Freshwater gained a major asset last year when Renée Willette joined our Board. We are excited to tap into her years of experience with national leadership for water.
While a native of Minnesota, Renée’s water story actually began during her work with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, when she saw first hand the transformational impact that water infrastructure operations and projects can have on communities. From there, she became a passionate advocate for water infrastructure investment and for bringing more people into the water sector.
She currently serves as the Vice President, Programs and Strategy at the US Water Alliance, a national nonprofit organization advancing policies and programs that build a sustainable water future for all. She oversees all programmatic work and supports the CEO on strategic growth efforts for the organization.
Prior to US Water, Renée worked for Stantec, a global, multi-sector engineering and architecture firm where she served as the Water Sector Leader for the Midwest region. At Stantec, she managed the Midwest team of water and wastewater engineers, oversaw regional business development efforts, supported national strategic partnerships, and served on Stantec’s United States Inclusion and Diversity council.
Prior to that, she served as the Director of Strategy Initiatives for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, and as senior staff in two San Francisco Mayoral administrations.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her wife and daughter and exploring Minnesota running trails as much as possible. She holds a B.A from Carleton College and a Masters in Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley. She also attended executive education at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government as a David Bohnett Leaders Fellow. We are so pleased to add Renée’s voice to our work for water. Please join us in welcoming Renée.