Smart Risks, Rebuilding Infra, Change and Women in STEAM with Carla Reid, CEO of WSSC Water

Carla Reid is the CEO of Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) Water, one of the largest utilities in the country, serveing over 1.8 million residents through 11,000 miles of water and sewer mains, 2 water filtration plants, and 6 Water Resource Recovery Facilities. She also served on the boards of several reputed organizations such as DC Water, Prince George County Revenue Authority and was an adjunct professor at the University of the District of Columbia.

Carla first tells us about her upbringing, and how that, along with some early career mentors, motivated her to grow from entry level to the corner office at WSSC.   She then talks about her "Triple A" challenge - aging infrastructure, an aging workforce, and customer affordability issues.  Of course, all of this was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Innovation is key in meeting all of these challenges, and while the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) will help with some improvements, much more needs to be done in terms of system-wide upgrades.

Carla wants WSSC to be a "world class" organization - not just in the water industry, but as a company that both customers and employees are passionate about.  She explains.

From there we look at Carla's overall approach to system-wide improvements and the idea of "simplify, focus, and connect."

Climate change is certainly a major factor in the water sector - we explore how WSSC is preparing for the future in that regard.  We also talk specifically about the word change: and the different ways to look at change.  This involves going to the change instead of letting it come to you, and getting buy-in from your entire team on your strategic plan.

A topic that Carla is very passionate about is STEM, or STEAM (with the addition of the Arts).  She was often the first woman to hold many of the positions she was in.  She talks about the many ways to connect with girls and women to get them involved with STEAM and related career paths.

Mahesh and Carla talk about how they've evolved as leaders and CEO's over the years.  For Carla, she talks about only competing with yourself, not needing to know everything, and work-life balance.

Finally, we talk about the future workforce in the water industry- and the skills they will need.  Budgeting is an important skill, but don't forget about the ability to function in the political world!

Links:

WSSC Water Website: https://www.wsscwater.com/

Carla's Bio: https://www.wsscwater.com/person/carla-reid

Aquasight Website: https://aquasight.io/

Aquasight Website: https://aquasight.io/