Water In Real Life

Becky Johnson has over 27 years of experience in domestic and international environmental management. She is an experienced consultant, auditor, and an international speaker. Becky is formally trained as a geologist and brings a fresh, common-sense approach to her projects, as well as an in-depth understanding of regulatory programs.  She has provided consulting and training to the water and wastewater treatment industry for over 20 years and brings that experience to the classroom at TCU, providing students with a “real world” view of the field and practical hands-on experience vital in today’s job market. She has served as a member of the Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists since 2011.

Top Takeaways:

Resources:

When the Rivers Run Dry by Fred Pearce

Sponsor:

Each year, thousands of hours are spent pulling together the right data to execute drinking water programs.  120WaterAudit’s software and testing kits are TRANSFORMING how government agencies and municipalities manage drinking water programs. Cities like Pittsburgh, Loveland Colorado, Kenosha Wisconsin, and Fort Wayne Indiana use the 120WaterAudit platform to execute their Lead Service Line Replacement, Lead and Copper Compliance, Customer request and other drinking water programs. Our software and kits streamline your water quality testing programs, centralizing your data so that it’s easier for you to meet regulatory reporting requirements and communicate with your customers. Learn more or schedule a free demo at 120wateraudit.com.

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.”

Cathy Bailey is the Executive Director of the Greater Cincinnati Water Works Department (GCWW).  In over 200 years, Cathy is the first woman and first African American to lead Cincinnati’s major, independent, municipal water utility.  Cathy leads a team that ensures safe drinking water for a regional population of more than 1.1 million citizens; supervises a team of 600 full-time employees; and oversees a $110 million operating budget and a $450 million capital budget over the next five years. Cathy is a strong champion and key visionary behind Greater Cincinnati Water Works award-winning Lead Service Line Replacement Program.  

Cathy has distinguished herself as a leader throughout her career, focusing on communications, strategic thinking, innovation, technical excellence, outreach, teamwork, and of course fun to solve problems and positively impact the community. Her community work and leadership roles were recently recognized when she was named one of the 2018 Greater Cincinnati YWCA’s Career Women of Achievement and as one of the Cincinnati Venue Magazine’s Women of Influence.  

Show notes:

Cathy talks to us about her water journey and her mindset of moving around the table versus climbing up the ladder. “It’s not always about moving up. Sometimes it’s really making the most of the space you’re in.”

Being active and giving back to the community was instilled in Cathy at an early age. Hear how this drives her commitment to community in the water industry: “As much as we talk about the value of water, we don’t get out in the community and then BE that…..It shouldn’t be an agenda item, it should be how we function.”

Many people are scared of involving the community at the very onset of a new initiative, but Cathy gives powerful anecdotal evidence of the trust and buy-in that doing so earns you.

Our communities are diverse. We have to really KNOW our communities in order to best outreach to them. Who will resonate most with them?

Learn how they use data from surveys, the billing system, and employees to really learn about their community so they can better serve them and meet them where they are.

September 1992 is when Cathy decided she was never going to conform. Hear the story.

How can women in water support one another better and not be threatened by other women “being in their space”? Recognize the piece of the puzzle you represent and how you can best connect with the other “pieces” around you.

What does it mean to be F.I.E.R.C.E?

Rising YPs….check this out!

Resources:

The Way of the Shepherd by Dr. Kevin Leman and William Pentak

The Poisoned City: Flint’s Water and the American Urban Tragedy by Anna Clark

Sponsor:

Each year, thousands of hours are spent pulling together the right data to execute drinking water programs.  120WaterAudit’s software and testing kits are TRANSFORMING how government agencies and municipalities manage drinking water programs. Cities like Pittsburgh, Loveland Colorado, Kenosha Wisconsin, and Fort Wayne Indiana use the 120WaterAudit platform to execute their Lead Service Line Replacement, Lead and Copper Compliance, Customer request and other drinking water programs. Our software and kits streamline your water quality testing programs, centralizing your data so that it’s easier for you to meet regulatory reporting requirements and communicate with your customers. Learn more or schedule a free demo at 120wateraudit.com.

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.”

