PNCWA2022 Opening Session

 Monday, September 12, 2022 Spokane Convention Center

Opening Session Speaker

Phyllis Brunner

 Phyllis Brunner

Phyllis Brunner is an experienced consulting professional, president, operations manager and licensed civil engineer with over forty-five years working in the water and wastewater industry. As President of Consulting for Woodard and Curran from 2016 to 2021, she was responsible for business performance, sales, growth, and delivery of project work across a national footprint for public and private clients. She led the consulting operations through the first year of the COVID pandemic and the integration of a number of  acquisitions across the country during her five-year tenure.  Phyllis worked at Brown and Caldwell, based out of the Seattle office for over twenty years, fifteen of which were as the West Regional Manager. Previous experience was with Woodward Clyde as office manager, the City of Boulder, Colorado in the utilities department and several smaller firms in Colorado and New Jersey.  

Phyllis has developed and led sales and technical strategic plans to drive long-term business results. She has a unique ability to lead teams that build strong client relationships, that plan, design and implement complex project solutions that deliver successful business metrics. She has advocated for sustainability and green engineering solutions before it was in vogue and her passion around developing talent for next generation leadership has been a focus for much of her professional life. She has dedicated her career to breaking down barriers for women in   environmental engineering and more specifically the water profession, often having been the first woman in the room, the position, or the organization.

Phyllis grew up in the northeast but has lived and worked in the Pacific Northwest since 1985. She, her husband David, and her daughter Claire enjoy a bi-coastal lifestyle that lets them enjoy the beauty nature offers and makes them keenly aware of the impacts of climate change and the urgency to develop sustainable solutions. Currently, as President of the Indian Island Association, based in Casco Bay, Maine, Phyllis collaborates with community leaders, governmental agencies, and non-profit organizations to make responsible, equitable, and environmentally-sound investment decisions that will protect coastal communities for generations to come. She loves to fish, garden, travel, read, and walk!