WaterWoman Study Design Development Meeting
Table of Contents
Date: Thursday, October 27, 2022, 9:00am – 12:00pm ET; 1:00pm – 2:30pm ET lunch
Location:
Water Environment Federation
Chesapeake Conference Room – 3rd Floor
601 Wythe Street, Alexandria, VA 22314
Parking/Transit: There is a large public parking garage across the street in the retail shopping center. WEF is also a 12 to 15-minute walk from the Braddock Road Metro Station.
The meeting will be available to virtual attendees as well. If joining in person, please join us for lunch off-site at 1:00pm. Details are forthcoming.
Opportunity
WaterWoman Project Study
WaterWoman Project is an emergency response to the water workforce crisis. WaterWoman Project is launching a research and technology training initiative to address gender parity as we rebuild our water workforce and water management makes the digital transition. We will survey water utilities and industry on gender-inclusive experience in the United States, United Kingdom and Europe. From data and learnings, WaterWoman Project will iterate a utility pilot program with technology trials that promote more equitable, just and diverse recruitment, training, advancement, and retention opportunities.
Objective
To accelerate the development of a diverse water workforce with a focus on gender inclusion to address the anticipated 53% reduction in the U.S. workforce in the next 5 years (Brookings).
Strategy
We will fill the workforce gap with priority diversity hires and fill the information gap to address the loss of institutional knowledge by implementing smart water solutions. We will focus on providing equal access to opportunity regardless of gender identity, race, age, experience, and/or ability.
Jumpstarting the Study and On-the-Job Technology Training Pilot
With time of the essence, we will implement a voluntary fast-track study and on-the-job training pilot in partnership with public utilities and their technology providers in the United States. Our private sector partners will identify a need and then implement a solution to further the utility’s recruitment goals and digital transition.
From these learnings, we will identify smart water solutions for building on-the-job training programs for new and returning hires from within local communities nationwide.
By doing so, we will answer EPA’s call to collaborate on accelerating a just, equitable, diverse and sustainable workforce from within the communities our water sector serves, while addressing economic development, infrastructure upgrade and resiliency goals.
Meeting Goals
- Introduce the study and discuss how to get it done.
- Bring together a braintrust to better understand the gaps being seen and the gaps that need to be addressed.
- Discuss the feasibility of doing both a fast-tracked survey and longitudinal study of utility workforce culture focused on personal experiences across the lifecycle of recruitment, training, advancement and retention.
- Create a committee to baseline a study design framework, strategic partnerships, diagnostic tools, and other needs.
Takeaways
- Become familiar with the WaterRising Institute team and the WaterWomen Project.
- Create a network approach within the water industry to drive gender parity policy and outcomes.
- Create a steering committee to design and develop the study.
Invited Guests & Core Research Team
The preliminary core research team includes WaterRising Institute, SUEZ, HDR, World Environment Federation, American Water Works Association, and World Bank Water.
- Alicia Douglas
Founder/CEO – WaterRising Institute - Sarah Keener
Senior Social Development Specialist – World Bank - Radhika Fox
Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Kishia L. Powell
Chief Operating Officer & Executive Vice President – DC Water - Yvonne Williams Forrest
Director – Houston Water – City of Houston - Ghassan Korban
Executive Director – Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans - Julie Ciardullo – Senior Policy Advisor, Office of the C40 Chair –City of Los Angeles
- Lila Thompson
Chief Executive – British Water - Hardeep Anand
Director, One Water Strategy – Miami-Dade County - Walt Marlowe
Executive Director – Water Environment Federation - Rebecca Wheeler
Senior Manager, International – American Water Works Association
- Jennifer Steffens
Director of Strategy and Marketing – SUEZ - Lylian Coelho
Development Director, AgroParisTech, SUEZ “Water For All” Chair – SUEZ - Maya Sathyanadhan
Program Manager, Reservoir Center for Water Solutions – Xylem - Christa Campbell
Director, Water Industry Solutions – Esri - Victoria Johnson
Global Equity Director – HDR Engineering - Susan Donnally
East Region Condition Assessment Business Class Lead – HDR - Sharon Peters
President & CEO – EMA, Inc. - Diana Jones Ritter
Founder, The Jones Ritter Group – Former NYC DEP Chief Strategy Officer, Deputy Commissioner, Org Dev and HR - Siyka Radilova
Senior Project Officer, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion – International Water Association - Xanani Baloyi
