Three American Water Executives Honored by the National Diversity Council
Apr 26, 2021
Susan Hardwick, Valoria Armstrong and Pamela Richardson included on top lists
American Water, the largest publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company, announced that three of its executives were recognized by the National Diversity Council for their professionalism, integrity and leadership qualities.
American Water’s Chief Financial Officer Susan Hardwick was recognized as a Top 50 Financial Leader, while Valoria Armstrong, Chief Inclusion Officer and Vice President, External Affairs, was honored with the Leadership Excellence Award. Pamela Richardson, Vice President, Chief Labor Employment and Commercial Counsel, was recognized as a Top 50 General Counsel.
“American Water believes in investing in our people, our customers and our communities,” said Walter Lynch, President and CEO of American Water. “At American Water, we encourage, honor, and celebrate differences in our employees, including race and ethnicity. Inclusion and diversity of ideas, thoughts and experiences are vital to our culture and the way we do business. Having multiple members of our leadership team be recognized by the National Diversity Council is a true honor for us.”
Recognized as a Top 50 Financial Leader, as CFO Hardwick is responsible for all aspects of financial management and strategy, including directing finance strategy, investor relations, treasury, financial planning, accounting, internal audit, risk management, supply chain, regulatory services, and control functions. She leads a diverse organization that provides continuous opportunities for growth among her employees and challenges them to achieve their personal and professional goals. Hardwick treats her employees with respect, integrity and fairness and is committed to developing and engaging talented professionals.
Armstrong was honored with the Leadership Excellence Award, which distinguishes a select group of individuals from diverse fields. According to the National Diversity Council, the focus of the award is to give prominence to accomplishments of men and women who exceed the scope of what is expected in their organizations and communities.
Armstrong has been responsible for strengthening the American Water’s inclusion and diversity strategy by creating a comprehensive and integrated focus on driving diversity, equity, mutual respect, and inclusiveness across the organization. She is also responsible for leading government and regulatory affairs across American Water’s regulated and market-based businesses. Armstrong engages with key external stakeholders like the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and the National Utilities Diversity Council.
Recognized as a Top 50 General Counsel, Richardson is a key leader at American Water, providing advice and counsel on a wide variety of employment issues affecting American Water’s more than 7,000 employees. She assists the company’s labor relations team with strategy and provides legal counsel on issues unique to the company’s 3,000 union represented employees.
Richardson is also responsible for organizing and overseeing the legal department’s diverse supplier strategic goals and for its Diversity Corporate Legal Summer Internship Program, which provides promising law students greater opportunities. Richardson serves as the executive sponsor to the company’s African American/Black Employee Business Resource Group, which is a forum for employee participation and business impacts in the areas of careers, culture, and community.
“Creating an inclusive and diverse work environment is not something a company can achieve by checking off a series of boxes. It requires honest self-examination and a commitment to deep fundamental change,” said Melanie Kennedy, Chief Human Resources Officer. “Over the last few years, American Water has worked hard to embed inclusion and diversity into the fabric of our culture. These recognitions highlight the efforts our company has made to hire, develop, and promote diverse talent. As a company, we understand that our diversity is our strength as reflected in the inclusivity of our employees and the communities we serve.”
The formal ceremony for these awards took place virtually at the 17th Annual National Diversity and Leadership Conference on April 21-22 and April 28-29, 2021 hosted by DiversityFirst™. The conference was held virtually with this year’s theme being “Be a Changemaker”. The four-day conference honored a number of diverse talent from different industries.
More News and Articles
Jul 24, 2024
News
UK utilities place multiple orders for settlement tank technology
Northumbrian Water, Southern Water, and Dŵr Cymru upgrading wastewater sites
Three UK water utilities have agreed orders for the installation of a total of six conical settlement …
Jul 22, 2024
Article
Reusing wastewater, rethinking water: Maharashtra's roadmap
How Maharashtra turns wastewater into a resource
Water resource management is a critical issue globally, and in India, the state of Maharashtra is pioneering efforts to regulate and …
Jul 19, 2024
News
Kansas City advances fire hydrant leak detection technology
An acoustic fixed-base pipe monitoring technology that uses fire hydrants to host multi-sensor devices, has already found more than 30 leaks for Kansas City Water, says Lou Rossetti …
Jul 17, 2024
News
When two bores right a wrong
The Edge Underground team is adamant: there is always a risk of things going wrong on a trenchless project, even for the most prepared contractor.
Experience and having the right equipment can be the difference between …
Jul 15, 2024
News
Adapting to a region’s growing water and wastewater needs
Gippsland Water has completed two major projects to provide local communities with water security. Trenchless Australasia takes a look at the two projects helping increase water supply …
Jul 12, 2024
News
Connections made in Glastonbury
Difficult ground conditions called for a specialist solution when new PE pipes for potable water services had to be installed underneath two, 10-metre road crossings in the grounds of the UK’s ultimate music festival …
Jul 10, 2024
Article
The Water-Energy Nexus: Interdependence and Challenges
Niclas Andersson, CEO of AirWater2All, explains the connection between water and energy. The importance of this connection and the areas in which it needs to be considered are explained …
Jul 08, 2024
News
Minimising cultural impacts with trenchless technology
Yarra Valley Water is leveraging the benefits of trenchless technology to lessen impacts on the Upper Darebin Creek branch sewer project.
The project consists of building a 2.7km sewer pipe …
Jul 05, 2024
News
SprayWall: Reinforcing Underground Infrastructure with Unmatched Strength
In the trenchless technology industry, finding a rehabilitation solution that offers ease of installation and exceptional structural integrity is paramount.
For three decades, …
Jul 01, 2024
News
“Don’t let stereotypes hold you back”
Trenchless Australasia sat down with Rob Carr project manager Marie Piette to discuss her career and work at the microtunnelling contracting company.
From Norway to Cambodia and now Perth, Western Australia, …
Jun 28, 2024
News
Transforming Wastewater: Towards Climate-Neutral Sewage Treatment
Baden-Württemberg’s Minister President Winfried Kretschmann recently toured the Büsnau Training and Research Sewage Treatment Plant, where a pioneering project led by researchers …
Jun 26, 2024
News
Bothar advances with significant new contracts
Having commenced work on the Fitzroy to Gladstone Pipeline earlier this year, Bothar Boring and Tunnelling has announced the award of further contracts as part of its ongoing collaboration with …
Contact
American Water
Joseph Szafran
External Affairs Manager
1 Water Str
NJ 08105 Camden
United States
Phone:
+1 856 955 4304