Session 2:
On September 17–18, the E2L Fall Class of 2026 gathered for its second in-person session at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Following a land and watershed acknowledgment from participant Jaquelyn Mercado, the cohort was welcomed by Assistant General Manager Lisa Dye.
The cohort also welcomed three new faculty members to E2L, who led sessions throughout the two-day program. Thursday’s programming began with Leading for Innovation, led by Dr. Adrian Hightower, Sustainability and Resilience Manager at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, and co-led by Susana Arredondo, Executive Officer at the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board. The workshop prepared utility-industry professionals to foster a culture of innovation and lead responsible, innovative initiatives within complex, risk-sensitive organizations.
Participants then continued with Emotional Awareness in Leadership, led by Susana Arredondo and co-led by Anselmo Collins, Chief Operating Officer and Senior Assistant General Manager at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. The session explored the role of emotional awareness in effective leadership and provided participants with tools to strengthen their leadership practices and relationships.
On Friday, the cohort was welcomed by Miya Cain, Associate Director at FSG, who led a full-day session on Public Narrative, co-led by Christina Sanchez, Facilitator and Consultant at Christina Sanchez Consulting. Developed by Marshall Ganz, Public Narrative is a leadership-development framework that uses storytelling to motivate people to act on shared values and goals. Participants explored the Story of Self, Story of Us, and Story of Now as tools for connecting personal experiences to collective action.
The two-day session provided participants with opportunities to strengthen their leadership skills, explore new approaches to innovation and emotional awareness, and practice communicating their values and experiences through storytelling.
Interested in joining the next Educate 2 Lead cohort? Reach out to Laura Juarez at Laura@Latinosforwater.org