Melissa Meeker, chief executive officer of The Water Tower, recently announced her planned departure. The water innovation center based in Buford, Georgia, will begin a search for new leadership.
The Water Tower is a first-of-its-kind nonprofit water innovation hub born out of the Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources that opened its doors in April 2022. The $33.7 million campus is a global hub for water utilities, researchers, companies and other water-related organizations.
The campus features multiple laboratories, a field training center and water technology demonstration areas. It is located next to Gwinnett County’s F. Wayne Hill Water Resources Center, an award-winning advanced wastewater treatment and resource recovery facility.
According to her bio on The Water Tower’s website, Meeker was the primary architect around the creation of the unique innovation center and has been involved with the project from inception, through construction and marketing, and into full operations.
“With the support of this forward-thinking county and its incredible leadership over this time, along with an amazing and brilliant team and Board of Directors (times 2!), we have created something unique and impactful to the citizens in Gwinnett, our state, and the #water industry, Meeker wrote on LinkedIn. “What I’m most proud of is our focus on skilled-trades and providing opportunities in amazing water careers to people who never gave water a second thought…and now they love it as much as we do.”
The Water Tower is comprised of two nonprofit organizations: The Water Tower at Gwinnett, a 501(c)4 responsible for the development and operations of the campus, and The Water Tower Institute, a 501c3, which focuses on solutions, instruction and engagement programming.
Meeker noted that since its opening in 2022, The Water Tower has issued more than 1,600 continuing education units (CEUs) that allow operators to maintain certifications and continue to deliver safe drinking water and protect the environment. The Water Tower has also provided training to about 250 entry-level water/wastewater trainees through its hands-on programming. Meeker said 60 of those trainees were Gwinnett residents who upon passing their certification exam, began working full-time for Gwinnett County of a utility/contractor partner in Metro Atlanta.
Meeker has worked in water resources management for more than 30 years, with an emphasis on water reuse, stormwater and desalination, across the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. Before her involvement with The Water Tower, she served as CEO of the Water Research Foundation and prior to that was executive director of the WateReuse Association. Her other prior positions include Deputy Secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and executive director of the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD).
There is no specific date for Meeker’s exit and she plans to remain supportive of the transition through early 2027 while a search for new leadership is conducted. For more information, the position posting for chief executive officer can be found here: https://lnkd.in/e-9tAUYi.
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