Kenny Thompson Jr. is the Senior Director of Government and External Affairs at PepsiCo, the largest food and beverage company in the United States. He leads PepsiCo’s business-wide strategy for targeting, investing, cultivating and maintaining signature partnerships with external stakeholders to drive positive business and community impact.

Before joining PepsiCo, Kenny held several positions in the Obama White House, including Special Assistant to Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Senior Advisor to United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk and Special Assistant and Advance Lead for President Barack Obama.

Kenny spent two years on the Obama for America Campaign in 2007 and 2008 as a member of the National Advance Staff, during which time he traveled to 38 states and over 100 cities.

A native Texan, Thompson has a Master’s of Business Administration from Georgetown University. He received his undergraduate degree from Texas Christian University, where he played baseball for the Horned Frogs.

Currently, Kenny serves on the board of directors of the Women’s Congressional Policy Institute, the AddRan College of Liberal Arts at TCU, and is a member of the Chancellor’s Advisory Council at TCU.

Kenny and his wife Jessica live in Washington, DC.

Top Takeaways:

Show notes:

[7:34] Local matters now more than ever. Building relationships with the mayor, city council, school boards are crucial to making an impact locally.  

[11:29] What can we learn from political campaigns that we can apply to our outreach efforts?

[12:34] What motivates people locally and showing them how it impacts them on a daily basis. Once you get people motivated it’s much easier to get people organized.

[15:37] Come with solutions, they get noticed. Anyone can come with a problem, come with a solution. If you can identify a problem, identify a solution.

[16:46] Don’t let the great be the enemy of the good.

[19:12] Use your subject matter expertise to promote your cause. Don’t assume because the person across the desk has more power that they know more than you.

[19:55] Tips when speaking on Capitol Hill:   Member of Congress care about what’s going on in their districts. Make sure you tie all things back to their district, don’t forget to give credit where credit is due. Connect to local mayors and local decision makers “I’ve been working with the mayor in our city about this and they support this.”

[22:27] Use events to build your lists but stay engaged with your audience. Don’t let the connection end at the event.

[23:55] There always needs to be a call to action. Be specific. Don’t ask them to do three things, ask them to do one thing. The more times you ask the more likely you are to get action.

[26:45] The importance of building relationships with key influencers. Don’t just focus on the elected officials, but also who are they listening to? Where are they getting their news?

[29:40] Changing policy takes time and it will feel like two steps forward, one step back. “When you’re building relationships you just want to be an honest broker.”

[30:49] “Anyone can kick down a barn door.” (Sam Rayburn)“But very few people can sit down at a table and know the public policy or a specific issue and advocate for it and engage with other people thoughtfully.”

[34:52] What are some of the ways PepsiCo is taking on local initiatives related to water? Working with local farmers to reuse water, fixing irrigation problems, putting water back into the system. Partnering with organizations at the local level, Flint, Sacramento, Baltimore to help fix infrastructure problems.

[37:24] Kenny talks about starting with the basics, like infrastructure, as the first step to solving major issues such as education. *Boom: He’s a #waternerd

Resources:

What It Takes by Richard Ben Cramer

Educated by Tara Westover

Sponsor:

WaterNow Alliance believes that local leaders hold the keys to our future. WNA is a nonprofit network of over 400 councilmembers, mayors, water district board members, and utility management nationwide that champion sustainable, affordable, and community-based solutions to water management challenges. They are a catalyst for change and an architect for solutions. WNA helps to identify and overcome barriers, provide tools, training, project and policy support, and shares best management practices for local initiatives advancing community resilience. WNA is a forum for collaborative action through convenings and annual summits, and a network for local leaders to learn from each other.

Join this unique network of local decision makers leading the way to a healthy and resilient water future for their communities. Membership is free and open to the decision makers who vote on all things water from policy to programs to rates and who are ultimately accountable to the public. Visit waternow.org/join or email [email protected]. 

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.”

Be sure to check out part one of our conversation with Dr. Schooler in EP051 first.

