Latest / Make Water Work Podcast / Melissa Meeker: Accelerating Water Innovation and Workforce Development | Make Water Work 023

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Melissa Meeker: Accelerating Water Innovation and Workforce Development | Make Water Work 023 · Make Water Work Podcast

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  we are looking at a you know 30 40% of
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  uh the water workforce which is at or
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  near retirement. Now they may stay
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  longer because of the economy or
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  whatever reasons uh might be driving
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  them but it's but it's a real issue and
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  I think as an industry our biggest issue
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  is that people don't think about water.
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  They don't have to think about water.
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  They turn on the tap, they flush the
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  toilet there, you know, there's stuff
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  that happens but they don't have to
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  think about it. So they don't even think
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  about careers being in that space.
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  Welcome to the Make Water Work podcast,
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  where we dive into the people, ideas,
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  and innovation shaping the future of
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  water. I'm your host, Isaac Pellerin,
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  and alongside my co-host, Megan Glover,
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  the founder of 120 Water, we bring you
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  insights from hundreds of incredible
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  conversations we've had over the past 9
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  years with inspiring and energizing
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  leaders in the water industry. Each
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  week, we share those stories and
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  conversations with entrepreneurs,
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  community champions, and innovators who
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  are making water work for everyone.
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  Whether you're a water professional, a
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  curious innovator, or simply passionate
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  about our most precious resource, this
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  podcast is for you. Let's get started.
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  All right. Welcome to the Make Water
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  Work podcast. um where we love
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  celebrating the um entrepreneurs and the
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  innovators and the people who are
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  creating the ecosystem that make water
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  work. Um Megan, this is such a great
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  episode that we have. We have Melissa
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  Mer and I would love for you to um kind
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  of tee this up. Tell us uh what was one
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  of the first memories you have of
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  Melissa. Yeah. So Melissa um is CEO of
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  the Water Tower and um I I have this
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  memory of meeting you in person and I
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  think Melissa, you're you're kind of a
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  celebrity in water and handing you the
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  very first bow sticker I ever delivered
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  in person. I think
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  >> fact check me on that. that I remember
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  and because I remember it was so
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  important. I took a picture of you and I
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  have that actually still today flagged
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  in kind of my 120 water archive of of
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  memories that um that I I want to
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  >> reflect back on. So, welcome to the
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  podcast.
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  >> Thank you so much. I'm actually if I
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  could show you the cover of my laptop,
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  you'd see that sticker.
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  >> Yes. Yes.
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  >> But I can't because I'm looking at my
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  >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, yes. OG Bow. And I
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  and I remember that time because the
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  water tower hadn't yet like it was still
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  being developed.
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  >> Oh yeah.
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  >> And I was in awe. I was like, "Tell me
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  all about this." And then I had the
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  incredible opportunity about a year ago
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  to actually spend some time at the water
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  tower. And I'm telling you, I I can't
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  wait to dive in and have you explain,
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  Melissa, how special this place is uh
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  for not only the water community, but um
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  you know, your local community as well.
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  Absolutely.
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  >> So, welcome to the podcast.
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  >> Yeah.
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  >> Thank you.
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  >> Um, so we like to kick off with a story
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  that we ask all of our guests. Um,
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  because everyone in water has a story.
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  How did water find you?
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  >> Oh, and it did. Um, I was uh this is I
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  go way back in water. I know some people
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  are like, "Oh, it just found me, you
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  know, a couple years ago." No, I go back
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  as old as I am. Um my I was raised by a
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  single mom and um that was the only
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  thing we could afford to do is to go to
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  the beach and walk the beach. So we
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  spent hours and hours and even even now
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  today we'll go and if we can plan a
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  vacation around the beach and walk the
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  beach that's that's what we love to do.
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  So water's always been a a place of
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  peace and uh connection with mom and she
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  lives with me now. So, um, we probably
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  have a little more connection than we
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  really want, but you know, it's all
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  good. But yeah, water. And ever since
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  then, I wanted to be a marine biologist.
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  See my
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  >> um,
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  >> yeah, it's just always been part of what
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  I wanted to do.
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  >> Do you have a favorite beach? Favorite
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  beach that you like to revisit?
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  >> Well, I was born and raised in Tampa.
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  Um, and then we lived, so I was on that
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  coast of Florida for 20 some odd years
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  and then moved to the east coast of
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  Florida. And I'll tell you, West Coast
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  beaches are so much better, but I won't
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  name one.
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  >> Yes. West Coast Florida.
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  >> West Coast Florida. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yeah.
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  So, um, for those that may not be
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  familiar with the water tower, can you,
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  um, explain what it is, um, uh, to maybe
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  the newbies who aren't familiar with
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  what what the water tower is?
