Looking Forward, Looking Back with the Moonshot Missions Facilitation Team

2025 has been a big year for the Great Lakes PRESERVE! We finally got the community of practice up and running, hosted our first in-person meetings, and have worked to create an online community as well as relevant and timely events and resources for our incredible members.  We wanted to start our blog with a recap/reminder of where we started, in terms of advice and goals from each of our Moonshot team members. 

George Hawkins, CEO and Sponsor of Great Lakes PRESERVE, had the following words of wisdom for you (and for us) as we began PRESERVE:  

• Meet a utility where it is: PRESERVE’s first goal is to solve a problem that needs solving and build a foundation of trust and a relationship with utilities.  

• Foster peer collaboration: Partner with other utilities to help them both learn from their peers and understand how to solve problems on similar levels. 

• Go in with a curious mind!  

Michael Mucha, our Chair, encouraged each of us on mindsets as we began our work with PRESERVE:   

• Come in with a beginner’s mind: It’s through learning from others that you can manifest the things you have and bring them out.   

• Be in the moment: What you are working on right now is everything you should be working on.  

• Don't be afraid to share your stories and successes: Part of this is being loud and proud about what you are doing.  

  
  

Rania Bashar, our Manager, asked us to think about those we are in community with:  

• Share your ideas: Every single utility does something good. Share those ideas and do as much as you can to learn from others! 

• Engage your stakeholders: Water quality protection goes beyond utilities; it’s a shared responsibility. 

• Keep an open mind! 

  
  

Other highlights came from Andy Kricun, our subject matter expert, who encouraged everyone to “Bring your best ideas so you can share,” “Bring your challenges and find help,” and “The more you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it.” Nick Meurer, our technical expert, reminded us to “Think outside the box about process optimization,” “Focus on things you don’t think are attainable,” and that “There’s power in numbers.” And Alex, our financial expert, reminded us to “Ask questions and find practical solutions,” working together to “Make it work!” 

In our initial interviews, George Hawkins also hoped that members would take ownership and shape the future of PRESERVE, together. “We want to hear from members in every possible way how this should go,” he says. “Someone isn’t just a member, they become an owner by joining.” As we close out our first successful year as a cohort, we hope you’ve been able to feel a sense of ownership and community in our collaboration and shared resources. 

And we are excited for what’s to come! Our team was just awarded a three-year $1.1M contract from the Great Lakes Protection Fund to help utilities in the Great Lakes region achieve cleaner water and more financially sustainable systems. Moonshot’s next phase of work builds directly on the very relationships and insights you’ve helped us establish— moving beyond isolated technical fixes to embed a holistic system of budgeting, management, and culture change. In this next phase, we’ll be expanding our community to include Indiana and Michigan and you will continue to be an important part of shaping and strengthening this next chapter. We couldn’t have gotten here without each of you, and are excited to see what’s next!