland-metro area. Karen joined Clean Water Services in 2000 and she has led the District’s marketing, communications and public education programs since 2007. Karen is chair of the Pacific Northwest Clean Water Association’s Leadership Development Committee and past chair of the Communication and Outreach Committee. Karen developed 11 Public Communications Camp workshops for Oregon, Washington and Idaho and formerly served as chair of the Water Environment Federation’s World Water Monitoring Day subcommittee. Prior to joining Clean Water Services, she was a publicist for book publishing companies in Portland, Oregon, and Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Top Takeaways

1. We are all communicators whether it’s in your title or not.
2. Communicate early and often whether it’s good news or bad news.
3. We are feeling machines that think – driven by our experiences and emotions.

Shownotes:

4:54 Tell us about the WEFTEC2019 Communications Camp and what the biggest highlights were for you.

• Span the range of communications from crisis to social media.
• Discussed research, storytelling and branding.
• We are Humans first. We are all communicators.

8:38 What stood out from the case studies presented at the Comms Camp?

• Ability to work through children to enhance communication and get your message out.
• Opportunity to educate the community on the importance of pollution and stormwater.

12:11 What were some ah-ha moments from the camp?

• Validation in the importance of communicating early and often, whether it’s good news or bad news.
• Our role is to inform the community. You don’t have to have every piece of information before you speak to the community. It’s okay to offer what you have and let them know you will update when more information is available.

14:05 What does the lizard brain do when we share bad news?

• The brain is accessing experiences and emotions.
• The brain burns 20% of the energy your body uses. 90% of that is subconscious.
• We are feeling machines that think. 
• Marketing is about providing value and solving problems. Your product solves your audience’s problem and not the other way around.
• Getting through to the lizard brain is key and takes strategy.

23:05 An example from the Comms Camp: contrasting.

• Need to show the before and after. The with and without versions.
• One strong message – limit the claims and benefits to three.
• Speak with visuals to bring people in.

27:53 The Lightning Round.

• Infinite Possibilities – Mike Dooley.
• Take a deep breath and stop.
• Be Human.

Resources:

• This is Marketing– Seth Godin
• Take the Stroop Test.

Sponsor:

If you’re a water utility looking to better manage the water you love, then you’ll want to talk to the experts at Master Meter. They understand that you can’t manage what you don’t measure. Smart water management begins with accurate measurement. Account for every drop produced and delivered because utilities’ progression towards smart cities and IoT begins here. Master Meter is ready to deliver you game-changing results across finance, customer service, and utility operations. They offer an array of products to meet your utility’s needs. To determine which smart water solution is right for you, visit mastermeter.com. You can also download a copy of their award-winning guide to communicating the value of water to customers here.

Please consider rating the podcast with 5 stars and leaving a one- or two-sentence review in iTunes or on Stitcher. This helps tremendously in bringing the podcast to the attention of others. We give a shoutout to everyone who rates the podcast with 5 stars in future episodes.

Give us some love on Twitter by tagging us @THE_H2duO or by using the #WaterInRealLifePodcast

If you know someone you think would benefit, please spread the word by using the share buttons on this page.

Thank you for sharing some of your time with us. We know how precious those minutes are. Share your story, you never know who needs to hear it and remember, “Those who tell the stories, rule the world.”

Aaron Tartakovsky is co-founder and CEO of Epic CleanTec, a pioneering green technology start-up that is redefining urban wastewater. Aaron previously served as Director of Business Development and Marketing for CB Engineers, a San Francisco-based engineering design firm, where he also ran its R&D division. Prior to that he worked in federal politics and has remained active in affecting public policy on the local, state, and national levels. Aaron speaks frequently on water and cleantech at universities and at industry gatherings throughout the U.S., and recently co-authored the William J. Worthen Foundation’s “Water Reuse Practice Guide.” To respond to California’s water crisis, Aaron was a founder of the Israel-California GreenTech Partnership, a binational initiative launched at Google’s Tel Aviv headquarters in order to develop solutions to the drought and spearhead innovation in the global water industry—the initiative was highlighted at the 2016 White House Water Summit. Aaron was recognized as a GreenBiz 30 under 30 in 2017, and was recently selected for the 2019 Class of Young Water Pros by Water and Wastes Digest Magazine.

Top Takeaways:

1. Centralized and decentralized solutions can work together to make cities more resilient. Decentralized systems do not take away from the important work cities do.
2. Interdisciplinary skills are critical for innovation because you don’t know what happens where two disparate ideas come together.
3. People in the water industry are on par with first responders. They are that important to society.

Show Notes:

9:50 What has been going on at Epic CleanTec?

• Decentralized reuse strategies.
• Just completed our first commercial install in San Francisco.
• Developing a model where centralized and decentralized solutions work in concert.

12:35 What advice do you have for communicating about the “black water” side of the water industry?

• Most people never think about what happens when the flush – meet them where they are at.
• The same water we have now is the same water the dinosaurs used.
• Need to bring the concepts down to their simplest form – remember your audience.

17:01 How are you making decentralized systems appealing for cities too?

• We have to explore new models.
• These systems can work well together. We want to work together with cities.
• We can “manufacturer” water within our buildings now instead of taking it from our national parks.

20:33 Why is being interdisciplinary skills so important when being innovative?

• You never know what happens when two different ideas are brought together.
• Our industry is guilty of silos. 
• Interdisciplinary approach is good for workforce development.

25:47 What surprised you about the research you prior to entering the water industry?

• Biggest challenges came from equipment manufacturers and their reps.

27:37 What brought you to the industry? What is the story you would tell to bring in new people?