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  >> Sure. Absolutely. So, the water tower um
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  is a physical space. It's a nonprofit,
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  but we have a fantastic campus. Um, it's
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  a water innovation center. So I think um
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  it was started really to focus on
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  innovative technologies and exposing the
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  industry to those innovative
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  technologies. We've as we've grown up I
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  mean we're only the the nonprofit was
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  established in 2019. The building didn't
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  open until 2022.
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  >> So not that old at all.
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  >> Yeah. Um, and things have, you know,
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  progressed as we've gone along and we've
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  shifted course a little bit, but for the
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  most part, um, I think we're we're
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  meeting our our original vision and
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  dream. Um, some pieces have just risen
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  to the top.
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  >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And to double click on
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  that, I think um, you know, we talk a
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  lot about with regards to innovation and
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  water, the pace and the pace being so
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  slow. And one of the things I really
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  admired about the water tower being
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  there is I it is a place that can help
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  innovation move faster. That that was
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  one of my just the the type of programs
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  and I know we're going to get into it
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  and then the work that you're doing
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  there I think really is going to have a
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  tangible impact and being able to bring
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  innovation and commercialization and
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  research faster um in the market. Are
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  you are you seeing that or and or how is
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  that playing in kind of your vision,
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  Melissa? Yeah, I mean again I think
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  that's that was part of the original um
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  desire was to help that happen. Um and
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  we're doing that in some pretty unique
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  ways. Of course we have a living
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  laboratory where people can come and
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  demonstrate their treatment technologies
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  or their um uh technologies that are
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  based off uh data and those kinds of
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  things. We have an actual control room
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  that shows um visualizations of of data
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  in different ways. Um and uh we couple
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  that with uh programming throughout the
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  year that brings in utilities really
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  from around the world um to to get
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  firsthand view of that. They may come
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  here for another reason, but they're
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  immediately immersed in a campus that's
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  just highlighting innovation across it.
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  So, um I think I think that exposure um
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  where somebody doesn't have to go to
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  every utility because there's so many.
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  Um if we can if we're pulling in, you
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  know, 300 utility workers for an event
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  and they're able to hit utilities from
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  across the country really quickly,
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  >> we've heard some really good um followup
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  and feedback and actual, you know,
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  projects being done based on people that
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  met here on the campus.
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  >> Yeah. Yeah. And on like real life data.
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  So the control room you keep me honest
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  but I mean it is a exact replica of the
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  SCADA system for Gwynette County. Is
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  that correct? So you're actually playing
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  with
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  >> so it's actually it's actually their
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  system.
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  >> It's actually their system.
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  >> Yeah it is. We have a view only piece.
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  Um and then when a technology comes to
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  us and they say we really would like to
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  do a process optimment uh process
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  optimization on um this part of a
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  treatment plant. We're able to go to our
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  utility partners which again go across
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  the country and ask them for data live
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  data over a certain amount of time for
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  that process unit. We take out where it
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  is and you know take out all the
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  location data but then we can share
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  that. So they are um fine-tuning their
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  technologies if you will on real data
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  which is very important.
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  >> Yeah. Yeah.
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  >> AI could do a lot of things but
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  >> it needs a real data data source to
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  actually um you know learn from.
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  >> Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. So many of the
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  things that people create
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  >> um are initial they have an initial
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  hypothesis about how it's going to work
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  but being able to actually test it and
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  say hey here's some real world
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  application um of it. Um so much of the
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  barrier at least that we see with the
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  adoption of technology
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  um or innovation is just derisking that.
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  >> Oh, absolutely. And so I think that's a
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  lot of that's a lot of what you end up
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  bringing is um helping those
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  entrepreneurs and those innovators um
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  find a path to derisking a a decision to
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  invest in innovation.
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  >> Yep. Absolutely.
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  >> Yeah. No, it's it's pretty remarkable.
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  It's pretty remarkable uh you know
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  space. Have you been there? I would just
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  >> I I have not had the privilege of of
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  going there. I would love to make a case
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  that that we hold some sort of a
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  >> Yes.
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  >> I'm saying now for when our when our CEO
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  listens to this, but we should hold a
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  company event
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  >> at the water tower.
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  >> Awesome. I think that would that would
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  be a great way to connect um our team of
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  80 plus folks here at 120 water. um not
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  everyone gets exposure at conferences or
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  in the in the field where not not
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  everyone works directly
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  um with water and so what better way to
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  get exposure. So
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  >> yeah. Oh I love this saying here now
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  >> Casey if you're listening to this uh Q1
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  offsite here we go
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  >> when you listen to it
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  >> when you listen to this you listen to
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  this. So, uh,
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  >> and you know, actually, if I could just
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  comment on that, I mean, that is
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  probably the the largest, uh, or the the
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  type of event that we host the most is,
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  >> you know, people flying their reps in
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  that are are spread across the country
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  and flying them to this one location.
