Sharlene Leurig is the Texas Regional Director at WestWater Research, where she founded the firm’s Texas office in 2025. She brings 15 years of experience in water infrastructure finance, utility business model adaptation, and water markets.
At WestWater Research, Sharlene advises investment funds, family offices, municipalities, private landowners, and water management entities navigating the evolving landscape of water development in Texas. She draws on deep experience in water supply planning and alternative water supplies to help clients identify practical, transaction-ready solutions.
Prior to joining WestWater Research, Sharlene supported the water reuse market in Texas through her advisory firm, Fluid Advisors. Before that, she served as founding CEO of Texas Water Trade, where she established voluntary markets as a tool for environmental water management across the state, and chaired the Austin Water Forward Task Force, guiding development of Austin’s 100-year supply plan. That background in building market capacity and advising stakeholders across the water sector informs her work with WestWater clients today.
A Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation Entrepreneur and MIT-USGS Science Impact Collaborative Fellow, Sharlene holds a BA in Physics and English from Washington University in St. Louis and a Master’s in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Areas of Expertise
- Water Supply Planning
- Water Infrastructure Finance
- Water Resource Economics
- Water Policy & Law
- Water Transactions
- Water As A Service
Education
- Masters in City Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2007
- B.A., Physics & English, Washington University in St. Louis, 2002
Experience
- Founding CEO, Texas Water Trade, 2019 – 2024
- Project Director, Texas Environmental Flows Initiative, 2016-2018
- Water Program Director, Ceres, 2010-2016
- Insurance Program Manager, Ceres, 2007-2010
- Patent Examiner, US Patent and Trademark Office, 2002-2005
