American Water (NYSE: AWK), the largest publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company, announced today Senior Diversity Program Lead Sharon Manker was recognized by DiversityPlus Magazine as one of the 2021 Top 15 Women in Power Impacting Diversity. Those recognized represent national and global leaders who have achieved enormous success in the Supplier Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (SDEI) area.

“I want to congratulate Sharon on this well-deserved recognition,” said Lawrence Wooten, senior manager, National Supplier Diversity, American Water. “Sharon has truly made a positive impact on our company and in the water industry, through her commitment to building long-term, sustainable and mutually beneficial partnerships that help diverse businesses grow and succeed in a meaningful way.”

Each year, DiversityPlus Magazine names successful women across industries who are leaders in the SDE&I space. They are visionaries, global influencers, and results-oriented. They keep their visions of an inclusive workplace and society alive by focusing on relationship building, and taking practical steps to bring internal and external stakeholders into a sincere effort to advance SDE&I.

In her role as Senior Diversity Program Lead, Manker manages American Water’s national supplier diversity program strategy for regulated state operations under the direction of Lawrence Wooten, Senior Manager. She helps bring value to American Water by providing access and opportunity to a diverse community of suppliers. One of her many achievements was co-chairing an inaugural Supplier Diversity Summit for the company featuring women-, veteran-, and minority-owned suppliers.

Beyond her work in the office, Manker is a board member of the ISM-Philadelphia’s Supplier Diversity Outreach events committee and secretary of NMSDC Utility Industry Group. She is also a corporate volunteer for United Way Girls Today, Leaders Tomorrow and a board member for Healthy Newsworks, all while mentoring local diverse businesses on corporate engagement.

Manker has been featured in Minority Business News (MBN) USA Magazine 2019 All‐Stars of Supplier Diversity and South Jersey Journal’s March 2021 African American Women of Influence in New Jersey; nominated for the Philadelphia Inquirer Diversity & Inclusion Award and received the 2020 Eastern Minority Supplier Development Council (EMSDC) Emmett T. Vaughn “Corporate Advocate of the Year” Award; 2020 Women's Business Enterprise Center (WBEC-EAST) Diversity Champion of the Year Award; and 2020 National Veteran Business Development Council (NVBDC) Veteran Advocate of the Year Award. Manker was a key contributor to American Water’s Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) America’s Top Corporations for Women’s Business Enterprises (WBEs) award.

For more information about DiversityPlus Magazine and the 2021 Top 15 Women in Power Impacting Diversity, visit www.diversityplus.com

About American Water

With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 7,000 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to 15 million people in 46 states. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to help make sure we keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com and follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

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