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  You can go and meet at a hotel, but it's
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  not as cool as this place is.
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  >> Yeah.
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  >> No, it's Yeah. And and the grounds are
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  just gorgeous as well. I mean,
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  >> yes, absolutely. Uh, so can you I I
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  didn't expect to like talk about this,
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  but I think the interesting I think
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  maybe folks might find the interest the
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  partnership between the county and the
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  water tower interesting. What is that?
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  What is that like?
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  >> A very tight relationship with the
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  county. Um, the county actually hired
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  me, brought me down here to do this and
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  they had an idea and I, after being here
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  for a little while and listening to what
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  they wanted to accomplish, turned it
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  back on them and said, "If you really
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  want this to succeed, it needs to be a
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  nonprofit." Um, and these are the
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  resources that we kind of need to make
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  that work so that eventually the
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  nonprofit is self- sustaining. Um, but
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  we are on county property. The county
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  built the building. Um, if you look out
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  the window, you'll see the F Wayne Hill
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  Water Resources Center, which is an
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  amazing treatment facility um that
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  practices um portable reuse. Goes back
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  to the lake. We pull out of the lake to
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  drink and then goes back to the lake
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  after it's very highly treated. Um, but
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  our relationship with the county is is
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  tight for sure. Um, so that's uh it's
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  it's just a really cool part. They've
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  given us the ability to market um about
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  200 acres. Um and really what that gets
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  down to when you take out preserve lands
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  and creeks and things like that is 310
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  to 12 acre parcels. We're we're trying
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  to get a manufacturer all water related
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  businesses to move onto our campus to be
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  to be part of that campus. We're doing
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  workforce stuff. We're doing some really
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  cool things. So you have that workforce
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  pipeline here. We already have on the
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  second and third floor of this building
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  private tenants. So, we've got uh I
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  think it's seven engineering and
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  consulting firms that are located right
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  here. Um and they they hire our interns.
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  It's a it's they hire people out of the
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  lab. It's it's very very cool. It's a
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  very cool environment.
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  >> Yeah,
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  >> I love that for so many reasons. Um, the
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  one that sticks out to me is that um,
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  water is so place-based and so when the
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  local water utility can take advantage
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  of telling their own story in that
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  place, um, it's just that reminder. I
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  feel like every technology that we
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  create abstracts everything to like how
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  is this relevant to everyone? But we
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  need to we need to remember that water
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  doesn't erase place. And when we think
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  about the place that exists, it creates
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  the economy that we um have and um what
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  an incredible relationship to have with
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  um that's a very uh forwardthinking and
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  innovative structure for that um for
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  that county.
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  >> Absolutely. Absolutely.
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  >> I always love it on this podcast and in
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  general when we can connect water to
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  being an economic development driver.
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  Mhm.
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  >> It just, you know, so I think this is
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  such a good example of good, you know.
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  So,
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  >> absolutely at its core. I mean, I open
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  every speech with that. There's not a
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  thing, including us, in this room,
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  >> you know, that that didn't need water to
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  get here. So,
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  >> yeah. So, so you touched on it a bit. I
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  want to kind of double click on on some
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  of your expertise around workforce
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  development because it is such a um
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  issue facing the water sector. We hear a
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  lot about the the gray tsunami. So folks
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  leaving the sector and not enough um
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  folks in the pipeline to not only
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  replace those jobs but also achieve get
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  the skills that they need to replace
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  those jobs. So you know Melissa in your
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  words you know how um
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  what is your outlook on workforce uh in
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  this sector and why is it so important?
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  Um you said expertise. I don't know if
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  it's a expertise or just a passion. Um
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  but certainly workforce um when I think
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  back on my career is is really
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  culminated here at the water tower. Um
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  and it and it is a challenge, right? So
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  if you look at um across the industry
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  the the numbers that people use and then
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  they go back to the Brookings Institute
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  report which is kind of old if you think
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  about age- wise what workforce is
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  talking about but we are looking at a
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  you know 30 40% of uh the water
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  workforce which is at or near
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  retirement.
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  >> Um now they may stay longer because of
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  the economy or whatever reasons uh might
• 14:37
  be driving them. Um, but it's but it's a
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  real issue. And I think as an industry,
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  our biggest issue is that people don't
• 14:44
  think about water. They don't have to
• 14:45
  think about water. They turn on the tap,
• 14:47
  they flush the toilet, there, you know,
• 14:48
  there's stuff that happens, but they
• 14:50
  don't have to think about it. Um, so
• 14:51
  they don't even think about careers
• 14:52
  being in that space. So we have an early
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  education problem. Um, not necessarily
• 14:58
  where we focus. Um, the water tower that
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  is. Um, and then you have this sort of
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  okay, I don't want to go to college.
