Walker Grimshaw joined the Pacific Institute in May 2020 as a Congressman George Miller Water Policy Leadership Program Intern. At the Institute, he will work on the Sustainable Water Management Profile (SWM Profile), an assessment tool and rating system for drinking water agencies. The SWM Profile helps agencies to understand the environmental, economic, and social challenges their agencies are facing and provides a certification for agencies that are advancing toward sustainability. The tool integrates supply and demand planning, environmental stewardship, and socioeconomic sustainability.
Walker graduated in 2020 with a Master’s in Environmental Management from Duke University with a focus on Water Resources Management. An environmental engineer by training, Walker says he used his time in graduate school to focus on the planning and financial aspects of water resources management “that can turn an engineering project into a successful public health intervention.” He says he is passionate about improving access, affordability, and equity in the drinking water and sanitation sectors.
“The Pacific Institute is the gold standard of water think tanks and has effectively influenced policy with its research for decades,” says Walker. “I’m excited about working on the Sustainable Water Management Profile because of the opportunity to interface with water utilities and collaborate to continually improve their performance.”
Walker is working remotely from Durham, North Carolina, where he road bikes and mountain bikes as much as possible.