Dr. Matthew Klein is a Vice President and Chief of Foresight & Strategy with Waggoner Engineering, Inc. Previously, Dr. Klein was the Founder & CEO of Aqualaurus Group, a firm providing executive, anticipatory, and strategic leadership solutions for water-focused organizations. Dr. Klein is a former President of North Carolina and Tennessee for a private equity-backed drinking water and wastewater utility. Earlier in his career, Dr. Klein led the turnaround and eventual sale of Indianapolis Water, one of the largest public drinking water systems in the United States. Previously, Dr. Klein served as both a senior environmental regulator and a senior utilities regulator.

Dr. Klein earned his Doctor of Strategic Leadership from the School of Business & Leadership at Regent University. Also, he possesses a Juris Doctorate from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, a Master of Science degree from Ball State University, and a Bachelor of Science degree from Taylor University.

Dr. Klein is the host of the Water Foresight Podcast. Also, he is a graduate of Leadership North Carolina Class XXV and the recipient of the 2018 Exceptional Service Award from the Management & Leadership Division of the American Water Works Association. Finally, Dr. Klein is a member of the American Water Works Association, Water Environment Federation, the Association of Professional Futurists, and the American Bar Association.

As one leader stated, "If you don't like change, you'll like irrelevance even less."  Water leaders recognize the water sector is not immune from change.  The discipline of strategic foresight presents opportunities to engage water leaders to anticipate, frame, and shape both preferred futures and risks to be avoided.  Strategic foresight engages multiple stakeholders to deploy qualitative tools, including the futures wheel and scenario planning, in the assessment of multiple future(s).  Strategic foresight is an invaluable discipline for the water sector as it seeks to demonstrate financial, managerial, and technical capabilities.  This presentation will provide a foundation for understanding the application of strategic foresight to the water sector.