If you've read our previous article—Where Does Your Utility Stand? Assessing Your ERM Maturity and Taking the Next Step—you know that strengthening enterprise risk management starts with understanding where your organization stands today. As utilities strengthen their enterprise risk management practices, one question keeps surfacing: How can utilities prepare their teams for the expanding demands of this work? Unlike other industries, the water sector has never had a standardized, sector‑specific pathway for developing risk leaders. That gap is exactly what the new Certified Public Risk Officer for Water & Wastewater (CPRO-W2) designation aims to fill.
How CPRO-W2 Was Created
Brown and Caldwell was approached by the American Association of Water Distribution and Management (AAWD&M) in 2024 to help validate, establish, and socialize the first risk management designation built specifically for water and wastewater utilities.
More than a dozen utilities contributed their real-world experience to the curriculum, and the program completed peer review in fall of 2025 and executive review in spring of 2026. Open enrollment is expected in 2027, with Brown and Caldwell and Appalachian State University facilitating select cohorts throughout 2026.
The goal is simple: create a shared, sector‑wide approach to risk leadership at a time when utilities face unprecedented uncertainty.
Why This Certification Matters
Water utilities are among the most risk‑exposed public institutions we have. Climate pressures, aging infrastructure, regulatory shifts, and financial scrutiny are all converging—and traditional, siloed approaches can’t keep up.
CPRO-W2 helps close the gap between rising expectations and current practice by:
- Establishing a shared language for risk
- Helping leaders make and explain decisions under uncertainty
- Moving organizations from implicit and reactive to explicit and strategic
- Providing a roadmap and playbook that is directly applicable to utility environments
- Creating a community of industry risk management professionals and advisors to advance implementation at the utility level
Utilities don’t need more information about risk—they need a way to connect the dots and act on it. The CPRO-W2 is designed to do exactly that.
Who the CPRO-W2 Is For
This program targets two groups:
Utility executives and senior leaders
Whether they sit in Finance, Operations, HR, or another enterprise function, senior leaders aren’t running models or building risk registers. They’re making decisions in uncertainty. CPRO-W2 builds confidence, clarity, and consistency in how those decisions are made and communicated.
Aspiring risk managers
Many are already managing risk without a formal role, or clear set of tools. The CPRO-W2 designation provides structure, increases capability, and fosters a professional network, something insurers increasingly expect to see.
What Makes the CPRO-W2 Different
Most risk certifications are built for corporate or financial contexts. CPRO-W2 designation is built for water and wastewater utilities, using real utility case studies and applied learning that translates directly to day‑to‑day decisions.
It’s the first designation that reflects the realities of local utilities that can’t relocate, can’t pause service, and must plan for a future defined by compounding risks.
BC’s Role in Advancing Risk Leadership
Our involvement in CPRO-W2 aligns with our broader goal: helping utilities build resilient, transparent, and future‑ready organizations. As enrollment opens in 2027, we’re excited to support the first cohorts and help shape the next generation of risk leaders in the water sector. Learn more about the CPRO-W2 program on the AAWD&M website: https://www.aawdm.org/cpro.
What Comes Next
Strong risk leadership doesn't happen in isolation. It begins with understanding today's evolving risk landscape and building a shared, organization-wide approach to identifying, assessing, and responding to uncertainty.
If you're new to enterprise risk management, start with 👉 The Untapped Potential of Proactive Risk Management to learn why utilities are moving beyond compliance-driven approaches and embracing a more proactive view of risk.
Ready to understand where your organization stands? 👉 Where Does Your Utility Stand? Assessing Your ERM Maturity and Taking the Next Step offers a quick self-assessment and practical recommendations to help advance your ERM journey.
Taken together, these resources provide a practical pathway for utilities seeking to strengthen resilience, build organizational alignment, and make more confident decisions in an increasingly complex environment.
How BC Helps Utilities Build Future Ready Risk Practices
Brown and Caldwell partners with utilities to cultivate transparency, strengthen public trust, and position organizations to navigate future uncertainty with confidence. Our work spans ERM program design, climate readiness, financial risk analysis, governance support, and cross functional facilitation.
Our experts bring national expertise and practical, utility tested strategies to help organizations move from reactive to proactive risk management.
Connect with our team to discuss your organization's challenges, explore practical next steps, and learn how Brown and Caldwell can help build a more resilient, risk-ready future.
About the Expert: Karri Ving
With 25 years of experience, Karri Ving is an acknowledged leader in organizational resilience. Her track record in Enterprise Risk Management and climate readiness has made her a trusted advisor to utilities, boards, and national collaboratives shaping the future of water systems.
Karri serves on the EPA’s Climate Finance Working Group, helping utilities respond to bond market scrutiny and climate related financial risk with transparency and foresight. In 2022, she co-launched the US Water Alliance’s Net Zero Community of Practice and is currently leading the development of climate resilient engineering design guidance with the Water Utility Climate Alliance.
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