What is one lesson your career has taught you that you wished you had learned sooner?
“Since I entered my education and career with very little confidence, due primarily to the culture in which I was raised, harnessing courage became the most important tool for me to succeed.
It is not 'fake it, 'til you make it,' but rather 'just do it, because even though you doubt yourself, you are actually doing it already!'
This perspective that I learned over the years would have been very valuable to hear as a young woman in our field.”
— Pam Elardo, VP Strategic Services, Brown and Caldwell
"One lesson my career taught me - one I wish I had learned sooner - is this: never give up and never underestimate your ability to adapt. Water doesn’t wait, and neither does the responsibility that comes with it.
Some days it’s a seasonal switch in source water that changes your chemistry overnight; other days it’s pumps, couplings, schedules, and a plant that must keep running 24/7 for an entire community. In those moments, persistence is not a slogan - it’s a practice. I also learned that adapting is a skill you can build.
I moved across the world, shifted industries, learned new technical language, and rebuilt my professional path step by step. What carried me through was staying curious, communicating with my team, and showing up - even when it was hard. If you keep learning and keep going, you can overcome more than you think."
Luiza Yordanova, Water Plants Manager, City of Yuma Utilities Department
"Believe in myself and stand my ground."
Susan Spore, Managing Engineer (off the cuff I say “cat herder”), Brown and Caldwell
"One lesson my career has taught me that I wish I had learned sooner is the importance of advocating for myself and my ideas early and often. In the beginning, I tended to wait for recognition or permission before speaking up in meetings or proposing solutions, especially as one of the few women in technical discussions.
Over time, I realized that confidently sharing my expertise—not just waiting to be asked—opened doors to leadership opportunities, better project outcomes, and greater respect from colleagues.
I wish I'd embraced that self-advocacy from day one; it would have accelerated my growth and helped me contribute more fully to solving our industry's challenges sooner."
— Tina Myers, Water clerk/wastewater operator, City of Bauxite
"One of the most important lessons my career has taught me is that readiness is often overrated. The most defining growth in my career has come from stepping into rooms where I didn’t feel fully prepared — managing complex, high-stakes water and wastewater projects involving advanced treatment technologies and extreme wet-weather capacity; leading equipment coordination on a major California wastewater treatment plant modernization effort that included one of the largest BioActiflo® ballasted flocculation systems in the world and became the largest infrastructure project in the city’s history; and contributing to large-scale water treatment construction efforts serving growing communities. In each case, the responsibility arrived before I felt completely ready.
I wish I had learned sooner that discomfort is not a warning sign but evidence that you are growing and moving forward in your career."
Pamela Alvarado, Project Manager, Nox Group
"The difficulty of working with male peers."
Pat Lindsay-Harvey, Commissioner and Board Chair, Willingboro Municipal Utilities Authority
"One lesson my career has taught me — and one I wish I had learned sooner — is that doing strong technical work is not enough on its own. Early in my career, I focused mainly on building accurate models and improving my analytical skills in water quality research. Over time, I realized that real impact depends not only on good science, but also on data accessibility, collaboration, and clear communication. In some settings, including parts of my home country, collecting consistent and high-quality water data can be challenging.
That experience taught me that improving data systems and explaining results clearly are just as important as developing advanced AI tools. I wish I had understood earlier that influence in the water sector comes from combining technical expertise with practical awareness and communication."
Monireh Khayat, AI & Water Quality Researcher (PhD Candidate), Azad University, South Tehran branch, Industrial faculty
"Believe in yourself. Men are not any smarter than women."
Rebecca Sagers, Former Treatment Control Analyst, Administrative Assistant, City of Three Rivers WWTP
"It’s never too early to learn the history of the district you serve. Even if you’re not yet in a top-level role, taking the time to understand where your organization came from and how it has grown it gives you a stronger foundation for where you’re going.
Knowing the history, the challenges, and the successes helps you navigate the work with confidence and prepares you for greater responsibility. Investing in that knowledge now sets you apart later."
