Professional Development

Transformative Water Leadership Academy

Great water utility leaders aren’t born; they’re developed.

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Program Overview

Transformative Water Leadership Academy

The Transformative Water Leadership Academy (TWLA) is where the next generation of water utility leaders focus on the foundations of sustainable community leadership: how to integrate social, environmental, and financial concerns into important decisions about water utilities.

This 10-month program addresses leadership for drinking water, wastewater, stormwater management, and water reuse. Participants will learn to balance short- and long-term priorities while creating value for all water stakeholders.

Program Details

About TWLA

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About

The Transformative Water Leadership Academy (TWLA) is a collaborative program of AWWA and the WaterNow Alliance.

TWLA will prepare tomorrow’s utility leaders to address emerging water issues and opportunities and to guide utilities through positive transformation. In current times, all organizations (including utilities) must deliver on the triple bottom line: social, environmental, and financial performance. TWLA graduates will be empowered to meet this challenge.

Expanding the Water Workforce and its Leadership

Much of the nation’s water infrastructure is in urgent need of repair, maintenance, and replacement. The skilled leadership and talent needed to complete this crucial work has been in short supply. Water utilities must reflect the communities they serve; it’s time to broaden the pipeline for the water community.

TWLA seeks participants representing a wide range of regions, lived and career experiences, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Together at TWLA, this cohort of leaders will learn to seek and value a range of perspectives when strategizing to serve community needs.

TWLA will cultivate purpose-driven water leadership by:

  • Expanding the pool of qualified utility staff and leadership, to build a stronger water workforce.
  • Fostering community-first utilities by instilling in leaders an awareness of, and abiding commitment to, everything it really takes to help communities thrive, by supporting a healthy environment.
  • Clarifying a vision for the future. Participants will find and define their leadership objectives and turn ideas into actionable plans.

Measurable Outcomes

TWLA is designed to yield meaningful and measurable outcomes.

Participant outcomes:

  • New responsibilities and/or new opportunities to demonstrate leadership
  • Professional advancement by increasing chances for promotion to a higher position
  • Enhanced sense of empowerment to help create change

Utility outcomes:

  • Increased leadership capacity in areas essential to improvement at the utility
  • Innovative approaches to solving community problems
  • Cultural shift that encourages change and community building

Community outcomes:

  • Enhanced resilience and sustainability of utility systems
  • Better relationship between the community, the utility, and other stakeholders
  • Improved management and protection of water and environmental resources
Thank You Sponsors

2024 Cohort Sponsor

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Pillars of TWLA

These concepts form the foundation of TWLA:

  • Community leadership. Expanding the pool of utility talent and leadership to reflect the broad spectrum of the communities utilities serve. Bringing together a range of perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences strengthens utilities’ ability to provide drinking water, wastewater, stormwater management, and water reuse.
  • Network. Expanding beyond their cohort, participants will also connect with the TWLA Collaborative: a body of nationally, regionally, and locally influential organizations representing marginalized or underserved populations. The Collaborative will facilitate outreach to potential applicants, provide a resource network to participants, expand awareness of water utility jobs, and help share TWLA results and insights.
  • Community engagement. Participants are strongly encouraged to get directly involved in their community — by working on community projects, joining nonprofit boards, supporting school programs, or other activities. This will anchor participants to the community they serve by fostering deeper understanding and empathy for all parts of their community. Mentors and program volunteers will set examples for this involvement.

