Developing Utility Expertise and Leadership™ (DUEL™)–cohort 1

This session is reserved for DUEL™ cohort 1.
Pre-requisite: Foundations course #1 held on April  29-30, 2025 and foundations course #2 held on September 17-18, 2025.

Thriving together: Leadership for dynamic teams and evolving challenges

Gas landscape in municipal utilities
Gain a practical introduction to the structure, operations, and strategic considerations of municipal utilities and the natural gas markets—whether your community operates a gas utility or not. This course explores how gas utilities serve their communities, the regulatory and safety frameworks that guide their operations, the relationship between gas markets and electricity costs, and the evolving challenges and opportunities facing the sector.

Water landscape in municipal utilities
This session introduces leaders to the operational, regulatory, and strategic dimensions of municipal water utilities. Participants will gain insight into how water systems are governed, funded, maintained, and regulated, with emphasis on infrastructure planning, public health standards, and environmental stewardship.

Teams, culture, and change
Discover the essentials of a strong organizational culture—shared values, intentional behaviors, and daily practices that spark engagement, collaboration, and innovation. Learn to build a culture where people feel connected, empowered, and inspired. This session explores high-performing team dynamics and offers leaders practical tools to drive change with clarity and resilience, maintaining cultural integrity and team strength—especially in municipal utilities.

Data and analytics for municipal utilities
This module provides a high-level overview of the types of data municipal utilities must collect and analyze to enhance efficiency, meet reporting requirements, and communicate impact. Designed for utility leaders, this session emphasizes the importance of identifying relevant data sets, understanding their strategic value, and using them to inform decisions and tell the utility's story.

Interactive capstone project
Participants will apply their learning to develop a strategic initiative aimed at improving operational efficiency, service delivery, or sustainability within their municipal utility. Each leader will identify a key challenge and design a solution framework aligned with long-term utility goals. Capstone presentations will be shared with peers for feedback and collaborative learning.

Times have been adjusted slightly

January 21–11:30 am to 6:00 pm (lunch served at 11:30 am)
January 22–7:30 am to 1:00 pm (continental breakfast served at 7:30 am)