— Claudia Sandoval, General Manager, Chambers-Liberty Counties Navigation District
"Evidence alone does not drive public policy. I used to believe that if the science was strong enough, decision-makers would respond rationally and adjust course. What I learned instead is that entrenched policies, especially those tied to industry interests like water fluoridation, are often defended long after credible concerns emerge.
Institutions frequently demand overwhelming, near-absolute proof of harm before taking precautionary action, even when vulnerable populations such as pregnant women and infants are involved.
Rather than erring on the side of caution, systems tend to protect the status quo. Understanding that policy is influenced as much by economics, liability, institutional reputation, and political inertia as by data was a difficult but necessary lesson."
Brenda Staudenmaier, Water & Wastewater Training Specialist, WI Rural Water Association
"You can't succeed in a man's world if they've already decided you won't."
Katy Langston, Wastewater / Water Operator, City of Palmer, Alaska
"One lesson my career has taught me that I wish I had learned sooner is the importance of advocating for myself and my ideas early and often. In the beginning, I tended to wait for recognition or permission before speaking up in meetings or proposing solutions, especially as one of the few women in technical discussions.
Over time, I realized that confidently sharing my expertise—not just waiting to be asked—opened doors to leadership opportunities, better project outcomes, and greater respect from colleagues.
I wish I'd embraced that self-advocacy from day one; it would have accelerated my growth and helped me contribute more fully to solving our industry's challenges sooner."
Tina Myers, Water clerk / wastewater operator, City of Bauxite
"That everyone has something valuable to contribute. Speak up and share your perspective. Your voice matters."
Paula Hart, P.E., Principal/Owner, Hart Engineering, LLC
"I wish I had learned sooner to trust my intuition as a primary leadership tool rather than a secondary thought. Early in my career, I felt the need to rely solely on data and traditional hierarchies to validate my decisions.
However, I’ve realized that intuition is actually the 'sum of our experiences' manifesting in real-time. In the water sector, where we deal with both technical complexity and high-stakes community impact, your gut often alerts you to a risk or a solution before the data caught up.
Learning to voice that intuition with confidence has been my most transformative growth point."
Melody Bailey, Director of Water Resources, Mojave Water Agency
"Be curious. Learn as much as you can from everyone you meet. Everyone has something to teach you."
Susana Blauser Gonzalez, Client Service Manager, Houston Area Lead, Brown and Caldwell
"Real, lasting progress takes time and patience. Focus and strong partnerships are what actually move the needle when you are working to solve some of the world’s biggest problems.
As a social entrepreneur, it is easy to look ahead and clearly see the world you want to help create. You can picture it so vividly that the slow pace of progress feels frustrating.
But meaningful change does not happen overnight. It takes patience, persistence, trusted partners, and a steady, focused commitment to the work. That is what truly moves things forward."
Erin Huber-Rosen, Executive Director and Founder, Drink Local Drink Tap
"That I am stronger than I ever imagined I could be and that perseverance does win in the end."
Kelly Devlin, Operations - Chemical Treatment Supervisor
"Spend more time asking questions, instead of giving answers.
Ask questions of people at every level to gain diverse perspectives that truly inform better solutions.
Not only do you gain more knowledge from the answers themselves, but you also develop incredible leadership skills through listening."
— Meghan B Krishnayya, Interim Chief Technical Officer, Brown and Caldwell
"I learned that getting my PE license truly did open doors for me. I put off taking the PE exam early in my career, and did not take it until I was 11 years into my career.
There was an internal job posting for a role that I really wanted that required a PE, so that's what finally motivated me. The role was a significant step up, which I obtained and am grateful for. However, I wonder how I could have accelerated my career even more by obtaining my PE sooner."
Molly Dimick, Sr. Environmental Engineering Manager
"That you are not defined by any individual success or failure, but how you keep showing up, day after day."
Natalie Sierra, National Practice Leader, Solids and Energy, Brown and Caldwell
"It’s never too early to learn the history of the district you serve. Even if you’re not yet in a top-level role, taking the time to understand where your organization came from and how it has grown it gives you a stronger foundation for where you’re going. Knowing the history, the challenges, and the successes helps you navigate the work with confidence and prepares you for greater responsibility. Investing in that knowledge now sets you apart later."