Dr. Larry Schooler is the father of two and husband of one. He is also a mediator, facilitator, consensus builder, and public engagement consultant. He spent eight years developing and overseeing the public engagement division for the City of Austin, one of the first of its kind in the country. He is now director of consensus building and community engagement at CD&P, a Texas-based consulting firm. He’s also a senior fellow at the National Civic League and the Strauss Institute for Civic Life at the University of Texas, and a subject matter advisor for 100 Resilient Cities. He divides his time between Texas and Florida and enjoys long walks on the beach, long runs on marathon courses, playing the piano, and rooting for Houston sports teams. His first book, on public engagement in truth and reconciliation and how the public can help resolve big conflicts, is due out later this year.

Top Takeaways:

Show notes:

[3:20] Stephanie’s worst-first-date analogy. Is only talking about ourselves and only about the negative things creating the mob killing the messenger vibe?

[4:23] The agencies spending the time meeting with people when the temperature is average or low find public engagement to be a lot easier to handle than the agencies who only show up during a crisis. Relationships matter.

[5:00] When people say “build trust” what they’re really saying is (a) show that you know what you are talking about and (b) demonstrate an effort to building a relationship–don’t remain a generic, faceless entity.

[5:29] Meet people where they are. People are bringing their own perspectives to public meetings. Empathize with them. Talk about their feelings regarding the issue at hand.  Share perspectives.

[6:55] “I’m not there to convince them they are mistaken. I simply need to share what this looks like from our vantage point and why it’s important to us, which hopefully leads you to hear it in a different way.” Larry, on his role as a facilitator.

[7:17] Keep in mind that the natural reflex is defensiveness. Saying things like “no decision has been made,” even if it’s true, automatically makes people think a decision has been made. Understand this and be prepared.

[8:26] The more an agency can anticipate and prepare responses, the better. Anticipate answers to Frequently Asked Questions. Come prepared to lead with empathy.

[10:12] Ways to manage a “difficult” room.

[13:19] Anecdotal story about handling heated conflict in the moment.

[14:41] How do we get more people to show up at public meetings? 

[15:16] Make it simple for your attendees. Larry gives us things to keep in mind when planning your meeting.

[21:59] Larry explains how he develops facilitators. Yes, YOU can do this.

*BONUS–Check out Larry’s facilitator pop quiz–Dr. Larry Schooler’s Facilitator’s Quiz

[28:48] Responding to participants that think you don’t get it.  

[31:47] Larry’s take on staying neutral and objective as a facilitator and what entities working with facilitators need to keep in mind.

[34:23 ] Dr. Larry Schooler tells us more about the book he’s working on focused on how the public can resolve big conflicts.

Resources:

Book: The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai

TedxToronto: The antidote to apathy by Dave Meslin

Dr. Larry Schooler’s Facilitator’s Quiz

Core Value Awards

Sponsor:

WaterNow Alliance believes that local leaders hold the keys to our future. WNA is a nonprofit network of over 400 councilmembers, mayors, water district board members, and utility management nationwide that champion sustainable, affordable, and community-based solutions to water management challenges. They are a catalyst for change and an architect for solutions. WNA helps to identify and overcome barriers, provide tools, training, project and policy support, and shares best management practices for local initiatives advancing community resilience. WNA is a forum for collaborative action through convenings and annual summits, and a network for local leaders to learn from each other.

Join this unique network of local decision makers leading the way to a healthy and resilient water future for their communities. Membership is free and open to the decision makers who vote on all things water from policy to programs to rates and who are ultimately accountable to the public. Visit waternow.org/join or email [email protected]. 

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. Larry Schooler is the father of two and husband of one. He is also a mediator, facilitator, consensus builder, and public engagement consultant. He spent eight years developing and overseeing the public engagement division for the City of Austin, one of the first of its kind in the country. He is now director of consensus building and community engagement at CD&P, a Texas-based consulting firm. He’s also a senior fellow at the National Civic League and the Strauss Institute for Civic Life at the University of Texas, and a subject matter advisor for 100 Resilient Cities. He divides his time between Texas and Florida and enjoys long walks on the beach, long runs on marathon courses, playing the piano, and rooting for Houston sports teams. His first book, on public engagement in truth and reconciliation and how the public can help resolve big conflicts, is due out later this year.

