18990_Authority_Feb_2026

municipalauthorities.org │ 43 By joining the water industry at this time, I had to jump in quickly to implement new ways of reaching our customers that hadn’t been tried before. It was a lot of fun, and we also found out we had a lot to learn about customer engagement. Mailing a multi-page technical water quality report to our customers was met with resounding silence. Implementing an autodialing system for customer notifications meant we had to constantly seek ways to gather phone numbers from customers we hadn’t spoken with in years. LCA sought to learn from our missteps by embracing technology with a new customer information system and interactive website. We continue to learn and advance our customer engagement work today. As I was learning about the water industry in those early years, I was also getting to know the LCA team. I became involved in employee engagement and workforce planning efforts, as we started to prepare for the many retirements that would occur in the next decade – a challenge that many utilities faced then and continue to grapple with today. In parallel, I earned my master’s degree in public administration and wrote my thesis on knowledge management strategies for small water utilities in Pennsylvania, drawing on the expertise and guidance of water leaders that I had met through LCA’s involvement with the Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Association. LCA has transformed dramatically during the time I have been here. In 2013, we made the bold decision to pursue a 50-year operating lease agreement with our neighboring City of Allentown water and sewer system. Our small organization quickly grew from 37 employees to 151. Now, we have 201 budgeted positions plus six interns. Shortly after the ink dried on the lease agreement with Allentown, the retirement wave began, and we faced full-scale turnover in our leadership team. When our Chief Executive Officer, Aurel Arndt, announced his plans to retire by the end of 2015, I was not confident in my ability to lead this new organization into the future. I felt under-qualified and declined to apply for the job. Today, I understand this is a very common response among professional women, and a barrier we need to break within ourselves. When the first round of recruiting was concluded with no decision made about Mr. Arndt’s replacement, I started talking with women I trust – in our industry, in my family, in my friend circle. They encouraged me to apply and helped me to see that I didn’t need to fit into the prior CEO’s shoes. I could lead in my own way. Thankfully, the LCA Board of Directors agreed. With a decade in the CEO role already behind me, I continue to struggle with confidence. I am surrounded by men and women (but still mostly men) who bring significant technical knowledge to the table, which can feel intimidating to a non-technical person like me. I have embraced that human emotion, and address it by drawing on my own unique strengths to navigate today’s challenges in water utility leadership. Whether planning for massive capital investment to remove lead pipes, reviewing new legislation or regulations that will impact our industry, or developing plans to support a new generation of water workers, I try to focus on listening to the experts on the team, engaging with key stakeholders, communicating LCA’s vision, and aligning resources around our goals. Serving as a woman in leadership has been incredibly rewarding. I have been blessed to receive inspiration and support from family, friends and colleagues over the course of nearly three decades. Every day I am amazed at the chance to learn something new, or to be inspired by my coworkers and colleagues who are passionate about protecting public health and the environment. I am also encouraged by every industry association meeting I attend when I see more women and young people entering our field. The water industry offers a place for everyone! S Each of these women have shared their knowledge, expertise, and insights in separate episodes of PMAA’s official podcast, Authorities on Air. Tune in to hear their stories and an inside look at their authority service in action. • Down the Drain – Where Your Wastewater Goes – Shannon Drosnock • Safe Water, Healthy Communities – Why Regulations Matter – Liesel Gross • Green Stormwater Infrastructure - City Beautiful H2O: A CRW Story – Claire Maulhardt