Our new Education & Outreach Associate, Holly Bomba, is focused on building public awareness around the many PWSA initiatives underway to provide the communities we serve with safe, reliable water services. She’s responsible for working in our communities to educate the public regarding water quality, our drinking water treatment processes, and much more.
What made you decide to join PWSA? PWSA has made tremendous strides to reestablish trust with the communities we serve. It’s clear to me, especially considering the recent replacement of our 10,000th lead service line and countless other infrastructure improvements, that PWSA is accountable to our region and our environment. It’s no small task to tackle the process of updating an older city’s aging water infrastructure, but PWSA has shown itself to be unflinchingly forward-thinking and mindful.
What are your favorite challenges to tackle? I love distillation – that is, the process of taking a big, technical topic and breaking it down into its essential parts. As an educator, give me an unwieldy scientific concept and I’m thinking of ways I can help others build connections to the ideas and make the core concepts more relatable. I love seeing that “ah ha” moment in others and teasing out the correct methods to make the biggest impacts.
What sort of impact do you hope to have at PWSA? Many neighbors can peer out of their windows to find evidence of work PWSA is performing in their neighborhoods. It’s normal to have questions about some of our projects and, considering the very fundamental nature of water, many want more information about issues that affect them. I hope to bring insight and understanding to our community about that work.
What do you like doing outside work? I’m an outdoor enthusiast to the max. Backpacking, hiking, kayaking, mountaineering, canyoneering – I love a good adventure and physical challenge. I also welcome recommendations for places to eat as a bit of a foodie!
What book have you recently read and why would you recommend it? If, like me, you enjoy a good deep dive into history, I can’t recommend Dan Carlin as a media creator enough. He’s written a few books and is well-known for his podcast, Hardcore History, in which he takes a very nuanced look into major world historical events from the perspectives of people living through those times. I just finished his book History at the Extremes.
