AWWA Water Champion – Christina Montoya-Halter, El Paso Water

Christina Montoya-Halter, communications and marketing manager at El Paso Water (EPWater), leads a team responsible for internal and external communications, including media relations, social media, employee communications and crisis communications. She is a member of the American Water Works Association’s (AWWA) Public Affairs Council.

How and why did you get into the water sector? I like to say the water sector found me. I spent almost a decade as a broadcast journalist before I took a chance and applied for a position at EPWater. I confess I didn’t know a lot about our water, where it comes from or how hundreds of employees work hard every day to ensure it’s safe for us to drink. I was hooked from the start, fascinated by the science and engineering behind EPWater’s innovative solutions. Fifteen years later, I feel like I still learn something new every day. As a former journalist, I love telling stories, and I’m thankful that storytelling is a cornerstone of our outreach and education programs. (Pictured above, Montoya-Halter with EPWater’s conservation mascot and with her husband and sons.)

How does a communications strategy help a water utility build public trust? As a native El Pasoan, I remember seeing our utility’s conservation mascot, Willie the Waterdrop, at a community event when I was in high school. Seeing him made me familiar with our utility. Customers need to see and hear from their water utility on a consistent basis, in both good times and bad. If they don’t know you, they can’t trust you. A communications strategy should include ongoing and multifaceted touchpoints with your customers to earn and keep their trust. 

Please share an example of how communication impacted your community’s value of water services. EPWater began planning its Advanced Water Purification Facility in 2013. The direct potable reuse facility will be the first of its kind in the United States, transforming reclaimed water into fresh drinking water and sending it directly to customers. Our initial outreach included public tours of a pilot facility, during which our employees showed and explained the multistep treatment process to customers and stakeholders. We were transparent and open with our customers about the source of water and exactly what was being removed in every process to make it safe to drink. Several customers said although they had some reservations about the process before the tour, seeing the reuse technology in person helped them accept and endorse the process. 

What is one of your proudest accomplishments? In 2016, EPWater received AWWA’s Public Communications Achievement Award for our Advanced Water Purification Outreach Program. The success of our outreach would not have been possible without the cooperation and work of many of our employees, including those who volunteered their time to speak at community meetings and give countless tours. Their efforts led to overwhelming support for the project from our customers. I’m excited about the next phase of outreach leading up to construction of the facility, which is scheduled to start later this year. 

How have you benefited from your AWWA involvement? AWWA has given me the opportunity to meet and learn from other communications professionals. I’m in my eighth year on the Public Affairs Council and have been fortunate to build lasting friendships and relationships with communicators who inspire me and continuously provide valuable feedback. 

Please describe your family and personal interests. I’ve been married to a wonderful man for 22 years. We have two boys, a 19-year-old who is attending my alma mater, University of Southern California, and a 16-year-old high school sophomore. My husband graduated from University of California Los Angeles, but I don’t hold it against him. I enjoy reading, yoga, attending live music performances and taking long walks with my husband and our princess Shih Tzu poodle named Ebony. I hope to someday return to my love of performing by doing voiceover work or community theater. 

What would surprise people to know about you? Right after college graduation, I appeared in a national Honda commercial in Spanish as a young mom.
  
How do you stay up to date on communications trends and best practices? AWWA conferences and webinars are a great way to learn and network with others. I’m also appreciative of AWWA Utility Advisories and Connections articles that help keep me in the loop and prepared for changes and news in the water sector. 

What role does social media play in your communications strategy? Social media plays a huge role in our strategy. In fact, we added a position to our team this year focused on social media strategy and implementation. We view it as a valuable tool to connect and engage with several types of customers, but it needs to be done strategically and consistently to be successful.