Rosemary Menard, Water Director for the City of Santa Cruz, California, is the 2022 Water Finance & Management Award Winner

As we know, utility work is multifaceted. Just as every water utility needs a dedicated team of operators, lab technicians and field crews, it also doesn’t hurt to have a leader like Rosemary Menard who specializes in a different end of the business – interfacing with the local government and community to put projects in a position for success.

It’s a skill perhaps even more critical in drought-stricken California, where Menard has served as water director for the City of Santa Cruz since 2014. In this position, she has helped guide the Santa Cruz Water Department through multiple droughts, wildfires, repair and replacement of aging infrastructure, a pending treatment plant upgrade, meter replacements and a plan to supplement the city’s water supply and prepare for the ongoing effects of climate change.