The Make Water Work Podcast - Episode 45 Featuring Ameerah Palacios

Episode 45: Catalyst Collab - Ameerah Palacios

In this episode of the Catalyst Collab, hosts Isaac Pellerin and Chelsea Boozer (Rogue Water Lab) sit down with Ameerah Palacios, APR, Director of Engagement for STV's National Water practice. Ameerah has spent more than two decades helping utilities and public agencies build trust, navigate crisis, and turn complex infrastructure work into real community connection — and she pulls back the curtain on what actually separates authentic engagement from checking a compliance box.

In this episode, we cover:

• The real difference between compliance-driven outreach and authentic community engagement
• Inside the "Underwater" crisis simulation Ameerah built for Catalyst 2025 — and what it revealed about how utilities respond under pressure
• Why transparency means being honest even when you don't have all the answers yet
• Lessons from working in communities navigating deep, long-term water challenges, including Jackson, Mississippi
• Why she says "failing infrastructure," not "aging infrastructure" — and how word choice shapes public trust
• Message frequency, saturation, and why utilities have to keep reminding people of progress on decades-long programs like lead service line replacement
• How to leave a community "better than you found it" beyond the technical scope of a project

If you work in utility communications, public engagement, or infrastructure leadership, this conversation will change how you think about trust, transparency, and what it really means to listen.