Something in the Water: Tanja Rauch-Williams and Dan Freedman Hired to Lead Innovation at Metro

Metro strives to be a local and national leader in innovative approaches to wastewater treatment and beyond. Based on the importance of innovation at Metro, the organization created a new role—Chief Innovation Officer (CIO)—to help lead us to success. Later, after a shift in leadership in Metro’s Technology and Innovation Department (TID), a process to select the Director of Technology and Innovation began.  

After a competitive selection process to fill both roles, Metro is proud to welcome two great leaders in the industry: Tanja Rauch-Williams as our CIO and Dan Freedman as our Director of Technology and Innovation.  

Their passion for water and wastewater treatment runs deep. Together, Tanja and Dan bring 31 years of wastewater expertise to Metro. Both professionals have served the public and private sectors, and both Tanja and Dan know Metro well; they worked on Metro projects as consultants for years before they joined our organization.  

Tanja’s interest in water science began in middle school, when her chemistry teacher took interested students to the local creek to identify and count invertebrates. This sparked a passionate journey that led her to pursue a Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines and, later, a storied career in wastewater research and process design.  

Originally from Ohio, Dan actually began his career working on drinking water projects. “We were accepting hauled wastewater from the oil and gas industry in Pennsylvania to dispose of in Ohio wells, which really didn’t sit right with me. I began getting interested in graduate programs to address the treatment, instead of the disposal, of wastewater,” Dan reflects. This led Dan to the School of Mines, where he then completed his M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering.  

During her time teaching an advanced treatment process course as an adjunct professor at the Colorado School of Mines, Tanja remembers a bright graduate student looking pensive in her class: a young Dan Freedman. “I actually learned more about wastewater treatment in that class than any other course I had taken prior,” Dan reflected.  

Once again, Tanja and Dan’s paths cross at Metro, where they will work to find solutions to the wicked problems of wastewater treatment and beyond. In addition to the complex challenges of wastewater, Metro also faces the challenges of regulation and policy, with the troubled status of water in the state of Colorado serving as our backdrop.  

Dan reflects on his passion to be leading the solution to these problems here at Metro. “Beyond our two treatment plants and having a meaningful impact on the community—things that don’t even deal with wastewater, like energy usage, air quality, water quality and quantity—it’s really exciting to be part of the solution to these challenges.” 

Indeed, Metro is uniquely positioned to address these problems. “Metro has the resources to think through—not only on behalf of Metro but also on behalf of the industry, in Colorado, and nationwide—some of these challenges and how they’re being addressed in society,” Tanja adds.  

While Tanja and Dan are big thinkers, they also recognize that serving Metro’s departments and TID employees is just as important. Both Tanja and Dan are committed to creating growth opportunities for TID employees and leaving behind a positive legacy for innovation at Metro. “I look forward to supporting Metro’s departments on a day-to-day basis and helping them become more efficient,” Dan remarks.  

Tanja and Dan are just as fascinating and committed outside of work. Tanja is a beekeeper, and you can find her playing hockey at ice arenas across the Denver metro area. Dan is an avid skier during the winter months and is also known for his recommendations on the Denver culinary scene.  

Learn more about Metro’s innovations right here on the Currents blog or by checking out our Transforming Wastewater website.