Top Takeaways:

Show notes:

[7:07] Why do water utilities need to participate in public engagement? “People who are affected by a decision ought to be able to affect that decision.”

[8:05] If you’re going to ask me to do something to change my habits or pay more for something or going to change the terms of the relationships we have as citizen or government, I think the outcomes are a lot better when the folks being affected are giving a chance to have a voice in it.

[8:44] Going to a primary care vs. emergency room. There may not be a ton of urgency or motive to go to the primary care doctor but it’s a much more cost-effective way to handle your health than waiting to have to go to the emergency room that is usually extremely time consuming, expensive, and can be traumatic.

[12:33] It’s about the abstract concept of trust building and the more concrete concept of relationship building.

[13:30] Core Values Awards by IAP2. A lot of the best practices are coming from Australia and Canada.  

[15:13] “I’m willing to support this because the process was fair.” A member of the public spoke at council and said that even though they didn’t agree 100% with the recommendations the utility was given to council, they were willing to support it because they could tell that the process had been fair, people had been given the opportunity to give input, and all the sides were taken into consideration.

[17:20] Go in with an open mind. Don’t begin a process with decisions made that you’re then going to ask the public to give an opinion on. That doesn’t mean that no decisions can be made because there will be areas that concern public health, public safety or finances that you can’t bend on completely. Only ask about the things that you would be influenced by what they told you. Make sure you then close the feedback loop and demonstrate what you did, based on the feedback you received.

[20:09] Most of the time when cities or public utilities are looking for feedback, people are presented with technical information that isn’t easy for everyone to respond to. Keep it simple and basic so you don’t create a barrier for someone to give feedback.

[23:21] Don’t assume just because no one shows up to your public meeting it means that everything is cool.

[25:52] When agencies have gotten it wrong. Project delays and cancellations cost the city 15 million dollars. If you hire out help, make sure you take the time to bring them up to speed on the culture of your community. This is why these things take time and you can’t wing them well. People see straight through that.

[30:48] Any way you engage, whether it’s a public workshop, a face to face meeting, a public hearing, someone online or text message is going to have limitations. The more you study and prepare ahead of time the better it will be. Let’s role play a post that’s supercharged and see how we would respond to it. We need to know what we’re getting ourselves into no matter what that medium will be. The timing of the message and timing of the involvement of the public.

[40:05] You don’t have to change your professional opinion or water down your expertise. Just keep an open mind and if there are decisions that haven’t been made or you have time to make, take pause to make a judgment until you’ve heard what the public has to say.

[40:32] Take the raw public data and the opinion of experts and give both to decision makers unedited.

[42:40] Hiring a public engagement professional can help you by providing coaching to deal with stressful situations and/or by creating a space for constructive dialogue to occur.

[43:03] Interject when you’re feeling uncomfortable. “I want to address your questions, but I’m feeling uncomfortable.”

[47:23] Public notices.. use the language you have to but example what you mean below in plain English.

Resource:

TedxToronto: The antidote to apathy by Dave Meslin

Core Value Awards

Sponsor:

WaterNow Alliance believes that local leaders hold the keys to our future. WNA is a nonprofit network of over 400 councilmembers, mayors, water district board members, and utility management nationwide that champion sustainable, affordable, and community-based solutions to water management challenges. They are a catalyst for change and an architect for solutions. WNA helps to identify and overcome barriers, provide tools, training, project and policy support, and shares best management practices for local initiatives advancing community resilience. WNA is a forum for collaborative action through convenings and annual summits, and a network for local leaders to learn from each other.

Join this unique network of local decision makers leading the way to a healthy and resilient water future for their communities. Membership is free and open to the decision makers who vote on all things water from policy to programs to rates and who are ultimately accountable to the public. Visit waternow.org/join or email [email protected]. 

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.”