Programme Officer & Gender Equality Focal Point – Stockholm International Water Institute
Agenda
| 8:30am-9:00am | Arrivals |
| 9:00am-9:10am (10 min) | Welcome Remarks (Alicia Douglas) |
| 9:10am-9:20am (10 min) | Introductions |
| 9:20am-9:30am (10 min) | WaterWoman Overview (Alicia Douglas) |
| 9:30am-9:50am (20 min) | World Bank Water and Equal Aqua (Kamila Galeza, Sarah Keener) |
| 9:50am-10:20am (30 min) | Questions (Jennifer Steffens) Identify gender, share experiences including steps for overcoming obstacles to reach current position |
| 10:20am-10:30am (10 min) | Break |
| 10:30am-12:00pm (1hr 30min) | Discussion (Sivan Schlecter) What does your water sector organization need? (talent, JEDI, gender parity?) What does WaterWomen Project need? (strategic partnerships, funding, others resources) |
| 12:00pm-12:10pm (10 min) | Closing Remarks (Alicia Douglas) |
| 12:10pm- | Off-Site Lunch (for those who can join) |
Contact Information
- Alicia Douglas: +1 734-231-7172 (also available on WhatsApp or iMessage)
- Sivan Schlecter: +1 917-972-6346 (also available on WhatsApp or iMessage)
- Andrew Marconi: +1 917-806-0759 (also available on WhatsApp or SMS)
- Walt Marlowe: +1 571-882-3555 (for issues at meeting location, 601 Wythe Street, Alexandria, VA 22314)
Prep Materials
- WaterWoman Project Explainer and United Nations 2023 Water Conference Trailer
- White House Gender Equity and Equality policy guidance
- U.S. EPA Water Sector Workforce Initiative, Grant Program and Case Studies
- US Water Alliance water equity work and resources
- Private Sector’s Role in Partnering with Water Utilities to Advance Environmental Justice (Private Sector Leaders Alliance, NACWA, 2022)
- Renewing the Water Workforce: Improving Water Infrastructure and Creating a Pipeline to Opportunity (Brookings, 2018)
- Women in Water Utilities: Breaking Barriers (World Bank Water, 2019) and Equal Aqua (World Bank Water ongoing work)
- UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP), Gender Responsive Water Management Toolkit for Closing the Data Gap (Water and Gender Team, 2019):
- Diversity at American Water website and dashboard
- American Water Works Association Diversity Centerpm
Opportunity
WaterWoman Project Study
WaterWoman Project is an emergency response to the water workforce crisis. WaterWoman Project is launching a research and technology training initiative to address gender parity as we rebuild our water workforce and water management makes the digital transition. We will survey water utilities and industry on gender-inclusive experience in the United States, United Kingdom and Europe. From data and learnings, WaterWoman Project will iterate a utility pilot program with technology trials that promote more equitable, just and diverse recruitment, training, advancement, and retention opportunities.
Objective
To accelerate the development of a diverse water workforce with a focus on gender inclusion to address the anticipated 53% reduction in the U.S. workforce in the next 5 years (Brookings).
Strategy
We will fill the workforce gap with priority diversity hires and fill the information gap to address the loss of institutional knowledge by implementing smart water solutions. We will focus on providing equal access to opportunity regardless of gender identity, race, age, experience, and/or ability.
Jumpstarting the Study and On-the-Job Technology Training Pilot
With time of the essence, we will implement a voluntary fast-track study and on-the-job training pilot in partnership with public utilities and their technology providers in the United States. Our private sector partners will identify a need and then implement a solution to further the utility’s recruitment goals and digital transition.
From these learnings, we will identify smart water solutions for building on-the-job training programs for new and returning hires from within local communities nationwide.
By doing so, we will answer EPA’s call to collaborate on accelerating a just, equitable, diverse and sustainable workforce from within the communities our water sector serves, while addressing economic development, infrastructure upgrade and resiliency goals.
Meeting Goals
- Introduce the study and discuss how to get it done.
- Bring together a braintrust to better understand the gaps being seen and the gaps that need to be addressed.
- Discuss the feasibility of doing both a fast-tracked survey and longitudinal study of utility workforce culture focused on personal experiences across the lifecycle of recruitment, training, advancement and retention.
- Create a committee to baseline a study design framework, strategic partnerships, diagnostic tools, and other needs.
Takeaways
- Become familiar with the WaterRising Institute team and the WaterWomen Project.
- Create a network approach within the water industry to drive gender parity policy and outcomes.
- Create a steering committee to design and develop the study.
Invited Guests & Core Research Team
The preliminary core research team includes WaterRising Institute, SUEZ, HDR, World Environment Federation, American Water Works Association, and World Bank Water.
- Alicia Douglas
Founder/CEO – WaterRising Institute - Sarah Keener
Senior Social Development Specialist – World Bank - Radhika Fox
Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Kishia L. Powell
Chief Operating Officer & Executive Vice President – DC Water - Yvonne Williams Forrest
Director – Houston Water – City of Houston - Ghassan Korban
Executive Director – Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans - Julie Ciardullo – Senior Policy Advisor, Office of the C40 Chair –City of Los Angeles
- Lila Thompson
Chief Executive – British Water - Hardeep Anand
Director, One Water Strategy – Miami-Dade County - Walt Marlowe
Executive Director – Water Environment Federation - Rebecca Wheeler
Senior Manager, International – American Water Works Association
- Jennifer Steffens
Director of Strategy and Marketing – SUEZ - Lylian Coelho
Development Director, AgroParisTech, SUEZ “Water For All” Chair – SUEZ - Maya Sathyanadhan
Program Manager, Reservoir Center for Water Solutions – Xylem - Christa Campbell
Director, Water Industry Solutions – Esri - Victoria Johnson
Global Equity Director – HDR Engineering - Susan Donnally
East Region Condition Assessment Business Class Lead – HDR - Sharon Peters
President & CEO – EMA, Inc. - Diana Jones Ritter
Founder, The Jones Ritter Group – Former NYC DEP Chief Strategy Officer, Deputy Commissioner, Org Dev and HR - Siyka Radilova
Senior Project Officer, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion – International Water Association - Xanani Baloyi
Programme Officer & Gender Equality Focal Point – Stockholm International Water Institute
Agenda
| Time | Description | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
|
Content |
Content |
Content |
Agenda
| 9:00am | Welcome Remarks (Alicia Douglas) – 10m |
| 9:10am-9:20am | Introductions – 10m |
| 9:20am-9:30am | WaterWoman Update (Alicia Douglas) – 10m |
| 9:30am-9:50am | World Bank Water and Equal Aqua (Kamila Galeza, Sarah Keener) – 20m |
| 9:50am-10:20am | Questions (Jennifer Steffens) – 30m Identify gender, share experiences including steps for overcoming obstacles to reach current position |
| 10:15am-11:55am | Discussion (Sivan Schlecter) What does your water sector organization need? (talent, JEDI, gender parity?) What does WaterWomen Project need? (strategic partnerships, funding, others resources) |
| 12:00pm-12:10pm | Closing Remarks (Alicia Douglas) |
| 12:15pm-2:00pm | Off-Site Lunch (for those who can join) |
Contact Information
- Alicia Douglas: +1 734-231-7172 (also available on WhatsApp or iMessage)
- Sivan Schlecter: +1 917-972-6346 (also available on WhatsApp or iMessage)
- Andrew Marconi: +1 917-806-0759 (also available on WhatsApp or SMS)
- Walt Marlowe: +1 571-882-3555 (for issues at meeting location, 601 Wythe Street, Alexandria, VA 22314)
Prep Materials
- WaterWoman Project Explainer and United Nations 2023 Water Conference Trailer
- White House Gender Equity and Equality policy guidance
- U.S. EPA Water Sector Workforce Initiative (paper, grant program and case studies)
- US Water Alliance water equity work and resources
- Private Sector’s Role in Partnering with Water Utilities to Advance Environmental Justice (Private Sector Leaders Alliance, NACWA, 2022)
- Renewing the Water Workforce: Improving Water Infrastructure and Creating a Pipeline to Opportunity (Brookings, 2018)
- Women in Water Utilities: Breaking Barriers (World Bank Water, 2019) and Equal Aqua (World Bank Water ongoing work)
- UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP), Gender Responsive Water Management Toolkit for Closing the Data Gap (Water and Gender Team, 2019):
- Diversity at American Water website and dashboard
- American Water Works Association Diversity Center
- EPA’s January 2021 RFA for Innovative Water Infrastructure Workforce Development Program
- “Making Water a Career of Choice: A Compendium of Water Workforce Case Studies from Across the Country” (January 2021), published in partnership with EPA, WEF, NACWA, AWWA, WRF, WaterReuse, and others
- UPenn’s The Water Center in Philadelphia, PA 2020 paper in wH2O: Journal of Gender and Water, “Renewing the Water Workforce: Improving Water Infrastructure and Creating a Pipeline to Opportunity.
