Sara M. Katz


Founder and President
  • Strategic Counsel
  • Issues Management
  • Coalition Development

Education:

Bachelor of Science,
Economics
San Diego State University

Affiliations:

American Water Works Association

American Water Works Association Research Foundation

WateReuse Association of California

Association of California Water Agencies

Association of Environmental Professionals

Water Environment Federation

Sara M. Katz is the founder and owner of Katz & Associates, a full-service communication firm based in San Diego, Calif., with offices in Las Vegas and Sacramento. Sara founded Katz & Associates in 1986 after tenures with former California Governor Pete Wilson and San Diego Mayor Susan Golding. With her team of communication professionals, Sara manages community relations, public involvement and public affairs strategies for her clients.

During her 25 years of public affairs experience, Sara has developed a recognized specialty in developing communication programs for government entities. During this time, she has served as a strategist on water and wastewater programs in California, Nevada, Texas, Georgia, Florida and Sydney, Australia. Sara also has a wealth of experience in issues management, coalition building and working with public advisory groups for such issues as land use planning, transportation, education and the environment.

Under Sara's supervision, the firm has grown to more than 35 employees while maintaining a solid track record of personalized service, the hallmark of her boutique-size firm.

A frequent conference speaker and published writer, Sara is past chair of the AWWA Public Involvement Committee. Her article "Don't Confuse Marketing With Public Participation" was published in the July 2002 AWWA Journal. In April 2003, she presented "Marketing and Communication as Valued-Added Services" to the Consulting Engineers and Land Surveyors of California's Annual Conference. In June 2003, she presented "Reaching Today's Utility Audience - Why There is No Such Thing as the General Public" to the American Water Works Association Annual Conference and Exposition. Sara earned a Bachelor of Science degree in economics with a minor in political science from San Diego State University. She has completed coursework in facilitation and public involvement/process negotiations.