Ryan Romero believes good advertising creative begets good business and happy clients – something he learned working for agencies including Tribal DDB and Publics on clients such as Pepsi, Dyson, Microsoft, and T-Mobile. In his professional career, he has transitioned from the role of a traditional copywriter to that of a digital ACD, and from his native Texas to Washington, and back again. He has earned international awards, launched entirely new mobile phone platforms, created innovative applications, and even sold lunch buffets to seniors, but found freedom in teaching the creative process to students since joining the faculty in 2011. Besides lecturing at the University of Texas, Ryan is a freelance writer and creative director, co-founder of Big Machine in the Sky, Ducati rider, tattoo canvas, and a pretend grown up. 

Top Takeaways

Shownotes

Branding: [9:34]

Audience:[17:45] 

Writing:

Tips for working with a creative agency: [35:52] Trust the people you hired. Trust the process. Good creative takes time. 

[51:19] Just because there’s nothing new under the sun, doesn’t mean there aren’t new connections to be made. [53:28] Creativity is effective surprise. Collect a lot of dots (experiences and ideas) and save them because you never know how things will connect later. 

[01:03:07] Mr. Rogers: There is no one who you cannot learn to love, once you’ve heard their story. A lesson in empathy when creating our message and working with each other to deliver it.

Resource:

Book: Hey Whipple, Squeeze This by Luke Sullivan. The classic guide to creating great advertising. 

Sponsor:

WaterNow Alliance believes that local leaders hold the keys to our future. WNA is a nonprofit network of over 400 councilmembers, mayors, water district board members, and utility management nationwide that champion sustainable, affordable, and community-based solutions to water management challenges. They are a catalyst for change and an architect for solutions. WNA helps to identify and overcome barriers, provide tools, training, project and policy support, and shares best management practices for local initiatives advancing community resilience. WNA is a forum for collaborative action through convenings and annual summits, and a network for local leaders to learn from each other.

Join this unique network of local decision makers leading the way to a healthy and resilient water future for their communities. Membership is free and open to the decision makers who vote on all things water from policy to programs to rates and who are ultimately accountable to the public. Visit waternow.org/join or email [email protected]. 

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.”

We had the opportunity to speak at the WaterNow Alliance Summit in Austin, TX last week. While there presenting our “30 ideas in 30 minutes”, we had the privilege of chatting with some members from the WaterNow Alliance Summit.

Cynthia Koehler

Cynthia Koehler is an environmental attorney and water policy expert with 25 years of experience in state and federal water advocacy. She has served as a Director of the Marin Municipal Water District Board since 2005 and was reelected in November 2018 for a 4th term. Cynthia was appointed to US EPA’s Local Government Advisory Commission (2016-2018), and serves on a number of boards and advisory councils related to environmental sustainability. She was previously the California Water Legislative Director for Environmental Defense Fund, and Legal Director for Save the Bay. Cynthia holds a BA from Pomona College, and JD and Environmental Law Certificate from the University of Oregon School of Law.

Cooper Martin

Cooper is the Sustainable Cities Institute Director for the National League of Cities and on the  WaterNow Alliance Leadership Council. He is the NLC’s research and technical assistance expert for topics related to sustainability and climate resilience. With the help of a 2-person sustainability team, they support, inform, and celebrate city-led sustainability efforts. Additionally, Cooper helps provide strategic direction, program development, and operational support for the entire NLC Center for City Solutions.

Eric Letsinger

Eric Letsinger a member of the WaterNow Alliance Leadership Council and is the Founder and CEO of Quantified Ventures, an impact investing firm that helps clients finance specific and measurable environmental, health, and educational outcomes. He is a “tri-sector” executive, bringing 25+ years of leadership experience in government, nonprofit, and private sector organizations operating in healthcare, environment, education, and housing. He has led transformative, public-private initiatives to drive social impact in complex, cross-sector business environments including IBM, Baltimore Public Schools, Baltimore Housing Department, Cyveillance Software, PWC, and Samaritan Inns Homeless Services.

Melissa Elliott

Melissa is the Manager for Public Outreach, Raftelis Financial Consultants, Inc., providing strategic communications, stakeholder engagement and risk communication services to the utility and municipal sector. She previously held roles at Denver Water, as the director or public affairs and manager of water conservation, as well as, City of Aurora Public Relations Manager and Senior PIO. She’s served as chair for the public affairs council and an active member and mentor of the Public Relations Society of America. Melissa is the president-elect for the American Water Works Association.

