Women in Water Webinar Features Strong Water Advocates
On Thursday, January 30, 2025, the WRRC kicked off its Spring 2025 Water Webinar series with an energizing webinar, Women and Water — Networking and Leading Across the Globe. The event spotlighted four water professionals and the work they are doing to promote opportunities for women to boost their careers and serve their communities. The panelists and the organizations they represented were Elizabeth A. Koch (Women in Water Diplomacy Network), Darnella Melancon (Indigenous Women’s Leadership Network), Emma Robbins (Planet Women), and Meghan Scott (Arizona Association of Women in Water and Agriculture).
Ms. Koch, Senior Manager for International Programs at the Environmental Law Institute, presented on the purpose of the Women in Water Diplomacy Network — a global community of women water leaders (and male champions) working collectively to strengthen women’s leadership in transboundary water decision making in basins across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Ms. Melancon, who is a co-chair of the Indigenous Women’s Leadership Network (IWLN), and an enrolled member of the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe, underscored the need for increasing collaborative networks, emphasizing that, among other good work the organization does, IWLN allows women to strengthen their gifts and share their matriarchal wisdom. Ms. Robbins — a Diné artist, activist, and community organizer with a passion for empowering Indigenous women — is the CEO of Planet Women, an organization that collaborates with IWLN and gives a voice to women working toward solutions to conservation challenges and policy development. Ms. Scott, an attorney at Noble Law Office, is one of the co-founders of the Arizona Association of Women in Water and Agriculture, an organization “designed to support, promote, celebrate, and inspire women with careers and interest in water and agriculture through education, networking and fellowship.” In keeping with the tone of the other three panelists, she championed the importance of bringing women together, learning from one another, and inspiring future female water professionals to take on leadership roles in water and agriculture.
A lively discussion followed the presentations. Visit the links below to view the recorded webinar and learn more about the good work each of these women-focused organizations is doing.