DURHAM, N.C. – Eighteen emerging leaders from water and wastewater utilities across the United States have been selected as 2024-2025 Fellows of Duke University’s Water Innovation Leadership Development (WILD) Environment+ program.

Water professionals accepted into the 8-month program are introduced to new approaches and strategies for dealing with some of the most pressing issues facing the water services sector today, from funding shortfalls and aging infrastructure to climate impacts and uncertain population trends.

Over the course of the year, Fellows will take part in five online sessions and two three-day workshops on Duke’s campus in Durham, N.C.

These online sessions and in-person workshops will be facilitated by industry experts and leading researchers, with an emphasis on strengthening leadership development for all fellows. There will also be a significant emphasis on peer-to-peer learning, says Dr. Martin Doyle, Professor of River Systems Science and Policy at Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment, who serves as faculty lead for WILD.

“The idea is to help emerging leaders build a network of peers they can brainstorm with and seek advice from, even long after the program ends,” Doyle said.

Fellows represent a wide range of utility sizes, from those serving communities as small as a few thousand people to utilities serving several million.

Annual enrollment in the program is limited to between 15 to 20 Fellows to optimize the learning environment.

Thanks to generous support from program funders, tuition, travel and lodging costs, valued at about $15,000, are covered for each Fellow.

The newly selected 2024-2025 Fellows will begin their training in September. They are: 

  • Melody Bailey, Water Resource Manager, Mojave Water Agency, Apple Valley, Calif.
  • Janelle Boelter, Director of Infrastructure Management, Las Vegas Valley Water District, Las Vegas, Nev.
  • Mark Coughlin, Section Manager, Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, Laurel, Md.
  • Jorge Flores, Asst. General Manager, City of Eagle Pass Water Works System, Eagle Pass, Tex.
  • Neha Ghaisas, Environmental Engineer, Philadelphia Water Department, Philadelphia, Pa.
  • Anjali Gupta, Operations Program Manager, DC Water, Washington, D.C.
  • Joel Lemke, Director of Public Utilities and Transportation, City of Stevens Point, Stevens Point, Wisc.
  • Quisha Light, Customer Service Director, City of Portland Bureau, Portland, Oreg.
  • Lily Lopez, Director of External Affairs & Sustainability, Walnut Valley Water District, Walnut, Calif.
  • Jacqueline McCloud, Environmental Sustainability Division Manager, City of Watsonville, Watsonville, Calif.
  • Emily Meek, Assistant Director, City of Brighton, Brighton, Colo.
  • Charles Moore, Water Maintenance Coordinator, City of Columbus, Columbus, Ohio
  • Bernard Mora, Utility Manager, Pueblo of Tesuque Utility Authority, Santa Fe, N. Mex.
  • Sean Owens, Facilities Production Supervisor, Central Arkansas Water, Little Rock, Ark.
  • Eddie Paulino, Senior Civil Engineer, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, Chicago, Ill.
  • Jaime Safulko, Deputy Director – Engineering, South Platte Renew, Englewood, Calif.
  • Corwin Washington, Senior Environmental Project Manager, The Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans, New Orleans, La.
  • Yan Zhang, Senior Director of WQ & Process, Long Beach Utilities Department, Long Beach, Calif.

Toward the end of the program, participants will complete an individual capstone project that demonstrates their new skills and knowledge in their current work, or a professional project. Program graduates will earn a non-credit-bearing Certificate of Completion from Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment.

For more information, feel free to contact the Environment+ team at dukeenvironplus@duke.edu.