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  What are my other options? So there's a
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  there's an endpoint there that we can
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  really target. Um or I want to go to
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  college and you know what are my options
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  in engineering? Well, this is a great
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  option for that. Um and then there's
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  people who are transitioning, right? Um
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  after co we saw a number of women who
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  stayed home and now they're looking at
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  you know I was in retail or I was in um
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  service industry. Is there something
• 15:30
  else I can do with my time that maybe
• 15:33
  maybe a better work life balance? Um so
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  we've we've also looked at that group.
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  Um so I think as we think about um the
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  workforce and where we're drawing people
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  from our traditional ways of thinking
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  about um hiring posting something on
• 15:51
  some platform or on LinkedIn or
• 15:55
  something like that is getting us people
• 15:57
  but not as many as we could get.
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  One of the things that we have really
• 16:02
  focused on is partnering with nonprofits
• 16:06
  in our region and now we've spread that
• 16:09
  under an EPA grant across several states
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  um to be that grassroots group right to
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  help us understand that there are there
• 16:19
  are um 18 to 22 year olds out there who
• 16:24
  are sort of lost in the system. So, they
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  weren't they either fostered out or um
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  you know they're for some reason um
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  they're not on a traditional track. So,
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  how do we get to them? Because they can
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  be phenomenal contributors to society um
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  and they've never really been given a
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  chance. So, when you look at our cohorts
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  and um the people that have graduated
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  from our programs, they're not your
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  traditional people, right?
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  um their firsttime non-violent
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  offenders, their their runaways, their
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  again uh kids that fostered out and
• 17:01
  didn't know what the next step was. Um
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  they're people that were homeschooled
• 17:04
  and weren't necessarily exposed to um
• 17:07
  different career opportunities. So
• 17:08
  that's really where we're targeting. Um
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  it's it's it's amazing. It's amazing to
• 17:14
  have someone walk into a class or finish
• 17:17
  a class and look at you and say, "This
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  changed my life. I never saw myself in a
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  career. And to know now they're going to
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  go and they're going to be incredible
• 17:26
  community servants, right? It's amazing.
• 17:29
  >> Yeah,
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  >> that is so interesting and encouraging.
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  I um served on uh our state, so state of
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  Indiana's uh governor's workforce
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  development council for about four
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  years. And this whole knowledge of
• 17:42
  identifying the lost populations, right,
• 17:45
  the underserved populations and then um
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  exposing them to free or affordable
• 17:50
  apprenticeships is a wonderful model of
• 17:53
  good. But o over my four years, I was
• 17:55
  like, why isn't water represented here?
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  >> I, you know, I'm sitting there and I'm
• 17:59
  representing the technology association,
• 18:00
  not not necessarily water, but I I'm
• 18:02
  looking like there's manufacturing,
• 18:05
  there's healthcare and IT, uh there's,
• 18:08
  you know, pharmaceuticals. Where's
• 18:10
  water? Where's water at this table?
• 18:12
  Because I just it just seems like a
• 18:14
  no-brainer to me, right?
• 18:16
  >> Yeah. Yeah. And we are I mean, at the
• 18:19
  water tower, we're pursuing um both a
• 18:21
  pre-apprentice and apprenticeship
• 18:22
  program, but I push back on that, too.
• 18:25
  Um I love the apprentice model. Uh
• 18:28
  especially if you're looking at um you
• 18:30
  know, a career where there needs to be a
• 18:32
  journey, like a journeyman, electrician,
• 18:35
  plumber, those kinds of things. But in
• 18:37
  the state of Georgia, you can be
• 18:39
  operate. You can be an operator at a
• 18:41
  plant with three months of hands-on
• 18:43
  experience.
• 18:43
  >> That is wonderful.
• 18:45
  >> Pass the exam, take the class, pass
• 18:47
  three months. So, we've designed a
• 18:49
  program that's not 40hour death by
• 18:51
  PowerPoint
• 18:52
  >> because again, the target audience
• 18:55
  didn't like school, right? I don't want
• 18:57
  to go back to class and sit in class and
• 18:59
  try and learn. So, we stretch that over
• 19:01
  four months and get them out in the
• 19:03
  plant each week, each day working in the
• 19:06
  plant while they're learning the
• 19:08
  material in a classroom setting and
• 19:10
  online.
• 19:11
  >> Um, and prepare them to actually run the
• 19:14
  plant, not just pass the exam. So, it's
• 19:16
  a it's a really cool system.
• 19:18
  >> Such a cool And how much was um was that
• 19:21
  always the case with Georgia or did you
• 19:23
  have to change some of the policy
• 19:25
  around?
• 19:27
  No, that's that's always been the case
• 19:28
  with Georgia. And you look at other like
• 19:30
  Florida's one year, you know, each
• 19:32
  state's kind of different. Um, so we've
• 19:34
  been able to work through those systems
• 19:36
  with our utility partners. Um,
• 19:40
  you know, to to meet whatever their
• 19:42
  state requirements are, but I I think
• 19:44
  the the point is that it's not it's it
• 19:47
  we're trying to do it in a
• 19:48
  non-traditional way, targeting
• 19:50
  non-traditional people, teaching them in
• 19:52
  a non-traditional way, hands-on, really.
• 19:54
  Um, you know, I I'm sure Megan, when you
• 19:57
  were here, you saw the the lab out back,
• 19:59
  which is, you know, hands-on station, so
• 20:01
  they can take a pump apart, they can put
• 20:03
  it back together, they can, you know,
• 20:04
  see how these things work, um, and
• 20:07
  understand them. And then again, the
• 20:08
  live experience at the plant, which is,
• 20:11
  um, you know, can't beat it.
• 20:13
  >> And that addresses so much the the
• 20:15
  learning. We we need different models of
• 20:19
  teaching and learning that are both
• 20:21
  >> very much
• 20:21
  >> hands-on, experiential. Um and that's
• 20:25
  yeah that's incredible.
• 20:27
  >> Yeah. And on that teaching piece um a
• 20:30
  cool thing that's come out of our EPA
• 20:32
  workforce grant um is a train the
• 20:35
  trainer program. So building off our
• 20:38
  model which is more hands-on
• 20:41
  um and understanding that the audience
• 20:44
  from what we taught 20 years ago is
• 20:46
  different perhaps. Um what kinds of
• 20:49
  things how can we teach better? how can
• 20:52
  we listen better and how can we make
• 20:54
  sure that they're getting um the lessons
• 20:56
  that we need them to learn, right? Um so
• 20:59
  we're going through that process right
• 21:00
  now and we're working with the WPI which
• 21:03
  sets all the state exams for
• 21:05
  certifications.
• 21:06
  >> Okay. Yep.
• 21:06
  >> Um yeah, so it's a it'll be a very
• 21:09
  formal program um that we're really
• 21:11
  excited to to kick off and lead.
• 21:14
  >> Yeah, that is incredible. And and for
• 21:16
  those that may not be um uh familiar
• 21:20
  with the process to become an operator,
• 21:23
  that certification, I mean, can you talk
• 21:25
  a bit about, you know, some of the
• 21:27
  non-traditional things that you're doing
• 21:29
  compared to like how it is how it's been
• 21:32
  traditionally? just a
• 21:34
  >> Yeah. I mean, typically someone will
• 21:36
  will go and work for a utility and
• 21:38
  they'll come in at, you know, an entry-
• 21:40
  level position and then they'll have a
• 21:43
  certain amount of time to that the
• 21:45
  utility allows them to learn on the job,
• 21:49
  take a class, and get the certification
• 21:51
  exam. So, you're coming in at a lower
• 21:53
  level because you don't have that
• 21:54
  certification yet. Um, and um, again,
• 21:58
  you got to know about the job. So, by us
• 22:01
  pushing it out the way we do, they know
• 22:03
  about the job and they're coming here to
• 22:04
  get that training. Um, and then over
• 22:07
  time, as you get more work experience,
• 22:09
  you can go for the next certification
• 22:11
  level and on and on and on. So, there's
• 22:13
  like usually three to four certification
• 22:15
  levels depending on which state you're
• 22:16
  in. Um, so again, we're trying to get
• 22:18
  them all of that beforehand. So, we're
• 22:21
  targeting high school seniors so that
• 22:23
  when they graduate, they can sit for
• 22:25
  their certification exam. they will have
• 22:27
  had their hands-on experience over that
• 22:29
  eight months. Um because we get them,
• 22:31
  you know, half half a day every day
• 22:33
  during the week. So, we can get them
• 22:34
  that experience they need. Um and then
• 22:37
  say for the exam, they can go in at 18
• 22:41
  making, you know, $45 $50,000 a year
• 22:44
  more with overtime. Um which is amazing.
• 22:48
  Yeah. You think about it. Yeah. They
• 22:50
  don't have to go to college and have a
• 22:51
  debt following them around. They can
• 22:53
  actually do this. And the great thing,
• 22:55
  which I pitch all the time, someone
• 22:56
  says, "Oh, well, I'm going to go to
• 22:57
  college." I'm like, "But if you get in
• 22:59
  the utility, they'll pay for you to go
• 23:01
  and get your degree."
• 23:02
  >> Yes.
• 23:03
  >> So, you don't have to get that, you
• 23:05
  know, it's it's just a unique way to
• 23:07
  think about it.
• 23:08
  >> Yeah.
• 23:08
  >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I And just I mean,
• 23:11
  again, it's such a it's such a wonderful
• 23:13
  industry to be a part of and we have a
• 23:15
  marketing problem because people don't
• 23:17
  know how wonderful the industry we talk
• 23:19
  to Kelly Darian Smith about this all the
• 23:21
  time. It's just we we don't tell our
• 23:23
  story enough um to make people know that
• 23:26
  this is an industry, you know, just like
• 23:28
  any others, right? Worth joining and and
• 23:30
  you can actually build an incredible
• 23:32
  life working in water, you know.
• 23:34
  >> Absolutely.
• 23:35
  >> So, Melissa, are there any um specific
• 23:38
  stories like success stories that you'd
• 23:40
  like to share like highlight either
• 23:42
  individuals that have joined the program
• 23:44
  and how that's changed their life or a
• 23:46
  particular program that that's been
• 23:48
  really impactful for you? Uh we had a
• 23:51
  student who joined us over the summer um
• 23:56
  a trainee. He's not a student. Um and
• 23:59
  when he joined the program, you know, in
• 24:02
  order to sit for your certification
• 24:03
  exam, no matter where you are, you have
• 24:04
  to have your GED or high school degree.
• 24:06
  >> Okay.
• 24:07
  >> Um and um frankly, I thought I think he
• 24:10
  thought he had his high school diploma.
• 24:13
  Um but as we got halfway through the
• 24:16
  summer, we realized that he he didn't.
• 24:19
  He had a certificate of completion.
• 24:22
  Um, so I mean I I helped him get his
• 24:27
  Georgia GED and by the time he and he
• 24:30
  didn't have a driver's license, so by
• 24:31
  the time he left here, he had everything
• 24:33
  he needed, including the operator course
• 24:38
  to start and go where he needed to go.
• 24:40
  And he's he's just like I mean, this is
• 24:42
  a a kid that's,
• 24:44
  >> you know, he felt he was beaten down and
• 24:46
  didn't know what he was going to do. and
• 24:48
  he walked out with his head h high so
• 24:51
  just excited to get back and and get a
• 24:53
  job and get going. Um so yeah, there's
• 24:57
  lots of there's lots of those stories
• 24:59
  actually. It's uh but that one in
• 25:00
  particular I was just like wait what do
• 25:02
  you mean you don't have a diploma? Oh we
• 25:04
  got to get on this because this isn't
• 25:06
  good.
• 25:06
  >> Yeah.
• 25:07
  >> So
• 25:08
  >> yeah that gave me chills.
• 25:09
  >> Yeah. Yeah. And and I I do think that
• 25:12
  that's uh again as we go after these
• 25:14
  non-traditional
• 25:17
  groups,
• 25:19
  Courtney, who's our workforce director,
• 25:22
  um she spends a lot of her time, it's
• 25:24
  not babysitting, it's coaching, it's
• 25:27
  mentoring, it's helping, you know, hey,
• 25:29
  how was class today? Did you did you get
• 25:31
  everything? There's a there's this
• 25:33
  online course that can help reiterate
• 25:34
  that stuff. So, she's constantly working
• 25:37
  with that. She helps them do resumeumés.
• 25:38
  she, you know, helps them do all kinds
• 25:40
  of things. Are you dressed appropriately
• 25:42
  for work? No, you need to go home and
• 25:44
  change. You know, those kinds of things.
• 25:46
  >> So, uh, it's that it's that wraparound
• 25:49
  service that we're trying to provide,
• 25:51
  too, which is hard because we're water
• 25:52
  people. Um, but we also, you know, know
• 25:55
  what it takes to succeed and we want to
• 25:57
  see these see these trainees succeed.
• 25:59
  >> Yeah. Yeah.
• 26:00
  >> Yeah. You're water you're water people,
• 26:02
  but you're also professionals, right?
• 26:03
  and you know um you know the soft skills
• 26:06
  that it takes to you know advance in
• 26:09
  your career. So can we I want to talk a
• 26:12
  little bit about like later stage you
• 26:14
  know career in in water and you know
• 26:17
  what do you see as um you know we're in
• 26:20
  resolve together and so a lot of what we
• 26:22
  talk about I'm kind of going off script
• 26:24
  but I think it's you know important when
• 26:25
  we think about h how do we support
• 26:29
  >> women leaders in water or diversity in
• 26:32
  in water and helping kind of understand
• 26:34
  how um we put more diversity around the
• 26:37
  table in water in your experience?
• 26:40
  Yeah. Um, you know, it's it's
• 26:42
  interesting for me as I, um, as I think
• 26:46
  about this journey that I've had, and I
• 26:49
  am quite a bit older than you, Megan.
