2026 Agenda
*Subject to change. Check back for updates.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2026
5:30 p.m. Kickoff Mixer
THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2026
7:45 a.m. Women's Affinity Breakfast
8:00 a.m. Check-in, Networking and General Breakfast
9:00 a.m. Welcome and Overview – SWIS Co-Chairs
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Brad Herrema, Shareholder, Attorney, Natural Resources Department Chair, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
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Clay Landry, CEO, WestWater Research
9:10 a.m. Beyond Traditional Bonds: Blended Finance Strategies for Large-Scale Water Projects
Combining public agency resources, municipal bonds, bank placements, and private equity to finance water infrastructure projects too large for any single capital source.
9:45 a.m. Last Mile Water Solutions: Securing Supply for Community Development
Solving last-mile water delivery challenges for new developments - how community builders secure supply and infrastructure providers deliver solutions.
10:20 a.m. Networking Refreshment Break
10:40 a.m. Betting on Water: Evaluating and Managing Development Risk
Evaluating and managing risk in water rights development - regulatory uncertainty,
market timing and patient capital requirements.
11:15 a.m. Affordability and Infrastructure Investment
Balancing rising infrastructure investment needs with rate affordability - asking customers to
pay more while using less.
12:00 p.m. Keynote Lunch Presentation Featuring Patricia Mulroy
Lessons Learned Over Decades in Water Leadership - What it Takes to Lead Effectively.
1:30 p.m. Closing Fund I: Lessons from Raising and Deploying Water Infrastructure Capital
Real practitioner insights from closing a $142.8M water infrastructure fund - what worked in fundraising, selecting strategic partners and early capital deployment.
2:05 p.m. Conservation Meets Infrastructure: Funding Watershed-Scale Water Solutions
How foundation capital, utility resources, and conservation funding combine to finance watershed-scale solutions that build resilience for both ecosystems and water supply.
2:40 p.m. Networking Refreshment Break
3:15 p.m. Water Infrastructure Leadership: Capital Priorities from Watershed to Urban Systems
How water leaders evaluate and prioritize capital deployment decisions across different organizational models - from watershed-scale river authorities to large urban utilities.
3:50 p.m. Interview with Author Abrahm Lustgaren
“On the Move: The Overheating Earth and the Uprooting of America”
Discussion and Q&A on opportunities addressing future climate migration and water scarcity.
4:35 p.m. Ocean Sunset Happy Hour
FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2026
8:00 a.m. Networking Breakfast
9:00 a.m. Institutional Capital Deployment in Water Infrastructure
How investment banks, infrastructure funds, and global project developers evaluate, structure and deploy large-scale capital in water infrastructure investments.
9:35 a.m. Water Tech VC Track Record: What Investors Learned from Wins and Losses
Veteran water tech VCs discuss portfolio outcomes, exit experiences, market evolution and lessons learned from opening and closing funds.
10:10 a.m. Networking Refreshment Break + Check-Out Time
10:40 a.m. Water for Data Centers: Demand, Supply Challenges, and Infrastructure Investment
How data center expansion is driving unprecedented water demand - securing supply, overcoming infrastructure constraints, and financing solutions at scale.
11:15 a.m. Fireside Chat Featuring M. Camille Touton
Water Leadership Beyond Government: Lessons, Transitions and SWIS Reflections
Former USBR Commissioner reflects on her government experience, building her new water advisory practice, and observations from two days of water investment discussions at SWIS.
12:00 p.m. Closing Remarks
12:15p.m. Last Call Networking Lunch | Event Concludes
