Elisa M. Speranza

Elisa Speranza helps purpose-driven organizations succeed so that people, communities, and ecosystems can thrive and prosper. She is passionate about improving the human condition through environmental stewardship, social justice, and organizational excellence. Through her firm Seventh Ward Strategies, LLC, she brings deep operations, management, talent development, governance, and communications experience to bear on each assignment, working to bring multiple stakeholders together to find common ground and solve critical civic challenges. She serves as an independent director and advisor to several companies, organizations, and water utilities. A recognized leader in the water industry, Elisa has spent 30+ years serving in various roles in the government, non-profit, and private sectors. Until 2017, she was an executive and board member for the Fortune 500 global project management firm CH2M (acquired by Jacobs). Before that she worked for several other companies, was Deputy Director of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority and a Project Manager for the Boston Water & Sewer Commission. She’s a former board member and officer for the American Water Works Association, Water For People, the US Water Alliance, and the Massachusetts Water Works Association, and a longstanding member of the Water Environment Federation and Women Corporate Directors. Elisa earned a master’s degree in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Boston College. A native Bostonian, she’s lived in New Orleans since 2002 and spends summers in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts.