Reed Connell

Executive Director, A Home Within

California is expected to lose 10% of its snowpack by 2040. For a state that depends on that water to supply millions of homes, businesses, and farms, the pressure to use water more efficiently has never been greater or more urgent.

I'm Tia Fleming, Executive Director of the California Water Efficiency Partnership. I started my career as a community organizer working on climate justice campaigns in Detroit and Oakland. That foundation shapes everything about how I lead, including how I built CalWEP into what it is today.

Since joining in 2019, I've grown CalWEP from a fledgling organization with limited statewide reach into California's central convening organization for water efficiency. Our 250+ water agency members collectively serve over 7 million connections (nearly 20 million Californians) alongside a broader network of businesses and institutions. Through peer-sharing, applied research, innovative programs, and workforce development, we work across the state to drive the market transformation our sustainable water future demands.

I am seeking this SPNM scholarship because CalWEP is at an inflection point, and I want to scale this work with intention. SPNM is where I will develop the frameworks required to ensure our impact reaches every California community that needs it.