This Earth Week we’re honoring the value of water and WaterWoman Project’s growing industry coalition. These powerful stakeholders joined us for the United Nations 2023 Water Conference in a call for a gender-inclusive, just and future-ready workforce.
On Monday March 20, 2023, WaterRising Institute, NYC Mayor’s Office for International Affairs and German House cohosted the Gender & Youth Hub to kick off the United Nations 2023 Water Conference — the world’s first water resiliency strategy convening in 47 years.
With the help of NYC Junior Ambassadors and NYC DEP Educators Network, we filled every chair with middle schoolers. These students are our next generation water workforce. Their voices were heard, and they were excited to learn how technology can turn climate action into a career
The Gender & Youth Hub convened water utilities, the private water industry, students and young professionals in a call to action to address our global water workforce emergency. Women and youth are essential to addressing our urgent water challenges, including record-level retirement, staffing shortages, and a lack of gender and minority representation in the water sector. Currently women represent less than 20% of the water workforce, and experience the most impact from climate change.
Very Special Thanks
NYC Mayor’s Office for International Affairs
- Aissata M.B. Camara
Deputy Commissioner for Policy and Strategic Initiatives - Christie Saint-Vil
Director of Strategic Relationships - Marcia Martinez
Operations & Events Manager
NYC Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice
- Jessica Colon
Senior Policy Advisor
C40 Cities
- Mark Watts
Executive Director - Rebecca Ilunga
Acting Head Adaption Research & Performance
The Jones Ritter Group
- Diana Jones Ritter
President, former Chief Strategy Officer, and Deputy Commissioner, Organizational Development & Human Resources
Brown & Caldwell
- Pam Elardo
Senior Utility Performance Advisor, former Deputy Commissioner, Wastewater Treatment, NYC DEP
SUEZ SES North America
- Jennifer Steffens
Director of Strategy & Marketing
NYC Department of Environmental Protection
- Reginald Johnson
Assistant Commissioner for Digital Transformation, Wastewater Treatment - Jane Gajwani
Director, Office of Energy and Resource Recovery Programs - Robin Sanchez
Director of Education - Ryan Price
Senior Policy Analyst
NYWEA and NYWEA Metro YP Committee
- Donna Grudier
President - Patricia Cerro-Reehil
Executive Director - Khristopher Dodson
Executive Director Designate - Fazena Bacchus
Chair, NYWEA Metro Chapter YP Committee - Adina Rivera
Membership Coordinator, NYWEA Metro Chapter YP Committee
Water Environment Federation
- Ifetayo Venner
President
Walt Marlowe
Executive Director
British Water
- Lila Thompson
Chief Executive - Charles Shachinda
Technical Officer – International
If you missed it, catch the full livestream at waterrising.org featuring the following program:
- Welcome from German House
Mariella de Carvalho (she/her), Consul, Cultural Affairs and Science - Welcome from NYC Mayor’s Office of International Affairs
Edward Mermelstein (he/his), Commissioner - Welcome from WaterRising Institute
Alicia Douglas (she/her), CEO/Founder and Program Director, WaterWoman Project - Call to Action 1: Youth
NYC Junior Ambassadors alumna, Piper Nguyen (she/her), UNSDG 14 (Life Under Water) - Call to Action 2: NYC
Jessica Colon, Senior Policy Analyst (she/her), NYC Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice - Call to Action 3: Cities
C40 Cities, Rebecca Ilunga (she/her), Head, Adaption Research & Performance - WaterWoman Table 1: Water Utilities are Using Smart Tech to Address Climate Change
Pam Elardo (she/her), Senior Utility Performance Advisor, Brown & Caldwell and Reginald Joseph (he/his), NYC DEP Assistant Commissioner, Digital Transformation, BWG - Call to Action 4: Gender
Charles Shachinda (he/his), Technical Officer – International, British Water - WaterWoman Table 2: Youth, Young Professionals and the Water Career Journey
Victoria Johnson (she/her), Global Equity Director, HDR; Adina Rivera (she/her), Engineer in Training, Henry Coe (he/his), Assistant Environmental Scientist, Hazen and Sawyer, HDR; Angelica Fasnacht (she/her), High School Student - WaterWoman Table 3: Jobs with Purpose at the Water/Energy Nexus
Jennifer Steffens (she/her), Director, Strategy & Marketing, SUEZ Smart & Environmental Solutions; Jane Gajwani (she/her), NYC DEP Director, Office of Energy & Resource Recovery Programs; Clara Latini, UNSDN Youth - Call to Action 5: WaterWoman Project
Alicia Douglas (she/her), CEO/Founder and Program Director, WaterWoman Project
