Cleveland Water Alliance is delighted to announce the appointment of two outstanding individuals to its Board of Directors. These accomplished professionals bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to our organization, and we are honored to have them join our team.
Abhishek Sharda, a Lake County resident and a graduate of Case Western Reserve University's Engineering School, has been selected to serve on our Board. Abhishek boasts over 20 years of experience as an automation and I&C professional, where he currently leads the National automation group for Brown & Caldwell, one of the largest Environmental Engineering Firms in the country. He also serves as a consulting engineer to federal and state agencies for their water and wastewater systems. Abhishek's contributions extend to national standards committees such as NIST and ISA, and he is a member of the DHS (Department of Homeland Security's) joint working group for Industrial Control Systems. His dedication to the community is further demonstrated by his involvement as a Governing board member for iSTEM school on the east side of Cleveland.
Maria Bocanegra, Chief Legal Officer for the Port of Cleveland, is another distinguished addition to our Board. With over 10 years of legal experience and a proven ability to navigate various areas of law, regulation, and policy issues, Maria is well-equipped to oversee all legal matters both internally and externally for the Port. Her responsibilities include ethics, risk management, compliance, labor, contracts, business transactions, bond financing, governance, and managing outside counsel. Maria's commitment to the water sector is evident through her previous role as National Chair for the Committee on Water at NARUC and her continuous exposure to new water-related issues impacting maritime. She has gained national recognition in both the transportation electrification and water space and has served on numerous advisory councils and boards related to these areas.
Maria's exceptional contributions have earned her recognition from various organizations, including Fortnightly's Under 40, Negocios Now's 40 Under 40, Negocios Now's Who's Who In Hispanic Chicago, and many more. Her work has been featured in prominent publications and she has presented before regulatory bodies such as FERC, EPA, and DOE. In 2021, Negocios Now selected her as one of the 50 Most Influential Latinos in Chicagoland, and she was recently honored as one of Crain's Cleveland's 2023 Notable Latino Leaders.
The Cleveland Water Alliance is confident that Abhishek Sharda and Maria Bocanegra will bring invaluable perspectives and leadership to our organization as we continue our mission to drive innovation and collaboration in the water sector. We warmly welcome them to our Board and look forward to their contributions in the years ahead.
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