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Schedule

TWLA 2025 Cohort Schedule

TWLA Course Topic

Type of Session

*Details

Dates

1-Leadership vs Management

Virtual

2 Sessions (2.5 hrs)

January 15 and 22

2-Small Group

Virtual

1 Session (1.5 hrs)

Week of February 3 – 7

Workforce Development in the Water Industry

In-Person Workshop

2.5 days (not including travel time)

March 5-7, 2025 Washington, DC

Protecting Public Health

Virtual

2 Sessions (2.5 hrs)

March 19 and 26

Small Group

Virtual

1 Session (1.5 hrs)

Week of April 7 – 11

Safeguarding The Environment

Virtual

2 Sessions (2.5 hrs)

May 14 and 21

Strengthening Public Trust

Virtual

2 Sessions (2.5 hrs)

June 18 and 25

Small Group

Virtual

1 Session (1.5 hrs)

Week of July 14 – 18

Inspiring Innovation

Virtual

2 Sessions (2.5 hrs)

August 13 and 20

Climate Change: Thinking Globally And Acting Locally

Virtual

2 Sessions (2.5 hrs)

September 10 and 17

Small Group – Capstone Presentations & Wrap Up

Virtual

1 Session (1.5 hrs)

Week of Sept 22 – 26

Bringing It All Together

In-Person Workshop

2.5 days (not including travel time)

Oct 22–24, 2025 Denver, CO

*Session Times

*All Sessions will be held during the following times: 7:00am-9:30am HT | 10:00am-12:30pm PT | 11:00am-1:30pm MT | 12:00pm-2:30pm CT | 1:00pm-3:30pm ET

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The TWLA Experience

TWLA will take place from January through October. It will include a cohort of approximately 50 participants.

TWLA requires a commitment to attend:

  • Two in-person sessions, each lasting two days
  • Six virtual sessions (three hours each), scattered throughout the term
  • Four virtual facilitated small-group meetings

Who should apply: Professionals with three to 10 years of work experience, including at least two years working in water (preferably at a utility or related field). You must currently have responsibilities (on the job or in volunteer roles) for managing projects and/or supervising people, as well as support from your employer to attend TWLA.

How it works: Each cohort of TWLA participants will learn together by doing. Learning experiences will include:

  • Lectures and instructor-led discussion
  • Small-group discussion and sharing
  • Capstone project or activity implementation
  • Report-out on experience, leadership knowledge, and skills gained
  • Engaging with mentors

TWLA 2025 Cohort Schedule

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Eligibility Criteria & Program Requirements

We welcome 50 participants in each cohort, which provides an opportunity to learn from a wide network of individuals.

We are looking for TWLA applicants with the following experience:

  • 3-10 years of full-time work experience, including at least two years of water-related work (preferably at a water utility or a related field).
  • Supervisory and/or Management Experience. Past experience supervising people in your current professional, volunteer, or community work. Your experience may include management of projects, programs, committees, and contractors.
  • Availability to attend TWLA sessions and events. During this 10-month program, participants must attend 90% of the following in-person and online events. (Preliminary schedule below. Dates and times may change.)
    • 2 in-person sessions, each lasting 3 days. These will require travel. Costs for travel, lodging, and food costs must be covered by participants or your employers — some financial assistance may become available.
    • 12 virtual sessions. Each session is 2.5 hours.
    • 4 small-group virtual meetings. Each 90-minute online meeting will be facilitated by a coach/mentor.
  • Access to a computer and broadband internet. TWLA includes online sessions and online coursework that require a reliable, robust broadband connection.
  • Pricing Structure (Utility Population Served / Tuition)
    o < 10,000 = Free
    o 10,001 – 50,000 = Free
    o 50,001 – 100,000 = $1,000
    o 100,001 – 1,000,000 = $1,500
    o > 1,000,000 = $2,500
    o N/A (other Org) = $5,000

Other Utility Leadership Opportunities:

  • Interested in additional utility leadership development? Current and up-and-coming water and wastewater utility CEOs, general managers, senior managers, and upper-level management may be interested in the Water & Wastewater Leadership Center, a collaboration between AMWA, AWWA, NACWA, WEF, and NAWC.

Deliverables

Every participant in each TWLA cohort must deliver:

  • Capstone project. You will design and complete a project based on sustainable community leadership principles learned at TWLA. This project should address a problem, need, or opportunity in your organization or community. Estimated work time: 40-60 hours.
  • Presentation. Each participant must present what they learned from TWLA. This can happen at an event/conference, or by writing an article for a publication. Your presentation or article need not focus on TWLA, but it should clarify the value of what you learned from the TWLA experience.