• 26:51
  Um, but you know, when I interacted with
• 26:54
  women early in my career, it wasn't
• 26:56
  about camaraderie or supporting each
• 26:59
  other. It was about how do I get this
• 27:01
  woman out of my way because they're only
• 27:04
  going to give one woman an opportunity
• 27:05
  and certainly not going to get two of
• 27:07
  us. and I need this person gone so that
• 27:09
  I get that opportunity. You know, it's a
• 27:10
  very different um
• 27:14
  uh just the way we interacted together.
• 27:16
  Now, as the industry has shifted and
• 27:19
  more women are in the industry, um I
• 27:22
  think we're beginning to realize that we
• 27:24
  really can support each other. Um, and I
• 27:27
  think it's important as women leaders
• 27:29
  that we look behind us and make sure
• 27:32
  that there are not more opportunities
• 27:35
  for women, but equal opportunities. And
• 27:37
  not just women. I think as an industry,
• 27:39
  we've seen
• 27:41
  >> a lack in um,
• 27:44
  uh, black women moving up um, uh, you
• 27:49
  know, other minorities that sort of get
• 27:51
  tapped out at a certain level or you
• 27:53
  don't you just don't see them as much.
• 27:56
  We've seen if you look at the well I'm
• 27:58
  going to get myself in trouble here but
• 28:00
  that's okay. If you look at the
• 28:01
  associations which were run by women
• 28:03
  they're now run by men. Um so we got to
• 28:07
  watch this right because as a as an
• 28:10
  industry we bring different things to
• 28:12
  the table and water has to meet
• 28:15
  everyone's needs not just a certain
• 28:17
  segment or a certain population. So, the
• 28:20
  more diverse people that are talking
• 28:22
  about policy issues and being involved
• 28:24
  in those conversations, the better off
• 28:26
  our communities are going to be.
• 28:28
  >> Yeah. Yeah.
• 28:29
  >> Yeah. Couldn't agree more.
• 28:30
  >> No, I love it. And you're just you're
• 28:32
  just such a I I you're not giving
• 28:34
  yourself enough credit. You are an
• 28:35
  expert at at this subject, at this
• 28:38
  workforce subject. You are the like
• 28:40
  probably the most knowledgeable person I
• 28:42
  I've had the pleasure of interacting
• 28:43
  with. outside of work, you know,
• 28:46
  workforce and and those issues, what do
• 28:48
  you think are the some of the other
• 28:50
  major issues facing the water sector um
• 28:53
  at this point in time?
• 28:55
  >> Well, I mean, we have the issue deour,
• 28:58
  right?
• 28:59
  >> Whatever that may be. Just wait tomorrow
• 29:02
  there'll be another one that we'll be
• 29:03
  trying to figure out. Um, no, I think
• 29:05
  it's uh water affordability, so rates.
• 29:08
  Um I think you've got POS obviously uh
• 29:11
  emerging contaminants um lead service
• 29:14
  lines which you guys know way too much
• 29:16
  about or not way too much but just
• 29:18
  enough um you know what how are we
• 29:20
  dealing with this? These are these are
• 29:22
  major issues that the indust aging
• 29:24
  infrastructure um that the industry is
• 29:26
  dealing with and again what can we do
• 29:29
  collectively to focus on these issues
• 29:32
  and and help solve them. Um, we spent a
• 29:35
  lot of time too with small and medium
• 29:37
  utilities trying to help them have the
• 29:39
  same access to the same cool resources
• 29:42
  that some of the larger ones do. So,
• 29:44
  telling those stories and sharing those
• 29:47
  lessons learned is important. Um,
• 29:50
  there's so many issues, Megan, we this
• 29:52
  is job security.
• 29:53
  >> I know.
• 29:53
  >> Yeah.
• 29:56
  >> Yeah. Exactly. Job security. Yeah,
• 29:58
  that's uh Yeah, but I don't know. I just
• 30:00
  uh I think it's really neat in terms of
• 30:03
  a lot of the programs that you're doing
• 30:04
  and all that you're doing to to
• 30:06
  reimagine how we need to be training
• 30:07
  this next generation and workforce. And
• 30:10
  um I hope uh remind me how many states
• 30:12
  you're you're doing this in at this
• 30:13
  point through this EPA grant.
• 30:17
  >> Five.
• 30:18
  >> How do we make it 50?
• 30:20
  >> How can we make it 50?
• 30:21
  >> Awesome.
• 30:21
  >> Yeah. Like what do you need?
• 30:25
  Uh
• 30:26
  kind.
• 30:30
  >> Oh, I think it's I think every time we
• 30:32
  talk to somebody and they're like, "Oh,
• 30:33
  wow. You're doing that?" I You know, the
• 30:35
  utilities often don't have Look, I am a
• 30:37
  nonprofit and I have to keep the doors
• 30:38
  open. So, there's that.
• 30:40
  >> Yes. Yeah. True.
• 30:41
  >> So, there has to be some resources there
• 30:43
  somewhere. Um but it's really not that
• 30:45
  much in terms of resources.