Top Takeaways

Cynthia:

Cooper:

Eric:

Melissa:

Sponsor:

WaterNow Alliance believes that local leaders hold the keys to our future. WNA is a nonprofit network of over 400 councilmembers, mayors, water district board members, and utility management nationwide that champion sustainable, affordable, and community-based solutions to water management challenges. They are a catalyst for change and an architect for solutions. WNA helps to identify and overcome barriers, provide tools, training, project and policy support, and shares best management practices for local initiatives advancing community resilience. WNA is a forum for collaborative action through convenings and annual summits, and a network for local leaders to learn from each other.

Join this unique network of local decision makers leading the way to a healthy and resilient water future for their communities. Membership is free and open to the decision makers who vote on all things water from policy to programs to rates and who are ultimately accountable to the public. Visit waternow.org/join or email [email protected]. 

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.”

Megan Glover is the CoFounder and CEO of 120WaterAudit, a software and point of use company that provides solutions to Government Agencies, Public Water Systems, and School Districts to manage their lead in drinking water programs. A data and software veteran, prior to founding 120WaterAudit she spent nearly 15 years as an executive building and scaling various software as a service products in Indianapolis including Angie’s List, Compendium, Delivra, RICS Software, and DyKnow. With a passion and knowledge base for utilizing modern software technology to solve problems, 120WaterAudit provides modern software and tools necessary to solve some of our most complex drinking water challenges.

Top Takeaways:

Show Notes:

[10:18] Check out what it means to be a part of the Imagine H2O accelerator program.

[14:00] Learn why it’s so important for utilities to give feedback to innovative companies to create more meaningful, relevant solutions.

[16:03] Megan gives words of advice to startups seeking to enter the water space.

[18:15] Megan shares some simple first steps for how utilities can manage data better.

[23:27] How running lean can be detrimental to your organization and how technology and data management can value-add time back into your day.

[26:58] What being an entrepreneur has taught Megan about falling outside of the normal timeline or template of life.

[36:04] Megan talks about the importance of shifting the mindset about communication in the water sector to be customer-centric.

Resources:

Be Fearless by Jean Case

Sponsor:

Imagine H2O is a water technology accelerator empowering people to develop and deploy innovation to solve water challenges globally. You can be innovative about anything, from your hiring process to the way your organization deals with hexavalent chromium contamination. What matters is that you’re constantly trying to improve the way you’re doing things, and the better you are at innovation, the better you are at everything. Learn more about Imagine H2O, our accelerator and beta programs at imagineh2o.org.   

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.”

Mayor Pete Buttigieg is the chief executive of the City of South Bend, where he was also born. He took office in 2012 at the age of twenty-nine and is responsible for the city workforce of over 1,000 employees and an annual budget over $380 million.

Buttigieg has been profiled by the New York Times and was called “the most interesting mayor you’ve never heard of” by the Washington Post. An officer in U.S. Navy Reserve from 2009-17, Buttigieg took a leave of absence to serve in Afghanistan during a seven-month deployment in 2014, earning the Joint Service Commendation Medal for his counterterrorism work.

A Rhodes Scholar, Buttigieg studied Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Oxford and has a degree in American History and Literature from Harvard College. He lives in a formerly vacant house he is restoring in the same neighborhood where he grew up, with his husband, Chasten Glezman, and their dog, Truman.

Top Takeaways:

Resources:

Shortest Way Home by Pete Buttigieg

The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis

Sponsor:

Imagine H2O is a water technology accelerator empowering people to develop and deploy innovation to solve water challenges globally. You can be innovative about anything, from your hiring process to the way your organization deals with hexavalent chromium contamination. What matters is that you’re constantly trying to improve the way you’re doing things, and the better you are at innovation, the better you are at everything. Learn more about Imagine H2O, our accelerator and beta programs at imagineh2o.org.   

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.”

