But there is still more to do. Now more than ever, it is vital that we share our success stories. By celebrating our contributions, we build trust with our customers and stakeholders. These stories are powerful — they demonstrate the value we bring and elevate NACWA’s influence at the national level. I encourage every member utility to take pride in your achievements and communicate them widely and strategically to the range of audiences we need to reach.

This July, at our Summer Conference in Cleveland, we unveiled a suite of new resources as the culmination of NACWA’s year-long communications initiative. These tools were crafted to help all utilities share their impact, reach new audiences, and amplify their voices. Together, we can tell our story—from neighborhoods to policy-makers.

We know the challenges. Issues like federal funding, affordability, emerging contaminants, and biosolids require our unified effort. By working collectively, sharing our stories that position us as the trusted experts we are, we can overcome these obstacles and continue to deliver excellent and essential services to our communities. Cleveland’s improvements to the Cuyahoga River and Lake Erie remind us  what is possible when we come together—cleaner water, revitalized neighborhoods, and renewed hope.

I am deeply humbled by the trust you have placed in me as your President, and I am committed to advancing NACWA’s vision. Together, we will celebrate our successes, face our challenges, and ensure our story of transformation and progress is shared widely. Doing so will also position the water sector as a top national priority alongside or perhaps even ahead of energy, transportation, and other core infrastructure sectors.