Application Requirements

Acceptance into TWLA is based on competitive criteria to ensure a robust learning experience for all participants. Applicants must be ready to engage deeply in the program, and prioritize their commitment to attending all program sessions.

When completing the TWLA application, you will be asked to provide the following information:

Your resume with the following information:

  • Education. Provide diplomas, degrees, or certificates received. (Note: a college degree is not required to participate in TWLA. Online education programs should be included.)
  • Work experience. Please include full-time jobs as well as temporary or internship positions. You must demonstrate a minimum of 3 years, but no more than 10 years of full-time work experience, including at least two years doing work related to the water sector.
  • Volunteer/community experience. List work you have done on a volunteer basis, either for a nonprofit or community organization or program, or informally.
  • Leadership experience. For your current job or volunteer/community work, describe your responsibilities for supervising or leading people. You may also describe other life experiences where you’ve led or supervised others.

Personal Statement Questions: You’ll be asked to write a brief answer (150 words or less) to each of these questions:

  • How did you learn about TWLA?
  • Who has been a transformational leader in your life? What qualities do they have, and how do they influence you?
  • How will TWLA support your career goals?
  • What positive change would you like to see or implement in your organization or community?
  • What does this quote by futurist and author Charlene Li mean to you? “Leaders create change. If you are not creating change, you are not a leader; you are a manager.”

DEADLINE: Applications for 2026 cohort open on June 1, 2025.

Next Steps after Program Acceptance

If your TWLA application is accepted, you will then be prompted to register for the program.

You will be asked to provide the following information to fully enroll in TWLA.

  • Letter of support from your employer. Since TWLA represents a substantial time commitment, we want to ensure your employer supports your involvement in this program. This letter can come from either a senior manager/executive in your organization or from your direct supervisor. This person should know you well and be willing to complete two surveys about your progress as it relates to your involvement in TWLA.
  • Professional or personal reference. This is someone who can speak to your past performance or accomplishments — either on the job, or in your volunteer/community roles. Your reference cannot be a relative. This person should know you well and be willing to complete two surveys about your progress as it relates to your involvement in TWLA.
Volunteer Request Form
TWLA Volunteer Form
Please also include volunteer work

Volunteer for TWLA

Volunteers are essential to the success of TWLA. We offer many volunteer opportunities.

Volunteer Request Form

Identify applicants

Identify potential TWLA applicants on your staff and in your community. You may already know some future leaders or key talent for the water community.

Instruction

Do you have special expertise in a core topic of TWLA? Volunteer to teach a virtual or in-person lesson.

Mentor or coach TWLA participants

Help guide tomorrow’s water leaders via direct engagement. Scroll down for more information.

Expand our network

Expand our network of community/nonprofit groups. Help build the TWLA Collaborative by introducing us to groups doing good work in your community or region.

Donate

Donate to support TWLA, individually or through your organization (tax-deductible).

Facilitate

Facilitate small-group discussions within a TWLA cohort. Scroll down for more information.

Tell

Tell water utilities about TWLA, especially how getting involved can benefit utilities and their communities.

Connect TWLA with funders

Introduce us to foundations or other funding organizations whose goals might align with TWLA.

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Mentor & Coach

Are you looking for a way to share your expertise and support the development of the next generation of water leaders?

The TWLA is looking for coaches and mentors who are committed to investing their time to assist in the growth and development of TWLA participants. Mentors and coaches must be willing to share their knowledge, experience, and wisdom and act as a guide and role model.

There are two main responsibilities in this position:

  • Provide one-on-one mentoring to two or three TWLA participants.
  • Lead four 90-minute small group sessions

Small Group Mentor Description

Videos

Hear from the Cohort

TWLA About the Experience
Video

The TWLA Experience

TWLA Video What is the Future of Water
Video

The Future of Water

TWLA Video Inaugural Class
Video

2023 Inaugural Class | Lily Lopez

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