Having street smarts is crucial to leading and adapting to situations, according to Dean Amhaus, president and CEO of The Water Council. “I place a lot of weight on a person’s innate ability to have a great sense of reading, understanding and responding to what is taking place around them,” he said. “The best way I can explain it is to have the ability to have a 360-degree view instead of having blinders that place your focus on one direction.”
These street smarts have allowed Amhaus to tap into decades of experiences that have shaped his career and leadership skills and identify the needs and mission of The Water Council.
The Water Council is a global hub dedicated to solving critical water challenges by driving innovation in freshwater technology and advancing water stewardship. The Water Council is the only nonprofit globally that offers comprehensive leadership drawing from its unique position at the epicenter of water innovation and water stewardship.
“It has been a remarkable and unbelievable journey leading The Water Council since its formation 15 years ago,” said Amhaus. “Early on, we recognized our global position as the global or national headquarters for a considerable number of water technology companies and this formed a solid foundation for our existence.”
What is a great testament to the council’s success is that organizations and cities that are seeking to build economic clusters are now turning to The Water Council and Milwaukee as the model. “It is my hope that over the years, I provided the leadership and vision for this unified team, as well as our partners, to create what is today a global hub dedicated to solving critical water challenges,” said Amhaus.
In his role, Amhaus has encouraged rapid growth and has been instrumental in creating WAVE, the first and only program to help companies launch corporate water stewardship programs. More than 10 organizations currently participate in WAVE, including two universities and privately held companies.
As a result, the program and Amhaus have achieved accolades including being named a recipient of the National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engine Development Award. Personally, Amhaus has been asked to serve on the board of directors of numerous national, state and local organizations and as a member of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Environmental Technologies Trade Advisory Committee. He was also awarded the NSF Engine Award.
“When building an organization like The Water Council, where there is no playbook, it is extremely important to take the approach of exploring every avenue possible,” said Amhaus. “I still remember very clearly one professor from college who told us to ‘never follow a banjo act with another banjo act unless yours is a lot better,’ and I still live by this today, which is why The Water Council stands alone as a Global Water Technology Hub.”
For his commitment to growth and sustainability as a leader, Amhaus has been named a Titan 100.
