Living Water Award 2024 Nominee

Rita Black

Community Assistance Programs Director, Essential Utilities

Rita is a key member of Aqua, serving as the Community Assistance Programs Director. She ensures all customers in the Essential family can access necessary water and wastewater services, with a particular focus on low-income customers. Rita goes above and beyond by sharing best practices with state presidents, advising on the start-up and success of low-income programs and tirelessly securing Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) funding for all states. As a strong advocate for federal funding for the water and wastewater industry, she also supports these programs in all of Aqua’s rate cases, a significant task on its own.