Susan Leal

Susan Leal is a water utility expert and author specializing in identifying realistic and creative solutions to the water-related challenges.

Currently, she is Principal and Founder of Urban Water Works a consultancy firm that Leal advises public and private sector clients on water, wastewater and energy issues related to climate change, resiliency and sustainability. She just concluded three years as the Chief Strategy Officer and Senior Vice President for Water, the Americas at AECOM.

Previously, she concluded a two-year Senior Fellowship at Harvard University. As part of her fellowship, she co-authored Running Out of Water, a proactive book focused on solutions to our looming water crisis. She continues to serve as an Associate of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard and has recently agreed to co-author a book for Harvard University Press. She is a member of the advisory board of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UC Berkeley, where she also received her BA and JD.

As former General Manager of San Francisco’s Public Utilities Commission, Ms. Leal led the charge for a dramatic upgrade of the Bay Area’s water system and outdated wastewater system. She previously served two terms as the elected Treasurer of the City and County of San Francisco and as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.