Colorado Mesa University announced the hiring of Shannon Wadas to be the executive director of the Ruth Powell Hutchins Water Center in Grand Junction.

Wadas, who started her new role Dec. 15, brings to the water center more than 16 years of experience in natural resource and organizational management in public and nonprofit organizations.

Most recently, she worked as a private consultant focused on organizational strategy, partnership collaboration, engagement and capacity building. Her experience includes supporting watershed planning efforts in western Colorado, coordinating and facilitating a water-education course for professionals and helping form a community navigator network in the Upper Rio Grande Basin to accelerate aquatic restoration.

“There is no greater unifying force than water,” Wadas said. “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to catalyze and strengthen the collaborative efforts of CMU and local and regional partners to support important water issues through educational opportunities, research initiatives and thoughtful conversations.”

The Ruth Powell Hutchins Water Center serves as a Western Slope hub for water policy, academic education and applied research. It also supports student programming and interdisciplinary learning opportunities, including water-focused coursework and research, seminars, continuing education classes and a Water Fellows program.

It is the only water center in Colorado located on the main stem of the Colorado River and in a community shaped by the confluence of the Colorado and Gunnison rivers.

“Shannon brings a wealth of experience and collaborative leadership to CMU that will strengthen the Ruth Powell Hutchins Water Center’s role in bringing people together, fostering innovation in water resource management and cultivating the next generation of water leaders,” CMU President John Marshall said.

Wadas’ hiring is part of a broader partnership between CMU and the Colorado River District to strengthen the water center’s long-term sustainability and capacity to serve as a nonpartisan hub for water policy and academic education on the Western Slope. In 2025, the Colorado River District’s Community Funding Partnership grant program invested $300,000 to aid in the development of leadership, strategy and future sustainability of the water center.

The Colorado River District works across 15 counties in western Colorado to protect water resources and support broader water-management issues affecting the state and the Colorado River Basin.

“Strong water decisions start with strong local knowledge,” said Andy Mueller, general manager of the Colorado River District. “This partnership, paired with Shannon’s leadership, strengthens western Colorado as a hub for research, education and collaboration that will provide essential data and academic scholarship to inform solid policy making for the West Slope and the Colorado River Basin.”

Learn more about the Ruth Powell Hutchins Water Center and its programs at www.coloradomesa.edu/water-center/index.html.