Colorado Mesa University has appointed Shannon Wadas as the new executive director of the Ruth Powell Hutchins Water Center (RPHWC) in Grand Junction, Colorado. Wadas brings over 16 years of experience in natural resource and organizational management within both public and nonprofit sectors. Prior to joining CMU, she worked as a private consultant focusing on organizational strategy, partnership collaboration, engagement, and capacity building. Her background includes supporting watershed planning efforts in western Colorado, facilitating water education courses for professionals, and helping to develop a community navigator network in the Upper Rio Grande Basin aimed at accelerating aquatic restoration.
“I am excited and honored to join Colorado Mesa University and lead the Ruth Powell Hutchins Water Center,” said Wadas. “There is no greater unifying force than water. 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 RPHWC serves as a hub for water policy, academic education, and applied research on Colorado’s Western Slope. The center supports student programming with interdisciplinary learning opportunities such as water-focused coursework, seminars, continuing education classes, research projects, and a Water Fellows program. It is currently the only water center in Colorado located directly on the mainstem of the Colorado River in a community shaped by both the Colorado and Gunnison rivers. This location provides students with unique field-based learning experiences.
“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,” said CMU President John Marshall.
Wadas’ appointment is part of an ongoing partnership between CMU and the Colorado River District designed to ensure long-term sustainability for RPHWC while expanding its role as a nonpartisan hub for water policy discussions on Colorado’s West Slope. In 2025, this partnership was bolstered by a $300,000 investment from the Community Funding Partnership grant program administered by the Colorado River District.
The Colorado River District covers 15 counties across western Colorado with a mission focused on protecting regional water resources while addressing broader management challenges affecting both state interests and those of the wider 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.
