WestWater Research is proud to announce that Sharlene Leurig has joined the firm as Texas Regional Director, marking a significant milestone in our continued expansion across the Lone Star State. With more than 15 years of experience in water infrastructure finance, water markets, and utility innovation, Sharlene brings a wealth of expertise and vision to her new role.
Sharlene is establishing WestWater’s Texas office in Austin, where she will lead our efforts to support clients across one of the country’s most dynamic and rapidly evolving water markets. Her work builds on a distinguished career at the intersection of water supply planning, project finance, and market-based water solutions.
From 2018 to 2024, Sharlene served as the founding CEO of Texas Water Trade an influential nonprofit that pioneered innovative transactions to restore environmental flows across the Gulf Coast and expand access to groundwater banking and decentralized water supply strategies statewide. During her tenure, she also helped launch Vida Water, a social enterprise delivering affordable, in-home water filtration to Texas families.
Sharlene’s leadership has been instrumental in shaping some of the state’s most forward-looking water policies. She chaired the Austin Water Forward Task Force, helping craft a 100-year water supply plan for one of Texas’s fastest-growing cities, and has long worked with river authorities, utilities, municipalities, and water users across sectors to implement resilient, market-driven solutions that benefit both people and ecosystems.
“I am thrilled to be joining WestWater as their first Texas Regional Director,” said Sharlene. “I first got to know the WestWater team in my early days at Texas Water Trade. Like so many other water users, I relied on them for their insights into water markets and transactions. No one else does what they do, and it’s with profound gratitude that I get to help them build their presence in Texas.”
“Texas has been an important market for WestWater since our founding nearly 25 years ago,” said Clay Landry, CEO of WestWater Research. “Over the past few quarters, it has become our fastest-growing market. We are pleased to welcome Sharlene as Regional Director and are confident that she brings the expertise and leadership necessary to support our clients and partners in this dynamic and evolving landscape.”
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. She has been recognized as a Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation Entrepreneur and an MIT-USGS Science Impact Collaborative Fellow.
We’re honored to have Sharlene leading our Texas team as we expand our work supporting strategic water transactions and investment across the state.
Sharlene Leurig
Texas Regional Director
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