Launched in 2024, the Isle US Team established the Trailblazer Awards to honor the hard work of our TAG Members on the frontlines of advancing the sector and celebrate the individuals and utilities driving innovation forward.
Isle US Recognizes the 2026 Trailblazer Award Winners
At Isle, we believe a culture of innovation demands unwavering commitment and the courage to challenge the status quo. We know the path to innovation is rarely easy, and requires persistence to find the right solutions, get stakeholder buy-in, work within tight budgets, and navigate complex regulatory environments.
Launched in 2024, the Isle US Team established the Trailblazer Awards to honor the hard work of our TAG Members on the frontlines of advancing the sector and celebrate the individuals and utilities driving innovation forward. Recipients are recognized for leadership across a range of areas: fostering knowledge exchange among utility peers, engaging in early-stage research and technology development, piloting emerging Technology Readiness Level (TRL) solutions, and adopting technologies that boost operational efficiency, strengthen infrastructure resiliency, or advance net-zero goals.
We are thrilled to announce the 2026 Winners!
Diamond Award: Zonetta English, Louisville and Jefferson County Metropolitan Sewer District
Zonetta English received the Diamond Award, which honors exceptional women and BIPOC individuals who have demonstrated outstanding achievements and leadership within the water sector. Zonetta was recognized for her leadership and collaborative spirit. She has been a force for the innovation community and always committed to lifting up colleagues and peers across the sector. More recently, under Zonetta’s trailblazing and strategic leadership, Louisville MSD has become an early adopter of a digital twin solution for operations and maintenance to support energy and chemical savings, performance optimization, training tools for staff, and guidance on longer-term capital decisions.
Innovator of the Year: Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts (LACSD)
The Innovator of the Year Award recognizes a utility leading the TAG Network by example. This forward-thinking organization is enthusiastic and pursues cutting-edge solutions by actively engaging in early-stage research and technology development that looks ahead to the future. For the past 11 years as a TAG Member, Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts have embodied the spirit of TAG by piloting and deploying new solutions and enthusiastically sharing results and insights with their peers. Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts are some of the first to test new technologies and processes. Other utilities have visited their facility or requested calls to learn how new technologies and systems are being deployed, such as testing of hydrocyclones, setting up an in-house PFAS Lab, or implementing nanobubble technology. They are a utility in a league of its own when it comes to innovation.
One Team, One Dream (Utility): Austin Water
The One Team, One Dream (Utility) Award recognizes a utility that is consistently committed to collaboration, engagement, and supporting their peers in the network so that everyone rises together to advance the sector. As a TAG Member for ten years, Austin Water has distinguished itself as a collaborative, forward-thinking utility that values peer learning and knowledge sharing, particularly around data management and maturity. They have been an incredible resource for large utilities looking to climb the data maturity curve, and the guidance they shared with one utility peer was instrumental to the success of that organization’s data program benchmarking exercise. Across the organization, managers and leaders consistently step up to engage and learn from the Isle community.
One Team, One Dream (Individual): Bob Bucher, King County
The One Team, One Dream (Individual) Award recognizes an individual who demonstrates a passion for collaboration and partnership. Bob exemplifies the collaborative leadership that drives meaningful innovation in the water industry. Bob’s team has driven industry-leading research with their early-to-market piloting on treatment processes and nutrient removal. As a leader, Bob empowers his staff to try new things, and mentors staff in other parts of the utility, bringing operators, mechanics, and process staff together to pilot new wastewater technologies. He inspires teamwork and consensus, and is a catalyst for knowledge sharing. At TAG Meetings, Bob always comes with a PowerPoint presentation ready to share the wealth of knowledge with his peers in both the Pacific Northwest and Western Wastewater TAG regions. Bob and his team are eager to collaborate beyond their region and connect with peers across the country.
Maverick Award: Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP)
The Maverick Award recognizes a utility that values and embodies a culture of innovation: where innovation is a “must have,” not a “nice to have.” The utility plays a significant role in influencing how fellow TAG Members perceive innovation and are always up for challenging the status quo. LADWP exemplifies this maverick spirit through their longstanding commitment to innovation and harnessing their team’s expertise into actual projects. Employees can share ideas through an internal platform, which routes concepts through a structured process to identify promising opportunities. Their engagement with industry groups as well as their partnerships with local universities and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) further strengthens their scientific foundation and accelerates new approaches.
Audacity Award: DC Water
The Audacity Award honors the industry’s true catalysts, those visionary organizations who challenge conventional wisdom and reject the status quo. These are the pioneers who see beyond existing boundaries to reimagine what is possible. DC Water is on the frontline of understanding how artificial intelligence will influence the water sector and sharing their early learnings about AI with peers. They are actively engaged in collaborative national efforts including a study with the Water Research Foundation that are helping define structured approaches, governance models and, technical and security frameworks for AI adoption as well as guidelines and best practices for the use of Generative AI and Large Language Models in the municipal water sector. DC Water’s continued efforts to engage with, and not shy away from, rapidly developing technology and innovation, and their willingness to support peers and the wider water sector, is a testament to their bold goals and enthusiasm, always rooted in supporting their mission, their community, and the broader industry.
Interested in nominating a utility peer for a Trailblazer Award? Please contact Amelia Mioranza at amelia.mioranza@isleutilities.com. Stay in the loop on what’s next by subscribing to the newsletter here.