Claudia Sandoval, General Manager, Chambers-Liberty Counties Navigation District
"I learned that I should have spoken up for my interests and career goals much earlier — courageously and without hesitation."
Anonymous, Business Relationship Manager - Group Country Manager
"Patience. I used to think the dream job and the salary you want would come quickly, but they don't. It just takes time. What gets you there is hard work, patience, and perseverance. Over time, your goals also change. When I was younger, I was very career-oriented, but once I had a family, my priorities shifted. Learning to be patient with the process, and with yourself, is something I wish I had embraced earlier."
Emilia Blake, Water Quality Lab Analyst, Skagit Public Utility District
"Actions truly speak louder than words. Don’t wait for someone to hand you an opportunity. Instead, seek out those opportunities and take action."
Kristy Lavelle, Expert Management Consultant, Associate Vice President, Arcadis
"Being that I have been working been in the workforce for 35 years, but only in this industry for just under 3 years, I have had to learn patience at an entirely new level. I've always had to think out of the box, but now that has to be coupled with tremendous patience in so much as projects, people, etc., do not move at the pace I am accustomed to."
Anonymous, Executive Director
"Collaborate and work as a team! Everyone has something to contribute. Water projects bring together engineers, lawyers, legislators, contractors, regulators, and communities. Success requires cross-disciplinary coordination."
Irene Schild Caminer, Attorney, Caminer Law, LLC. Previously was the general counsel to the Chicago Department of Water Management from 1997-2017
"Even the best mentors and sponsors aren’t mind readers. Recognition for strong performance doesn’t always translate into an understanding of your long-term career goals — and assumptions can easily be made in the absence of clarity. When you have a career aspiration, it’s important to articulate it. Doing so allows you and your mentors to align on expectations and intentionally create a plan to move toward it."
Anne Prudhel, PE, Executive Vice President, Carollo Engineers
"Being your genuine self will allow you to spend more time and energy on being good at your job rather than masking who you truly are."
Megan Konecki, Water Design Engineer, Baxter & Woodman
"The only thing holding you back is YOU! I believe many women have an innate insecurity that keeps us from reaching our full potential. We can run the world if we stop telling ourselves we can't. Dive in and figure it out! There will be struggles and failures, but overcoming those struggles builds a sense of accomplishment and breeds contentment in our work and personal lives."
Laura Leenderts, Project Manager, Outside Sales, DSG Supply
"Language skills are important — memorizing Greek alphabets or language would help with the magnitude assessment in terms of ppb, ppt (nano, femto or in other direction, giga, tera)."
Anonymous, Quality Audit Coordinator
"Even the best mentors and sponsors aren’t mind readers.
Recognition for strong performance doesn’t always translate into an understanding of your long-term career goals — and assumptions can easily be made in the absence of clarity. When you have a career aspiration, it’s important to articulate it. Doing so allows you and your mentors to align on expectations and intentionally create a plan to move toward it."
— Anne Prudhel, PE, Executive Vice President, Carollo Engineers
"Networking. Networking. Networking. Relationships matter just as much as your skills and work experience. I used to see networking as something I’d do if I had time; now I treat as vital to my role and an opportunity to learn, grow, and share as I connect with others."
Caroline Dunkel, Senior Data Analyst, SediVision
"There are more people than you think that respect women in the water industry workforce. I have been in the industry for 11 years and have had few interactions with someone who did not respect my point of view."
Pamela Jarecki, General Manager, Lake of The Woods Mutual Water Company
"Water is the common denominator of life -- connecting us to each other, the animal kingdom, the plant kingdom, right down to the most miniscule microbiomial kingdom. This realization commands that we act in stewardship and sovereignty of the most precious life sustaining element on Earth."
Suzanne Forcese, Journalist, The WaterToday Media Group
"It’s all about people. No matter what we do as designers, builders and innovators we need to be able to connect with compassion and understanding — our co-workers, our contractors and sub consultants, our clients and family and friends."
Doreen Bartoldus, Senior Client Director, Brown and Caldwell
“'Don’t be hesitant, if you want to learn something new just do it. If you fail, you can always try again.' This mindset of courage and continuous learning has guided me through more than twenty years in a field where perseverance, adaptability, and curiosity truly matter."