• I didn’t study to be in the water industry but had a passion for the environment.
• When you are outside the USA, you can see the issues with water more clearly.
• Biggest draw is that water touches everything – you need to at least have an understanding of it. Oh and the conferences, they are amazing and there’s a lot of them.

37:28 What’s one hard truth and one thing that makes you the most hopeful regarding World Toilet Day?

• Lack of access to sanitation and clean water is a huge global crisis for billions of people.
• There are a huge number of people and financial resources being committed to tackle these challenges.
• Don’t flush those wipes – Poop, Pee and Paper only.

41:45 The story of cold calling kennels for poop.  It’s harder to get dog poop than you might think.

44:30 The Lightning Round.

• The Torah.
• Letters from Rivka – Karen Hesse.
• Practice gratitude everyday.
• No such thing as a silver bullet but there is silver buckshot. Each person can do their piece.



Resources:

• http://epiccleantec.com

Chris Caro is a project engineer in the AECOM Baltimore office, with 6 years of experience in the sewer project management field. He is currently a member of AECOM’s DC Metro+ DCS team. Chris’ responsibilities include planning, designing, construction, and commissioning water and wastewater systems. Mr. Caro previously worked as a Project Manager at WSSC for four years. While at WSSC he managed over 20 consent decree projects and was responsible for budget tracking, scheduling, and progress tracking for the overall consent decree program. Additionally, Mr. Caro has been the CSAWWA Young Professionals committee chair for three years.

Top Takeaways:

Show Notes:

[4:20] Did you choose water or did water choose you?

[7:50] How did your professor send you down this different path?

[16:08] What advice do you have in attracting the next generation to the water industry?

[22:57] What is something that will keep people from leaving?

[30:57] And now, a funny story about Excel.

[38:37] How do we get the YP’s to show up and be involved in professional associations and what social media channels are they using?

[45:38] The Lighting Round

Sponsor:

If you’re a water utility looking to better manage the water you love, then you’ll want to talk to the experts at Master Meter. They understand that you can’t manage what you don’t measure. Smart water management begins with accurate measurement. Account for every drop produced and delivered because utilities’ progression towards smart cities and IoT begins here. Master Meter is ready to deliver you game-changing results across finance, customer service, and utility operations. They offer an array of products to meet your utility’s needs. To determine which smart water solution is right for you, visit mastermeter.com. You can also download a copy of their award-winning guide to communicating the value of water to customers here.

Please consider rating the podcast with 5 stars and leaving a one- or two-sentence review in iTunes or on Stitcher.  This helps tremendously in bringing the podcast to the attention of others. We give a shoutout to everyone who rates the podcast with 5 stars in future episodes.

Give us some love on Twitter by tagging us @THE_H2duO or by using the #WaterInRealLifePodcast

If you know someone you think would benefit, please spread the word by using the share buttons on this page.

Thank you for sharing some of your time with us. We know how precious those minutes are. Share your story, you never know who needs to hear it and remember, “Those who tell the stories, rule the world.”

Brianna Huber worked in the public health field for 13 years before exploring the environmental side of public health. She has been a licensed Class A chemist for the City of East Moline Water Filtration Plant for five years ago. Her tenure in the water industry may be short but her list of involvement is not. Brianna is the current chair of the ISAWWA’s Mentoring committee and a member of the Outreach Committee. She also holds leadership roles in the Upper Mississippi River Water Suppliers Coalition, the USCG Area Maritime Security Council, the Quad City Public Information Officer group and the AWWA Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Brianna is also passionate about empowering women in the water industry which she demonstrated by launching and serving as chair of the ISAWWA Women in Water committee where she unites, motivates and supports female water industry workers throughout IL and beyond.

Top Takeaways:

Show Notes:

[8:50] Tell us about your adventure and the Tanzanian Gender Networking Program (TGNP).

[12:55] How did you become a tribe member of an African tribe?

[17:05] What were some of your biggest takeaways from Tanzania?

[22:48] You said Tanzania doesn’t have concern for environmental issues, what made you come to that conclusion?

[29:15] What are some of the things you noticed about women and the impact of the global water crisis?

[35:00] What was it like to come back to the US?

[38:45] Do you feel like you’ve been able to raise the awareness you hoped?

[41:40] Can you tell us the story of your trip climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro?

[54:10] You said you felt like an island in a male dominated industry. Can you tell us some of the work you’ve been doing to bring women into water?

[1:03:06] The Lighting Round

Resources:

Sponsor:

If you’re a water utility looking to better manage the water you love, then you’ll want to talk to the experts at Master Meter. They understand that you can’t manage what you don’t measure. Smart water management begins with accurate measurement. Account for every drop produced and delivered because utilities’ progression towards smart cities and IoT begins here. Master Meter is ready to deliver you game-changing results across finance, customer service, and utility operations. They offer an array of products to meet your utility’s needs. To determine which smart water solution is right for you, visit mastermeter.com. You can also download a copy of their award-winning guide to communicating the value of water to customers here.

Please consider rating the podcast with 5 stars and leaving a one- or two-sentence review in iTunes or on Stitcher.  This helps tremendously in bringing the podcast to the attention of others. We give a shoutout to everyone who rates the podcast with 5 stars in future episodes.

Give us some love on Twitter by tagging us @THE_H2duO or by using the #WaterInRealLifePodcast

If you know someone you think would benefit, please spread the word by using the share buttons on this page.

Thank you for sharing some of your time with us. We know how precious those minutes are. Share your story, you never know who needs to hear it and remember, “Those who tell the stories, rule the world.”