April 10, 2024

Media Inquiries: Colin McDonald, Senior Policy Analyst, colin@texaswater.org

Austin, Texas It has never been harder, or more important, to be a water leader in Texas. Between aging infrastructure, fragile ecosystems, staggering supply and demand projections, and increasing workforce challenges, leaders today have to be more than subject matter experts. They have to be able to navigate conflict, be confident public speakers, sophisticated policy actors, and perhaps most importantly, have networks of trust across water’s various sectors.

To help address that need, Texas Water Foundation created the Texas Water Leaders program in 2020, the first statewide leadership program for rising leaders across the water sector. Today, we are proud to announce our fifth class and the addition of our 100th transformative leader to the Texas Water Leaders’ network.

Texas Water Leaders is an exclusive annual cohort-based leadership program that provides water professionals with tools, training, and opportunities to become transformative leaders. As we celebrate our 100th transformative leader, we look forward to sharing announcements about new alumni opportunities and how Texas Water Foundation will continue to invest in the next generation of water champions.

We invite you to meet the 2024 Texas Water Leaders class:

Adam Conner, Freese and Nichols, Inc .

Adam Foster, Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts

Bobby Salehi, Graves Dougherty Hearon & Moody

Christina Lopez, The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment and Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at Texas State University

Corey Jones, Northern Trinity GCD

Edward Guzman, San Antonio Water System

Jenna Rao, Texas Water Development Board

Jeremiah Bihl, City of Abilene

Kellen McMurry, Texas Water Development Board

Kevin Wessels, H. E. Butt Foundation

Lauren Willis, Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority