The Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District (EVMWD) Advancing Women in Water and Wastewater Leadership Academy has been awarded a $150,000 grant by the California Water, Wastewater, and Energy Workforce Development Program, funded by the California Municipal Utilities Association (CMUA).
This funding will bolster EVMWD’s efforts to enhance the professional development and leadership skills of women in the water and wastewater industries.
“This funding is a monumental step in empowering women within our industry,” said Rebecca Christopher, Director of Human Resources and the program facilitator at EVMWD, in a press release. “This leadership academy is uniquely designed to provide the essential tools and training for women to advance their careers and step into leadership roles. The increased grant amount underscores the potential and impact of our program, and we are excited to continue our mission of fostering diversity and excellence in these critical sectors.”
The first cohort for the Advancing Women in Water and Wastewater Leadership Academy will be identified by August 30, with a kickoff meeting scheduled for September 3. This marks the beginning of a comprehensive training program designed to support women at various stages of their careers in the water and wastewater industries.
The grant application, authored by an all-women team at EVMWD—Serena Johns, Grant Program Administrator; Erin Sasse, Government Relations Officer; Sylvia Ornelas, Community Affairs Supervisor; and Rebecca Christopher, Director of Human Resources—received overwhelming support, including pivotal endorsements from Darcy Burke, Board Director, Division 1; Christina Henry, Director of Community Relations; and Kim Cousins, President/CEO of the Lake Elsinore Chamber of Commerce. Rated number one out of all applications, the program’s innovative and impactful approach convinced the awarding agency to increase the grant to $150,000, highlighting the academy’s unique potential to serve a disadvantaged community and set new standards in the industry.
The leadership training grant supports:
- Improving access to career ladder pathways.
- Enhancing job-related skills needed for advancement.
- Eliminating structural barriers to executive leadership opportunities for women in the water and wastewater industry.
EVMWD’s Advancing Women in Water and Wastewater Leadership Academy stands out as the first of its kind, offering a creative and unprecedented approach to leadership training in the water and wastewater sectors.
It joins three other distinguished programs in receiving this competitive grant, including the CA-NV American Water Works Association’s Advanced Water Utility Management Leadership Program (AWUML), the Water Education for Latino Leaders’ Educate to Lead (E2L) initiative and the Leading with Courage Network’s Next Level Leadership Program.
These leadership training grants, totaling $500,000, are part of the broader California Water, Wastewater, and Energy Workforce Development Program, launched in 2023 by the California Municipal Utilities Association (CMUA) in partnership with the California African American Water Education Foundation, Jewish Vocational Service and Water Education for Latino Leaders.
The $4 million program is funded through a grant from the California Workforce Development Board’s High Road Training Partnership Program.