• 30:46
  >> Yeah. Uh we got um just a if I have two
• 30:49
  seconds uh interesting aside, we did a
• 30:52
  EPA webinar on our programming and the
• 30:56
  certification office at the state of
• 30:58
  Louisiana reached out and said, "Hey,
• 31:00
  you guys are doing some cool stuff. Can
• 31:01
  you send us your curriculum so we can
• 31:03
  take a look?" They took a look. Um they
• 31:06
  said, "Do you mind if we just have some
• 31:09
  people call into your class so that they
• 31:11
  can use it as exam prep?" So we're not
• 31:13
  teaching them per se. They're using it
• 31:15
  to prepare for their exam, which is
• 31:17
  super cool process. So now we have 15 of
• 31:19
  them on our, you know, two day a week
• 31:21
  classes.
• 31:22
  >> It's like it filled up in in less than
• 31:25
  24 hours. There is a need.
• 31:26
  >> There's a absolute need.
• 31:28
  >> Yeah.
• 31:30
  >> Well, let us know how we can help
• 31:32
  because um big fan of the work that
• 31:34
  you're doing for sure, Melissa.
• 31:36
  >> Thank you so much.
• 31:37
  >> Yeah. Yeah. Seriously, thank you for the
• 31:39
  way that you're making not just water
• 31:41
  work, but making it work for um for
• 31:44
  everyone you come in contact with for
• 31:46
  building up the new workforce. It's
• 31:48
  incredible.
• 31:49
  >> Yeah. Yeah. I think this podcast it got
• 31:51
  real like you know the title of it is
• 31:53
  make water work and I I think you've
• 31:55
  given us just some incredible examples
• 31:58
  and and models that uh just you're
• 32:01
  you're making it work, girl.
• 32:03
  >> Yeah.
• 32:03
  >> Thank you so much. Well, you guys are
• 32:05
  doing an amazing job at amplifying
• 32:06
  messaging that needs to get out there,
• 32:08
  so we appreciate that, too.
• 32:09
  >> Um, any anyone else you think we should
• 32:11
  have on the podcast?
• 32:12
  >> Oh, have you talked to Kathy Bailey or
• 32:15
  Nicole Brown?
• 32:16
  >> Kathy, if you're listening, which you're
• 32:17
  probably not, we'd love to have you on
• 32:19
  the podcast.
• 32:22
  >> Awesome.
• 32:23
  >> So, thanks Melissa.
• 32:24
  >> Thank you.
• 32:24
  >> Thank you. Have a great day.
• 32:26
  >> You, too.
• 32:30
  Well, Isaac, I can't think of an episode
• 32:32
  that we've had to date that just is so
• 32:34
  um rooted in making water work. She's
• 32:37
  literally making water work. And I, you
• 32:40
  know, I know Melissa um was aware of
• 32:43
  some of the stuff she was doing in
• 32:44
  workforce development, but to hear how
• 32:46
  they are approaching it in such a novel,
• 32:49
  innovative way is just so refreshing.
• 32:51
  And I'm I'm I'm genuinely serious. How
• 32:53
  do we turn that from five states to 50?
• 32:56
  because I think it's such an important
• 32:57
  programming uh it's such an important
• 32:59
  program that's delivering the results
• 33:01
  that we need.
• 33:02
  >> Yeah. How do we replicate that model?
• 33:04
  Because we talk a lot about the
• 33:06
  importance of accelerators in the
• 33:08
  industry helping entrepreneurs scale
• 33:09
  their businesses, but she's creating an
• 33:12
  accelerator for workforce development.
• 33:14
  And so, how do we
• 33:15
  >> um how do we get programs that actually
• 33:19
  connect the next generation in ways that
• 33:22
  keep them engaged and have opportunity
• 33:24
  for them? Um and just um
• 33:28
  >> um yeah, so so incredibly excited that
• 33:30
  she was able to make it um and be our
• 33:33
  guest.
• 33:33
  >> Yeah.
• 33:35
  >> And thank you so much to all of you for
• 33:38
  listening to the Make Waterwork podcast.
• 33:40
  Um we have so much fun uh doing this and
• 33:42
  we um love that you tune in and so
• 33:45
  please like, share, follow and let us
• 33:49
  know who else you would like to hear
• 33:50
  from who makes waterwork.
• 33:53
  Thanks for listening to the Make Water
• 33:55
  Work podcast. If you enjoyed today's
• 33:57
  episode, please take a moment to like,
• 34:00
  share, and subscribe so you never miss a
• 34:02
  conversation. We'd love to hear your
• 34:04
  thoughts and questions. Connect with us
• 34:06
  on LinkedIn or send us a message.
• 34:09
  Together, we can make water work for
• 34:11
  everyone.