Renee Lanza recently received the 5 Under 35 Outstanding Young Professional Award, presented by the American Water Works Association (AWWA) during Opening General Session at the ACE22 event in San Antonio, Texas. The award was established in 2021 to recognize and honor young professional AWWA members who demonstrate outstanding service to the organization’s regional sections and the national association through leadership and active participation in young professional programs, as well as their efforts to advance the water sector by representing students and young professionals’ interests. This honor comes on the heels of being named 2021 New England Water Works Association (NEWWA) Younger Member of the Year.
Based in Andover, Massachusetts, Renee is a Project Manager, working primarily on water infrastructure projects with a focus on drinking water. She has 10 years of experience delivering municipal projects across the country, including the design of drinking water treatment facilities and long-term capital planning. Renee has a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and is currently an MBA Candidate at Yale School of Management.
In addition to her role here at Woodard & Curran on drinking water-related project work, Lanza is active in industry organizations, with a focus on AWWA and NEWWA. She has been a member of the AWWA Young Professionals Committee since 2019, served for three years as Vice Chair of the AWWA Water Treatment Design & Construction committee, and is now Vice Chair of the AWWA Capital Project Delivery Committee. She serves at the AWWA YP liaison to the Public Affairs Council and has held numerous leadership positions with planning the AWWA Young Professional Leader Day and AWWA/WEF YP Summit. She published a column in Journal AWWA in June 2021 and has presented at numerous regional and national conferences. Locally, Renee is an active member of the New England section and currently serves as Chair of the NEWWA Young Professionals Committee.
When asked her thoughts on AWWA’s Water 2050 initiative, which seeks to establish long-term vision of the future of water, Lanza said, “Many of our challenges in the water industry come down to who pays for it. Most everyone wants to do the right thing, but it’s a challenge of the magnitude of cost and the financial responsibility. A sustainable, thriving water future is one where public-private partnerships and regionalization can result in providing better service to customers while giving water utilities the resources they need to deliver the highest quality water.”
AWWA is the largest non-profit, scientific, and educational association dedicated to managing and treating water.
