What does it mean to be truly wise about water? In this episode, host Annyse speaks with Cindy Wallis-Lage, a long-career water sector leader, about indigenous knowledge, the danger of solving the wrong problem, and why water needs to become a want — not just a need.

Cindy chose the Wisdom card and from that single image of waves and flowing water, an expansive conversation unfolded. Drawing on her experience as a former president at Black & Veatch Water and decades working across the sector, Cindy challenges some of the water industry's most embedded assumptions: about how we solve problems, who we invite to the table, and what relationship we want to have with water at all.

From the One Water movement and tribal community knowledge to the importance of vulnerability in leadership, this episode weaves together systems thinking, indigenous wisdom, and a powerful reframe - what if we stopped treating water as an entitlement and started treating it as something worth truly desiring?

Show Notes 

• US Water Alliance – Vision for a One Water Future - US Water Alliance
• True root cause analysis - What is Root Cause Analysis (RCA)? | ASQ
• 5 Whys - 5 Whys - What is it? | Lean Enterprise Institute 

Cindy L. Wallis-Lage, Retired C-Suite Executive

Cindy Wallis-Lage has served in the water industry for over 39 years through a combination of her work at Black & Veatch and service to public, private and non-profit industry organizations. Throughout her career, her focus has been on helping public and private entities successfully develop, enhance and manage their water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure via a variety of solutions and delivery methods.

Prior to her retirement, she served as Executive Director, Sustainability and Resilience for Black & Veatch to accelerate an enterprise-wide focus on sustainability and resilience solutions to support clients in the water, energy and telecommunications markets. Previously Wallis-Lage served as the President of the company’s global water business between 2012 and 2021 where she was responsible for the leadership and management of the company’s global water business. She also served on Black & Veatch’s Executive Committee and Board of Directors from 2012 until her retirement.

Currently Ms. Wallis-Lage continues to engage in the water industry by serving as a board member for several companies and co-leading ReSoLve, a non-profit focused on empowering and retaining women in the water industry.

Using her position, passion and knowledge, she is a champion of the Sustainable Development Goals and seeks to educate how holistic systems thinking can provide the needed long term human infrastructure to achieve social, economic and environmental sustainability goals.