American Water executive named Scott AFB Honorary Commander; strategic hires and community grants announced

American Water Executive Named to Scott AFB Honorary Commanders

Deepening Civic–Military Water Infrastructure and Readiness Ties

Illinois American Water congratulates Rebecca Losli, its Illinois president, on selection to Scott Air Force Base’s Class of 2027 Honorary Commanders, a cohort of 20 St. Louis‑region community leaders. Losli is inducted as a Base Commander for the 932nd Airlift Wing and is paired for two years with Col. Jeffrey A. Smith to deepen her awareness of base missions, programs and assets while strengthening civic–military collaboration. The program, administered by Scott AFB and backed by installation leaders, offers an in‑depth orientation that matches civilians with military counterparts to build one‑on‑one rapport and facilitate direct engagement with units.

The appointment reinforces existing ties between Illinois American Water and Scott AFB, where American Water’s Military Services Group already provides water and wastewater services. The group serves approximately 670,000 military community members at 18 installations nationwide, including Scott AFB, and the broader American Water company is the largest regulated U.S. water and wastewater utility, operating in 14 states and serving more than 14 million people with about 6,700 employees. Company leaders say the Honorary Commander role offers an opportunity to align utility expertise with base needs on infrastructure, operational continuity and public health protections.

Practical outcomes of the civic–military engagement focus on emergency response coordination, resilience and workforce development. The program is intended to improve mutual situational awareness—enabling faster, coordinated reactions to outages or contamination events—and to identify opportunities for infrastructure investment and training that benefit both the base and surrounding civilian communities. Illinois American Water and Scott AFB emphasize measurable outcomes and accountability, and invite stakeholders and community members to follow partnership developments through Scott AFB and company outreach channels.

California Business Development Hire

California American Water names Agatha Kotani as Principal of Business Development for Southern California, where she leads strategic outreach to municipal and private utilities to expand delivery of water and wastewater services. Kotani brings nearly a decade of government relations and public policy experience, including a recent role as Chief of Staff at the U.S. Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau, and will work with regulators and community partners on scalable projects and funding opportunities.

New Jersey Volunteer Fire and EMS Grants Open

New Jersey American Water opens its 2026 Volunteer Fire and EMS Grant Program, inviting volunteer fire departments and ambulance squads in its service areas to apply through April 10. Now in its 16th year, the program prioritizes purchases and training that improve on‑scene safety and interoperability; since 2011 the company has awarded 332 grants totaling more than $451,000.