2025 UWI Annual Newsletter
2025 Year in Review: A Milestone Year for Growth, Leadership & Connection at UWI
2025 has been a tremendous year of change and growth for UWI! Our Annual newsletter highlights the most exciting moments to give you a quick snapshot of 2025, plus a look ahead at what’s coming up in 2026…
New Executive Director Appointment
As you may know, our longtime Executive Director (ED) Ane Deister retired in August after 8 years of service to UWI. We put out the call for a visionary, collaborative leader who would serve as our new ED, and 11 highly qualified water leaders responded.
UWI Planning Chair Darcy Burke rose to the top based on her demonstrated ability to execute stellar UWI conferences combined with decades-long experience in water leadership. The UWI Board proudly endorsed Darcy with a unanimous vote of support at our August Board meeting. Please join us in officially welcoming her as the new Executive Director of UWI!
UWI Hits 100th Member!
We are absolutely thrilled to report that we recently hit our 100th member organization! This year alone, we’ve successfully achieved a 20% increase in membership growth—representing a nearly 100% increase since 2023! We are truly grateful for each and every member who put their trust in UWI and supported our important work.
Are you considering joining UWI? We’d love to welcome you. Just one membership provides benefits to everyone at your organization, including conference discounts, exclusive members-only events, and a seat on our board.
Our Biggest & Best Conference Yet
UWI conference registration is growing steadily, and we’re proud to report that the 2025 Annual Conference was our highest registration ever: 234 attendees!
A real highlight was the landmark Friday session on the highly contentious, 15-year legal battle between two of the largest and most powerful water agencies. For the first time ever, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Board Chair Adan Ortega and San Diego County Water Authority Board Chair Nick Serrano sat down to discuss the strategies they employed to collaborate, build trust and achieve resolution.
It’s a powerful example of how UWI conferences deliver dynamic, unprecedented conversations benefitting the entire water community.
Results of Our Membership Survey
As we look to continue growing our membership in 2026, our first priority is ensuring the satisfaction of our current members. That’s why we sent out a short survey asking our members how satisfied they are with UWI membership costs and benefits.
We’re pleased to report that nearly all our members are satisfied or very satisfied with the value UWI membership delivers. We’re also looking to add some new membership benefits in 2026 based on the items survey respondents rated as most valuable to their organization: workshops, happy hours/networking opportunities, VIP tours/webinars. Stay tuned for more info—coming in the new year! Take the survey now!
UWI's First Members-Only Event
This fall, UWI proudly held its first members-only event. On November 4, a small group of attendees participated in an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour of MWD’s Water Quality Lab, hosted by Section Manager Paul Rochelle. It was an exciting opportunity for our members to learn about MWD’s pioneering water quality testing and treatment methods, including rooftop access to the Weymouth Water Treatment Plant. View photos here!
Keep an eye out for more members-only events, coming your way in 2026!
New Spring Conference Venue
Following a nearly 30-year stint at the Hilton Palm Springs, we tried out a new Spring Conference location this year, but it still fell a bit short. Based on member/attendee feedback, we’re upgrading our Spring Conference to a bigger, better venue!
The Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa in Indian Wells features a gorgeous resort setting, outstanding hotel service, modern guest rooms and spacious meeting facilities. Register now for our Spring Conference and book your hotel room using the discounted UWI room block.