Tessa Chilson, Director of Environmental & Fleet Services, Alliance for Empowerment
"Of course we are selling the highest quality water we can deliver, but we are also selling trust to our customers and our community. Everything we do and say should exude that we are trustworthy and invested in the community and customers."
Cynthia Ellis, General Manager, Madison Suburban Utility District
"You can’t wait for permission or for someone else to recognize your potential. The biggest lesson my career has taught me is to be clear about my purpose and take ownership of opening — or knocking down — the doors that stand in the way."
Anonymous, IT Manager
"Spend more time asking questions, instead of giving answers. Ask questions of people at every level to gain diverse perspectives that truly inform better solutions. Not only do you gain more knowledge from the answers themselves, but you also develop incredible leadership skills through listening."
Meghan B Krishnayya, Interim Chief Technical Officer, Brown and Caldwell
"Collaborate and work as a team! Everyone has something to contribute. Water projects bring together engineers, lawyers, legislators, contractors, regulators, and communities. Success requires cross-disciplinary coordination."
— Irene Schild Caminer, Attorney, Caminer Law, LLC. Previously was the general counsel to the Chicago Department of Water Management from 1997-2017
"Relationships are key. Based on my experience in school, I started my career with the mentality that if you do your assignments well, you’ll be successful. While technical competence is essential, relationships within your company and the industry are what will help connect you with the best opportunities to grow your career. Strong relationships also improve communication, making the technical work you do more impactful."
Ashley Pifer, Director, Water/Wastewater, Halff
"Well that it’s not just a man’s world! I have found over 40 years in this business that keeping the training is very important, and up on the latest technology is very important!"
Wendi Kramerpugh, Owner & Vice President, Pure Valley Water
"To not be afraid to be proud of, or note, your accomplishments (mind you with humility and not "bragging"). Imposter syndrome is real. An example was when I was interviewing for a C-suite position, in front of peers, some of which I knew for 20+ years, and after the interview many telling me: 'I never knew that about you, how will we let others know?'"
Kirsten King, Chief Executive Officer, New England Water Works Association, Inc.
"Federal job applications often depend upon being able to take a position below your knowledge, skills, and educational attainment level. Better to start at the top and go down. Get that 3/2 masters!"
Anonymous, Laboratory Director
"Delegate and Collaborate — I don't have to do everything on my own. There are so many volunteer organizations, and other likeminded people who are doing the same things I am, so why not partner? Why not join forces and make things easier for both parties? Reach out for help, promote that idea, work on solutions together!"
Lettice Brown, MS4 Coordinator, City of York
"Obtain your certifications and licenses early on, while in college or as a recent graduate; then worry about opportunities. It is harder to study and pass tests later while you are working and living your life."
C Neisess, Associate Engineer, Stormwater Division, State DOT
"That sometimes the right answer takes time. I can be a bit impatient at times and want the answer to be immediately revealed or obvious to everyone, but sometimes the slow churn of collaboration and thinking things through out loud is exactly what a project needs for a solution to be successful."
Samantha Kepley, Principal of Project Management, Brown and Caldwell
"The lesson I learned that I wish I learned sooner is just that you do not have to know everything. As long as you can get the answer in a timely fashion the customer will be grateful!"
Anonymous, Inside Salesperson
"I wish I had learned sooner that there’s more than one way to build credibility. You don’t have to fit the traditional mold to belong. When you lean into your strengths and commit to improving the areas where you’re less experienced, you can carve out your own unique path."
Vanessa Kichline, Capital Project Facilitator, Dutchess County Water and Wastewater Authority
"When things seem to be a lost it can really be redirection to a bigger and brighter WIN! The journey and setbacks are all apart of becoming a success story. Embrace the challenges as everything works for your good."
Nadine Robertson, Project Leader, Veolia
"It’s all about people.
No matter what we do as designers, builders and innovators we need to be able to connect with compassion and understanding — our co-workers, our contractors and sub consultants, our clients and family and friends."
— Doreen Bartoldus, Senior Client Director, Brown and Caldwell