Public Works Podcast

• Lucia Diaz: Manager of Facilities & Water System Programs @ Inland Empire Utilities Agency, CA

  Joseph Blackman introduced Lucia Diaz, the Manager of Facilities and Water System Programs for Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA), who provided an overview of IEUA's wholesale water services, wastewater treatment, and her extensive role overseeing facilities management, conveyance systems, and physical security. Lucia detailed her career progression from a construction background to being the first female construction coordinator at IEUA, where she successfully managed major projects despite initial challenges, crediting her advancement to continuous learning, mentorship from advocates like Chander Letulle, and a focus on essential skill sets such as adaptability, people leadership, and strategic thinking. Throughout the discussion, Lucia emphasized the importance of listening, remaining consistent, and focusing on professional conduct, while also sharing her advice to the community to "Protect your pipes" by only flushing the "three P's." Give the episode a listen and remember to thank your local Public Works Professionals.

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• Danielle Blacet-Hyden: Executive Director at California Municipal Utilities Association

  Joseph Blackman welcomed Danielle Blacet, Executive Director at the California Municipal Utilities Association (CMUA), who explained that CMUA is a nonprofit trade association representing 86 water, wastewater, and publicly owned electric and gas utilities in California, primarily focusing on advocacy in legislative and regulatory arenas. Danielle highlighted CMUA’s advocacy win, securing $3 billion from the state for Californians to pay overdue water and energy utility bills, and discussed the high level of innovation among CMUA members, including advanced water recycling, AI-integrated operations, and wildfire mitigation projects. Discussions also covered the ongoing efforts by members to educate the public on essential utility operations, Danielles transition into the Executive Director role, and strategies for addressing the "silver tsunami" in the workforce through early education, internships, and highlighting the benefits of utility careers.Find more at https://www.cmua.org/

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• Sumant Patel: Manager of Operations Wastewater Services @ the City of Guelph, Ontario

  Joseph Blackman interviewed Sumant Patel, Manager of Operations Wastewater Services at the City of Guelph, about his professional role, which involves managing daily operations, planning strategic priorities, and ensuring resource support for staff, all while focusing on optimization to reliably deliver wastewater treatment services. Sumant shared his career path from software engineering to wastewater, emphasizing the importance of strategic asset management, financial stewardship, stakeholder engagement, and resilient leadership as essential skills for his current role, and he described how AI is useful in the sector for data management but does not replace the critical need for human operators' skills. Key talking points included Sumants core motivation as a public servant driven by early life water scarcity experiences, lessons learned about asking for support after a career mistake during a night shift, initiatives to address the "silver tsunami" of an aging workforce through knowledge transfer, and a suggested public billboard message to educate citizens on the essential nature of water services. Give the episode a listen and remember to thank your local Public Works Professionals.

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• Elia Twigg: APWA's Jennings Randolph Scholarship Experience

  Joseph Blackman welcomed Elia Twigg, CEO of Lantic Solutions, to the public works podcast to discuss Elia Twigg's civil engineering career, ranging from discovering the field in 11th grade and joining UF's "step-up program," to progressing through city roles to become the Public Works Director, and eventually founding Lantic Solutions in 2022. Elia Twigg detailed their experience as a Jennings Randolph Scholarship recipient in 2013, focusing on a study tour in Australia to learn how public works are promoted and public awareness is increased, which led to implementing ideas like water stations and promotional materials based on those used by the Manley town and Waverly Council. Elia Twigg encouraged others to apply for the scholarship and mentioned their ongoing commitment to joining the APWA international committee to foster global collaboration.

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• Max Herzog: Deputy Director of Programs and Partnerships @ Cleveland Water Alliance

  Joseph Blackman and Max Herzog discussed the Cleveland Water Alliance (CWA), a nonprofit economic development organization focused on supporting water technology innovation in Ohio and the Great Lakes region. Max Herzog, Deputy Director of Programs and Partnerships at CWA, explained that the organization helps innovators and institutional stakeholders by acting as a market connector and validator, facilitating technology trials to de-risk adoption in the risk-averse municipal water sector, and addressing the "innovator's dilemma" by ensuring solutions meet end-user needs. Max Herzog highlighted CWA's work in nutrient mitigation for agriculture and the piloting of a hypochlorite generation system for a drinking water utility, acknowledging that global tariffs and political climates pose challenges to sourcing international innovation. Give the episode a listen and remember to thank your local Public Works Professionals.Find more at: http://clevelandwateralliance.org/

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