July 29, 2021 – OAKLAND, CA – Today, the Board of Directors of the US Water Alliance announced that Mami Hara will be the organization’s next CEO. Mami currently serves as general manager and CEO of Seattle Public Utilities and previously served as the first deputy commissioner at Philadelphia Water. With over three decades of experience in water and land management, Mami advances sustainable practices through investments, workforce development, cultivating leaders and partnerships, inclusive community participation, science-based decisions and planning, and knowledge sharing.
The board of directors also announced today that Oluwole A. (OJ) McFoy, general manager of the Buffalo Sewer Authority, will serve as the new chair of the US Water Alliance Board of Directors. Previously, OJ served as board vice chair.
“I want to thank the board for their faith in me to serve as the next CEO of the US Water Alliance at this critical juncture for the organization, the One Water movement, and water management in the US. We have so many opportunities to build on the great work this organization has done over the last several years and move the conversation forward on water’s most pressing challenges. Now is water’s time, and as the heart and conscience of the water sector and One Water movement, the US Water Alliance must facilitate common-ground solutions to challenges around investment in water, water equity, climate resilience, and more,” said Mami Hara, incoming CEO of the US Water Alliance.
“On behalf of the US Water Alliance, I want to congratulate Mami Hara on her appointment to serve as the organization’s next CEO. We conducted a very thorough nationwide search to fill the position after Radhika Fox departed the organization to become the EPA Office of Water Assistant Administrator. Mami’s unique blend of water sector expertise and passion for water equity and environmental justice made her the perfect person to lead the Alliance into its next chapter.
“The board wants to acknowledge and thank Alliance Vice Presidents Sara Aminzadeh and Renée Willette, who worked diligently as interim co-CEOs during this transition. The Alliance has a deep bench of talented staff and a committed board ready to work alongside Mami as we move the organization’s critical work forward,” said OJ McFoy, board chair of the US Water Alliance.
Mami Hara will continue to serve as the CEO of the Seattle Public Utilities until October 14 and will assume the role of CEO of the US Water Alliance on October 15. Previously, Mami served as board chair for the US Water Alliance. She stepped back from that role during the CEO search period and subsequently resigned from the board.
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Media Contact: Abigail Gardner | media@uswateralliance.org
