AWWA Water Champion – Lee Anne Jones, Halton Region, Ontario

Lee Anne Jones is infrastructure planning & policy director at Halton Region in Oakville, Ontario. Her AWWA leadership positions have included director on the AWWA Board, vice president on the AWWA Executive Committee, and president of the Ontario Water Works Association. She has been a member of the AWWA Board’s Finance and Canadian Affairs committees and currently chairs its Nominating Committee.

What led to your involvement in the water sector? I grew up on a small family farm in rural Ontario. From a very young age I saw that a safe and secure water supply was of primary importance, not only for our needs but for the viability of our livelihood. After graduating university in 1991 with a chemical engineering degree, I joined a small consulting firm in Ontario and planned and designed municipal water and wastewater solutions for rural and growing communities.

How has your career progressed since then? I moved to the public sector to lead Halton Region’s response to regulatory changes for its groundwater systems and enacted plans to increase the Region’s water and wastewater treatment capacity to meet significant growth needs. I also worked with the City of Toronto, where I led the overhauling and restructuring of Toronto Water’s multibillion-dollar, 10-year capital plan. I then joined CH2M, now Jacobs, as a senior project manager and led teams to implement water and wastewater system upgrades and develop asset management programs.

I’m now back at Halton Region as director of infrastructure planning and policy in Public Works. We are responsible for long range planning and capital programming for State of Good Repair.  We’re currently completing an integrated water, wastewater and transportation master plan to support growth projections to 2051, while completing planning for more than $5 billion in infrastructure required to meet an almost 50% increase in growth by 2031.

Tell us about the Board Nominating Committee. It is comprised of former AWWA board members and past presidents and is responsible each year for preparing a pool of candidates for board leadership positions, which the board votes on at its Winter Board Meeting. I joined the Nominating Committee after I completed my term as OWWA Director, under the then leadership of John Donahue.

The Nominating Committee takes direction from the board of directors to identify what key qualities they wish to see in candidates that suit the opportunities or challenges facing the Association. A constant are the essential skills of communication, collaboration and a visionary mindset.

What do you enjoy most about your job at Halton Region? What I enjoy the most is the opportunity to work with a great group of talented and innovative professionals both within Public Works and throughout the Region as they develop creative solutions to the unique and complex challenges we face in delivering municipal services.

What skills do you rely on most in your job? A key skill I rely on is the ability to collaborate effectively with the many partners engaged in these key initiatives. The success of these projects is not possible without being able to bring together the diverse and valued input from the stakeholders involved and advocate for a common solution.

How have you benefited from your AWWA involvement? Like most of us, my involvement with AWWA started with that tap on the shoulder by key mentors in the industry. Their guidance and encouragement challenged me to deepen my engagement and strive to become a leader in our great organization. I’ve been able to transfer those skills to my day job, where I’ve been fortunate to lead transformational change with a direct increase in customer service levels.

What is a key skill you’ve gained from being on the AWWA Board? Representing Ontario on the board and serving as a vice president was a tremendous experience. In addition to the leadership and collaboration skills I gained, my time on the board allowed me to participate in key initiatives such as the development of the 2020 Strategic Plan. The opportunity to engage with industry leaders to plan the path forward for the organization was insightful.

Please describe your family and/or hobbies and interests. My husband, Daryn, and I are raising a sports-obsessed teenager. At this point, I spend most of my spare time getting Tyler to the hockey rink/baseball diamond/curling sheet/basketball court/etc. or trying to cook enough food to keep up with his growth spurts! Daryn coaches Tyler’s hockey and baseball teams while I coach at his curling club. I enjoyed being on the ice so much that I dusted off my 1990s curling shoes and joined a lady’s curling league. I also love to spend time hiking and doing yoga and taking care of my new garden.  I’m looking forward to this year’s tomato and zucchini crop!

Anything else you’d like to add? I’m truly appreciative of the honour of being recognized as a Water Champion. Although no one is on the AWWA board or in a volunteer role for the accolades and recognition, I consider myself very fortunate to join such an esteemed group.