TRANSLATING STAKEHOLDER NEEDS INTO ORGANIZATIONAL GOALS

My journey in the water sector began at Baylor University where I learned about food security, water security and natural disaster risk management. As I heard about global water insecurity, I longed to be a part of creating the solution for the crisis facing those communities affected by it.  As I sat at my desk and listened, I knew I had to do something.

I also examined my life and realized something important. All the activities I loved  happened to involve water: surfing, scuba diving, hiking near major bodies of water, and kayaking. All at once, I was reminded of how I retreat to large bodies of water to find peace and stillness.

It was then I found a passion for helping people access clean water. This passion streamlined the focus of my studies alongside leading research scientists on the impact of pharmaceuticals and other toxic chemicals in the water systems.

Studying water systems in college led me to volunteer as a teacher in Nicaragua. I traveled south with the ultimate goal of experiencing life without easily accessible drinking water. While living in Nicaragua, I observed the detrimental power struggles which occur when countries have water shortages. I knew then I wanted to be a part of making positive change in the world of water management and policy development. However, this would take time and hard work.

So, I packed my bags and traveled to Texas A&M University to receive my Master’s degree in Water Management and Hydrological Science. I joined the Water-Energy-Food Nexus research group on campus whose studies focused on the interconnectedness of managing our world’s water, energy and food resources.

It was the perfect way to learn how our world’s resources interact. My research helped produce policy recommendations for improving water management and policy processes in the San Antonio Texas region. At this point, I completely submerged myself in the water sector. But I still wanted to go deeper.

I learned about the World Water Forum, which is the largest gathering of international water organizations, companies and policy leaders. I knew I had to go, and while I didn’t have a way, I did have a will.

I was able to secure funding to attend, and some of that funding was sponsored as I had been accepted as the US delegate member of the World Youth Parliament for Water. In this, I was joined by 50 other country delegates of the youth organization. During our time at the 8th World Water Forum in Brazil, the WYPW was having its elections for new leadership. I had put my name forward.

To my surprise, I was unanimously elected to serve as the President of the organization which has members in over 81 countries, and 30 national chapters. 

I served as the President of the World Youth Parliament for Water (WYPW), where my multicultural and multilingual team worked to empower youth to act for water. During my term we cultivated the beginnings of eight national chapters in Africa and the Middle East, as well as the Americas; and advocated for youth inclusion in the decision making processes of water to their country leaders. 

During this, I influenced water resources policy by securing youth involvement in drafting the World Water Development Report (WWDR) 2020: Climate and Water and WWDR 2021: Valuing Water (World Water Assessment Program’s workshop, Perugia, Italy, Sept. 2018). As well as coordinated and moderated special events at high-level conferences where Ambassadors and high-profile attendees were present. One memorable event was Day Zero: Water Security in the wake of Climate Change at the World Youth Forum which took place in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

Understanding the value of their voice, I advocated for the youth  to have a seat on the Global Water Partnership Committee. I was one of the observing board members to the Global Water Partnership and pushed for there to be a permanent youth seat to the Steering Committee, one which had voting rights. And of which was accepted.

In December of 2019, the GWP Steering Committee created a permanent seat for a youth representative. After this, I received an invitation which changed my life forever.

With several years of local and international experience in my tool belt, I accepted an invitation to serve on the Water and Climate Coalition as one of 16 high-level panel leaders. Today, I sit next to country presidents, ministers of water, leaders of the World Bank, and even the chair of United Nations Water to build cooperative water policies and address global water challenges.

While I’m excited by how much we’ve accomplished, there is still more work to be done. Overtime, we’ve failed to engage everyday water users into our solutions, our policies, and our plans. This leads to poor project implementation and stagnated long-term sustainability. We must engage all stakeholders in the process of conserving our most precious resources.

Discussing solutions only with experts in the water sector is no longer enough. New water projects to provide safe water to communities are being presented in incomprehensible presentations, turning into published materials left on a shelf covered in dust. Solutions must be communicated in a digestible and engaging way for everyday water users and stakeholders as a part of the solution to securing our future water resources. 

Therefore, I’m diving into the water sector in a new way by launching NextWave Consulting to empower more people to steward our water with evidence based methods. My primary focus is stakeholder engagement. Stakeholder engagement is vital to success in the water sector as stakeholders are invested in the future of our water. And that’s all of us. We all hold stake in the future of water. People who are typically left out of the conversation need a voice in the water sector. And I will build the bridge from you to them. 

For these reasons, I developed NextWave Consulting. I long to live in a world where all citizens become engaged with their water, and are active participants of the solution to making sure our water is sustainable for all. Above all else I want to ensure that my clients increase their meaningful engagement with all stakeholders and community members in a way that promotes sustainability of our water resources for generations to come.