Emerson Ringger (she/her), Partner since 2022 | Community Water Solutions

“Nature has always been my best teacher, inspiration, and source of clarity. I am passionate about using my privilege to give back to the environment for all these gifts and helping communities form mutually beneficial relationships with nature.”

To Emerson, water is the essence of life. Emerson was the Partnership’s Community Water Solutions Partner. In that role, she brought a strong technical background together with a passion for connecting people with nature to help communities find equitable, sustainable solutions to water challenges. 

In her experience as a water resources and urban planning engineer for the Chicagoland area, she often saw disinvested communities, diverse perspectives, and a respect for nature left out of important planning decisions. In her work with the Partnership, Emerson works hard to bring people of all backgrounds to the table to help craft holistic, just, community-centered, and environmentally conscious water solutions. She strengthens our team’s water infrastructure work through skillful facilitation, project management, strategic planning, and data visualization.

She holds a Masters in Environmental and Ecological Engineering from Purdue University. As a Midwestern native, she is constantly awestruck by the Pacific Northwest landscape, rain or shine, and is always eager to explore more.

• ringger@willamettepartnership.org