It has been one year since the SFPUC’s Wastewater Enterprise Collections System Division became the first utility in California to become ISO 14001 certified and the team has another reason to celebrate. They recently passed rigorous auditing conducted through a third party to receive re-certification. “We are proud of this achievement as it shows that we are committed to not only improving our day-to-day operations and the way we track our work but…
Category: Leadership
What Equity and Inclusion Mean During COVID-19 for Tracy Zhu
During this unprecedented moment in history, Tracy Zhu has been thinking a lot about what it means to be a public servant and what she can do for San Francisco and the Bay Area at this inflection point. On a normal day, Zhu, Social Impact Partnership (SIP) Manager, is part of the SFPUC’s External Affairs…
Meet a SFPUC Marine Biologist From a Family of Scientists
Diane O’Donohue recalls being the only woman attending water quality meetings when she started her career as a Marine Biologist 28 years ago. Today, she is one among many women in the same field. Monday to Friday, one can find SFPUC Marine Biologist O’Donohue in the water quality laboratory of the Oceanside Wastewater Treatment Plant,…
Meet Thuy Hendricks, Who Celebrates the Contributions of Women in the Utilities Industry
For Thuy Hendricks, SFPUC Commercial Division Assistant Supervisor within Customer Service Bureau, everyday is different for her. Depending on the day’s scheduled activities, her responsibilities can range from reconciling financial reports to leading a testing project. Her typical day consists of analyzing accounts and exception completions, coaching, training and assisting her team. But one of…
How Asking “How Can I Help” Shaped Nate Kinsey’s Journey in Public Service
For Nathaniel (Nate) Kinsey, being a member of the SFPUC’s citizens advisory committee (CAC) has been an opportunity of giving back to the community. It started with one question, “how can I help?” Two years ago, Kinsey was appointed by the Mayor to represent a large San Francisco water user, when he worked for the…
Innovation is the Wave of the Future and It’s How We Will Meet Future Water Resource Challenges
San Francisco, a City known for innovation, is tapping into new ways to find, use and reuse water. Last year the SFPUC launched its PureWaterSF pilot program to demonstrate that it is feasible to treat wastewater on-site and make it available for drinking – and that it tastes good. This program took place within the agency’s…