The Milwaukee Water Council has selected Dean Amhaus, a veteran nonprofit leader and Milwaukee proponent, as its first executive director.
Amhaus has been promoting the city as president of Spirit of Milwaukee, a nonprofit organization charged with raising Milwaukee’s image locally, nationally and internationally.
“Through the generosity of Spirit of Milwaukee, Dean has already played a critical role in gaining attention for the Milwaukee Water Council with water leaders around the world,” said Rich Meeusen, co-chair of the Milwaukee Water Council and chairman, president and chief executive officer of Badger Meter Inc. “When we looked at who could help move the Water Council to the next level in its development, we quickly realized that we did not need to look far or spend time getting a new executive director up to speed.”
Amhaus has national, state and local experience including government relations, organizational management and marketing.
“Dean played an instrumental role in establishing Milwaukee and the Water Council as a member of the UN Global Compact Cities Programme,” said Paul Jones, co-chair of the Milwaukee Water Council and chairman and CEO of Milwaukee-based A.O. Smith Corp. “We have seen firsthand Dean’s ability to carefully build strategic partnerships and collaborations that cut across many sectors, all extremely critical in promoting the Water Council as an international leader.”
“It is truly an honor for me to have been selected. The Water Council is one of the most significant initiatives that the Milwaukee region has seen in several decades,” stated Dean Amhaus. “The remarkable support by this region in encouraging the growth of the water industry has been a key factor in the Council’s quick development. The Water Council cannot build the water industry alone; we need all our partners in academia, government, civic and non-profit organizations and of course, the business community.”
Amhaus will serve in a consulting role with the Spirit of Milwaukee to maintain its operations and funding programs.
The Milwaukee Water Council was formally created as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in February 2009 with the purpose of growing the Milwaukee region into a world hub for water research, education and economic development.
The Milwaukee Water Council’s office is located within the offices of the Greater Milwaukee Committee.
– BizTimes Milwaukee