Kathy Nguyen graduated from Berry College with a BA in Speech/Communications.  She studied Environmental Management at the University of Maryland. She has been with Cobb County Water System since 2001.  In 2004 she became the Water Efficiency Manager, where she developed, implemented and manages the Water Efficiency Program. In 2009 she became the Senior Project Manager for Water Resources.  She is currently the Customer Service Division Manager. She is a member of: American Water Works Association, Georgia Association of Water Professionals, Technical Coordinating Committee for Metro North Georgia Water Planning District, Department of Community Affairs WaterFirst Adjudication Team, Technical Advisory Committee for both the State-wide Water Plan and the State-wide Water Conservation Plan, Past-Chair of the Alliance for Water Efficiency Public Education and Outreach Committee, the Georgia Water Wise Council the Georgia Section of American Water Works, The Irrigation Association SWAT Promotional Working Group.

Top Takeaways:

Show Notes:

[5:25] Alliance for Water Efficiency: Water efficiency takes a back seat in almost every other water association. It filled a void and coalesced all the experts from the other organizations.

[7:38] Cobb County Efficiency Program: Kathy gives an overview of their very diverse conservation program.

[10:25] Shift in Mindset After the lifting of a two-year drought restriction, the public didn’t continue to save water, instead they called for Kathy to be fired. Kathy got creative and shifted her messaging from conservation ethics to tying the water resource to being a fiscal resource, an economic development tool.

[13:48] “I don’t understand why the entire water system can not run like the water efficiency program.” That was a big endorsement from one of the biggest critics. Their message had resonated with the right group.

[15:07] “I would like in water if the word stakeholder was less scary than nuclear holocaust. When I say I’m going to have a stakeholder task force I may as well have said I just pushed the button.”

[15:41] “You have to find and know your customer base. It has to be more than a slogan. It has to be more than the label of your program. Every single thing you do has to tie back to that idea.”

[16:28] The Atlanta Braves moved to Cobb County. They massaged their water use/cost like a “water bank”, a water balance. “If we save this, we can do this.”

[18:20] When you eliminate divisiveness between groups by letting go the personal feelings. “You can preach to the choir, but you may be alone.”

[19:48] “We all have the person who comes to every single workshop you do. They’ve implemented everything you’ve told them to do. They’re flushing the toilet with a bucket. But they’re not your problem.”

[23:07] Value of Mentors

[26:52] “Everybody has a mentor that lets them do something scares the crap out of them. There’s no other way for them to be ready. Then just stand back like one of those trust falls.”

[27:59] Young Professionals The adage so prevalent in the water industry of “that’s the way we’ve always done it” is counterproductive to the young generation that wants to look at things differently. “They come by their caution in a legitimate way but we’ve got to crack the door open a little bit and realize there is more than one way to do things.”

[32:12] “I don’t understand when we made the decision that the only people that bring value to the water industry have to have an engineering degree.”

[37:17] Customer Service…Customer Relations “If they (customer service representatives) understand they are a conduit for those customers getting access to safe drinking water and sanitation, that they’re the gatekeepers for that, and they are the ones that talk to customers about that, then that just elevates the way that they feel. As a manager, it’s my job to make sure every other manager understands the value they bring to the entire utility.”

[39:33] “We can’t leave them (customer service representatives) locked up in a cage. We got to send them out there to get personal development and pour back into them.”

[40:15] “We handle water, wastewater, and stormwater. All a customer knows is that they are calling the water system. So the person who answers the phone is expected to be an expert on every single thing that happens every single day, every crazy decision we make, every nutty policy implemented that some customer might have a problem with, is probably going to come to their phone at some point. And they have no idea when they pick up that phone.”

[44:27] Kathy’s elevator pitch for water and the value of water.

Resources:

The Coaching Habit by Michael Stanier

Sponsor:

Imagine H2O is a water technology accelerator empowering people to develop and deploy innovation to solve water challenges globally. You can be innovative about anything, from your hiring process to the way your organization deals with hexavalent chromium contamination. What matters is that you’re constantly trying to improve the way you’re doing things, and the better you are at innovation, the better you are at everything. Learn more about Imagine H2O, our accelerator and beta programs at imagineh2o.org.   

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.”