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Sharon Powers of the U.S. Society on Dams: Supporting the Dam and Levee Industry
USSD board member Marty Teal visits the Chaudière Falls Generating Station on an ICOLD tour of Ottawa, Ontario.
T
he U.S. Society on Dams (USSD) is the U.S. national committee of the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) and has been in operation for more than nine decades. Its mission is to empower professionals to advance the sustainable benefits of dams and levees for society. It advances this mission by hosting educational programs and conferences, encouraging collaboration with national and international organizations, and fostering career paths in the industry. In this interview, USSD Executive Director Sharon Powers tells Hydro Leader about the history and current activities of the society. Hydro Leader: Please tell us about your background and your current position.
6 | HYDRO LEADER | October 2020
Hydro Leader: Please tell us about USSD and its history. Sharon Powers: USSD is the U.S. national committee of ICOLD. The United States was one of the founding members of ICOLD, which was established in 1928, hydroleadermagazine.com
PHOTOS COURTESY OF USSD.
Sharon Powers: I’ve been a nonprofit professional for over 25 years, spending most of that time in C-suite positions in chambers of commerce. Before joining USSD, I was a department director at the American Water Works Association. While I spent my childhood in Pittsburgh, my father was from
Denver. I always knew that I wanted to get back to Denver, which I did a little over 10 years ago. USSD is headquartered in Westminster, Colorado, in the northern Denver metro area. As the chief staff executive of USSD, I’m responsible for managing the association and carrying out the strategic plan approved by the board of directors. This includes financial and operational management, collaboration with other organizations, volunteer management, event planning, and state and federal regulation compliance. We have an exceptionally small staff—there are only 1¾ positions, including my own—so I like to tell people that in addition to all my other roles, I’m the chief cook and bottle washer.
