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Leading the Way

For 15 up-and-coming Californians, January 2001 will not only be the true start of the new millennium, it will also be the start of a year-long program designed to begin preparing them for a lifetime of leadership in California's byzantine water world.

The Water Education Foundation's Water Leaders Class, now entering its fifth year, is meant to bring more representative perspectives to critically important California water policy issues. "California's population is getting younger and more diverse, but the water community is not," says Jean Auer, who created the program at the urging of the Foundation's Rita Schmidt Sudman.

Participants in the class must commit to attend several of the Water Education Foundation's briefings and attend two three-day tours of the state's water system. In addition, they spend a day shadowing a mentor - a major water figure from government, urban water interests, agriculture, an environmental organization or a public interest group (class organizers make a deliberate effort to pair students with mentors from different backgrounds). Participants also interview their mentor about an issue - such as this year's topic, water quality - selected by the class; the class as a whole then prepares a report on the topic.

For Rishi Das of the Trust for Public Land, a member of the Class of 2000, a highlight of the program was a day spent accompanying his mentor, DWR's Chief Deputy Director Steve Macaulay, to a CALFED policy meeting. "It was fascinating to witness the process at first hand," he says. "The class was incredibly valuable," says Denise Kruger, vice president for Water Quality at Southern California Water Company, a member of the first class. "It really broadened my perspective, not just on water quality but on all water issues." This year Kruger is serving as a mentor for the class, mentoring a water supply engineer. "Mentoring is a continuation of my own education."

Program applicants must show a commitment to understanding water issues, as well as an intent to seek leadership roles, such as public office or positions on boards and commissions. Because the program requires a substantial time commitment - about two weeks total - the support of their employers is also helpful. Tuition is $1,000, although scholarships are available thanks to grants from the S.F. Foundation and others. "We have to make sure that nobody is left out because they can't afford it," says Auer.

The program is proving almost too popular. The Class of 2000 is the largest yet, with 18 members, but the Foundation's Rita Sudman says that is slightly too big; future classes will be limited to 15. That's too bad, says Kruger. "There's a lot of good that can come out of this class - it would be great if they could expand it." Contact: Water Education Foundation (916) 444-6240 or www.watereducation.org CH

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