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Participants at the 2018 Water Leader Summit.
CALLING ALL WATER LEADERS!
T
he Water Council is a Milwaukee-based nonprofit organization that drives economic, technology, and talent development to support the global water industry. For 12 years running, The Water Council has convened an annual Water Leaders Summit to bring water professionals and innovators together in an atmosphere of collegiality, creativity, and curiosity. In this interview, Dean Amhaus, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of The Water Council, tells Municipal Water Leader Managing Editor Joshua Dill about this year’s Water Leaders Summit and why readers of this magazine should consider attending. Joshua Dill: For readers who may not already know you, would you introduce yourself and your organization?
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Joshua Dill: Tell us about the Water Leaders Summit. Dean Amhaus: The Water Leaders Summit is a yearly conference held in Milwaukee. We hold the event at the Harley-Davidson Museum and typically have around 300 attendees. This is our 12th summit. I can remember back when we held the first one—it was a 2-hour session with about 60 people in attendance. We asked, “Should we keep on meeting?” Twelve years later, we’re still meeting, and more importantly, we’re acting on growing our cluster. It’s a different type of summit than it was when we started. We place an emphasis on conversations and bringing in thought leaders. We are trying to bring together people from outside the traditional water industry who have different approaches and ideas. Instead of straightforward presentations about “who we are and what we do,” what happens on the stage is more about people telling stories. Charles Fishman, the author of the award-winning book The Big Thirst, interviews each of the panelists ahead of the
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE WATER COUNCIL.
Dean Amhaus: I serve as president and CEO of The Water Council and was one of the individuals who helped found the whole organization. We are a water technology cluster or hub located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We’ve got almost 240 water technology companies within about a 1½-hour drive— not only companies and universities, but also innovative, creative utilities that want to take novel approaches to water
management. Our organization brings them all together and makes connections. We have a particular interest in helping small businesses to grow and develop.
