LIESEL GROSS AMONG SENIOR UTILITY LEADERS APPOINTED TO AMERICAN WATER WORKS ASSOCIATION WATER UTILITY COUNCIL…CONGRATULATIONS LIESEL!
Liesel Gross, Chief Executive Officer for Lehigh County Authority (LCA), was recently appointed to the American Water Works Association’s (AWWA) Water Utility Council (WUC). She is one of twenty-five senior water utility leaders selected from across the United States to serve a three-year term on the council.
The AWWA is an international, nonprofit, scientific, and educational society dedicated to providing total water solutions assuring the effective management of water, and it is the largest organization of water supply professionals in the world. The organization has more than 4,300 member utilities that supply approximately 80 percent of the drinking water in our nation and nearly half of the country’s wastewater treatment.
The WUC oversees the AWWA’s government affairs program, ensuring all sectors of the industry and their consumers are represented. According to AWWA, “the Council includes officials from utilities of all sizes and both municipal and private ownership, and pains are taken to ensure widespread diversity and geographic representation in WUC membership.”
Regarding her appointment, Gross said “it is an important opportunity for LCA’s voice to be heard on a variety of national water policy issues, including infrastructure funding, new water quality regulations, Environmental Protection Agency administrative processes, and more. It is also a chance to bring back the most current information on policy trends, which will help LCA be prepared in advance for new programs or regulations.”
Ms. Gross holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from Kutztown University and has been employed by the Authority since 1998. She became Chief Executive Officer in 2016. Gross has served on the Board of Directors of the American Water Works Association (AWWA), Chair of the AWWA Pennsylvania Section, Trustee of the Northeast District AWWA, and has served on numerous committees of the Association. She was recently appointed to the Legislative Committee of the Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Association and the Executive Committee for the Water Resources Association of the Delaware River Basin. She is a member of the Board of Directors for the East Penn Chamber of Commerce and serves on the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Energy & Environment Committee.
New members to the Water Utility Council will take their seats at the conclusion of the AWWA Annual Convention and Exhibition, which ends June 17. Gross’s term runs through mid-June of 2024.
Susan Sampson
Communications Manager
Lehigh County Authority
www.lehighcountyauthority.org