A Note From Tia:
On July 1, I officially stepped into the role of sole Executive Director at CalWEP. After six amazing years of co-leading with Sarah Foley, it’s a bittersweet transition. Sarah has been not only an amazing partner but also a friend and mentor. I’ll deeply miss our daily collaboration, but I’m also so excited for her as she heads into a well-earned retirement.
Together, under our shared leadership, we’ve achieved so much:
- Welcomed nearly 50 new urban water suppliers into our growing member community
- Hosted more than 20 Plenary events and six Peer-to-Peer conferences across California (and they keep getting better and better!)
- Expanded and streamlined our training programs like QWEL, certifying hundreds of landscape professionals
- Developed a robust suite of resources in our Compliance Resource Hub from the CII Classification and DIM Guidebooks to high level cut sheets, the LAM Explorer, and more
- Launched new member programs through Smart Rebates expansion and Direct Distribution partnerships
- Represented and elevated our members’ voices in California’s legislative and regulatory arenas
These collective wins have laid a strong foundation, and we’re just getting started. Here's what’s still to come just in 2025:
- A comprehensive Non-Functional Turf Toolkit and statewide customer-facing website to support AB 1572 implementation
- A new, robust guidance document to help water suppliers measure and evaluate water savings with confidence
- Pilot classes for a new Leak Detection Plumber Training partnering with IAPMO
- An online Spanish-language glossary to make our field more accessible and inclusive
- And of course, more opportunities to connect and grow together at our upcoming hybrid Plenary events in Los Angeles (September) and Sacramento (December)
I’m so proud of what our team has built, and I’m even more energized by what’s ahead. Thank you for being part of this community. I’m looking forward to continuing this work with all of you.
With gratitude,
Tia