Illinois American Water Diversity Lead Rhonda Carter Adams Recognized for Diversity and Inclusion Efforts

Rhonda Carter Adams, Illinois American Water’s Diversity Lead, was recognized
by Who’s Who Diversity in Color (WWDIC) in the Most Intriguing People category. WWDIC is an annual publication that documents and celebrates the achievements of all people of color in the St. Louis Metropolitan area.

Along with recognition at an awards ceremony in St. Louis, Mo., on June 13, an article about Adams is featured in the 2019 WWDIC magazine, alongside other nominees, detailing the path that led her to a career in supplier diversity. Prior to joining Illinois American Water in 2018, Adams was a supplier diversity manager at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and executive director for the Mid-States Minority Supplier Development Council. Her career in supplier diversity began at Caterpillar, Inc., where she started as a computer programmer and systems analyst. Networking and a cross-training program opened up the opportunity for her to have a role in their supplier diversity program.

Adams said, “I just knew, that’s what I am here for; that’s the direction I would like to go because naturally I had the passion for developing my own community.”

Adams’ enthusiasm for inclusion and diversity is further nurtured in her role at American Water. “Without inclusion, we cannot have innovation, a culture of acceptance or be able to truly obtain a diverse body of talent that will carry the organization forward,” she said. “Seeing diverse board members at American Water, who have a key influence and stake in the direction of the company, actively engaging in relationships with labor unions, community organizations and legislators is admirable to me. It speaks to our customer-obsessed culture.”

Adams serves on the board of the Tennessee Williams Festival, the Center of Creative Arts, Ignite Theater Company and the Illinois Division of United Way.

About Illinois American Water - Illinois American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 1.3 million people. American Water also operates a customer service center in Alton and a quality control and research laboratory in Belleville. With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 7,100 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to more than 14 million people in 46 states. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to make sure we keep their lives
flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com and follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

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