Liesel Hans Joins AWE as Director of Programs

AWE is excited to welcome Liesel Hans to our team as our Director of Programs! Liesel brings a wealth of water efficiency experience, most notably in her nearly seven years at the helm of the City of Fort Collins (CO) water conservation program.

In less than five years as Water Conservation Manager, she added four new staff members, quadrupled annual water savings, and built or evolved several programs. Among these programs are a Landscape Transformation initiative—which swaps an average of 1,500 square feet per household and saves between 14-18 gallons per square foot—and a leak notification program that reaches over 14,000 customers per year. Liesel went on to serve as Interim Utilities Deputy Director at Fort Collins, leading three critical divisions and 40 staff in Water Resources, Water Quality, and Regulatory Affairs. It was in this role that she launched the city’s Safe Water Action Program (SWAP), a cross-disciplinary initiative aimed at removing lead “goosenecks” in the water service line.

Prior to joining the conservation team at City of Fort Collins, Liesel worked at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where she researched and conducted outreach on policy and industry-relevant energy and water issues. She also spent three years as an instructor in the Department of Economics at Colorado State University, and as a Water Board Member for City of Fort Collins.  

Liesel earned a B.A. in Mathematics from Drew University before completing her PhD in Economics at Colorado State University. She’s co-authored numerous research reports on a variety of water topics, including “Exploring the Energy Benefits of Advanced Water Metering” and “Modeling commercial demand for water: Exploring alternative prices, instrumental variables, and heterogeneity.”

“I’m excited to grow with the incredible team at the Alliance for Water Efficiency, and to work with partners and stakeholders across North America,” Liesel said. “We need to accelerate the adoption and impact of water conservation and efficiency strategies to address the challenges of population growth and climate change.”

“Liesel has a terrific combination of experience in academic research and water utility program management,” AWE President and CEO, Ron Burke, said. “The Alliance will benefit greatly from her expertise and her proven record of success in implementing projects and programs that align with AWE’s mission.”