Water Council CEO Retiring, Group Will Align With MMAC

Dean Amhaus. Photo courtesy of The Water Council.

The Water Council is setting sail.

President and CEO Dean Amhaus announced his intention to retire later this year and the nonprofit organization is aligning itself with the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC).

“Leading The Water Council from its inception to its position as a global leader today has been an extraordinary honor and privilege,” Amhaus said in a March 5 statement. “This achievement would not have been possible without the dedication of my early fellow co-founders, an exceptional board of directors composed of industry and academic leaders, countless partners and friends worldwide, and, of course, a tireless staff committed to establishing Milwaukee as a true global water hub.”

On Monday afternoon, he made another announcement. The Water Council (TWC) is now an affiliate of the MMAC.

“Since its existence, The Water Council has always operated on the principle that more can be accomplished by creating meaningful partnerships,” said Amhaus in a statement. “This collaboration is a win not only for us and MMAC but, most importantly, our members, the industry and the community as a whole. Working closely with the MMAC team offers The Water Council team a strong and important ally that will open doors and create new growth opportunities for our members in Milwaukee and worldwide.”

The board of each organization approved the affiliation Monday.

Amhaus helped form TWC in 2009 and became its first employee in 2010. The Water Council supports the development of water-focused businesses and stewardship efforts, in part by attempting to leverage the city’s history in water technology innovation.

“The MMAC and The Water Council have a strong history and a shared mission of growing our region’s economy,” said MMAC President Dale Kooyenga in a statement. “Combining The Water Council’s respected brand, expertise in water technology innovation and global reach with our resources in attracting investment in southeastern Wisconsin, this partnership will not only enhance the area’s reputation as a global leader in water solutions but also ensure a prosperous future for our community and its economy.”

A press release says TWC will retain its independent board, “which will have operational oversight along with Kooyenga,” and membership. MMAC will provide The Water Council with administrative services.

“The Water Council Board of Directors is excited about the opportunity to build a closer affiliation with MMAC as we share similar missions of strengthening and growing our region’s economy,” said Scott Beightol, partner at Michael Best & Friedrich and TWC board chair. “In fact, MMAC and its regional attraction partner, Milwaukee 7, helped identify the water technology cluster in Milwaukee that led to the creation of The Water Council, so it’s natural for us to work together to promote one of the region’s most powerful assets. The Water Council looks forward to deepening water industry ties to southeastern Wisconsin and attraction of more water-related businesses, innovation and workforce.”

MMAC is already partnered with several other organizations, including the Hispanic Collaborative, Milwaukee Development Corporation, The Business Council, FaB Wisconsin and African American Leadership Alliance Milwaukee.

A nationwide search is expected to take place to replace Amhaus.

TWC’s programs include its BREW post-accelerator to help water technology startups, Tech Challenge freshwater technology idea vetting service and Pilot Program designed to turn prototypes into real-world applications.

The Water Council’s most recent publicly available federal 990 tax filing shows that during the 2023 calendar year the 501(c)(3) organization had revenue of $1.43 million and expenses of $1.58 million. Amhaus had a salary of approximately $214,000.