Developing Utility Expertise and Leadership™ (DUEL™)–Cohort 3

This session is reserved for DUEL™ cohort 3
Pre-requisite: Foundations course #1 held on April 22-23, 2026 and foundations course #2 held on September 30-October 2, 2026.

Thriving together: Leadership for dynamic teams and evolving challenges

Municipal water utilities landscape
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.

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.

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.

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.

Schedule

January 20–11:30 am to 6:00 pm (lunch served at 11:30 am)
January 21–7:30 am to 1:00 pm (continental breakfast served at 7:30 am)