My Professional Journey
From restarting my career as a trainee to leading multi-million dollar water operations, my path has been defined by resilience, continuous learning, and a passion for water and leadership excellence.
A Foundation of Resilience
My career began in Europe, where I built a decade-long track record of leadership in large-scale industrial and municipal operations. My experience included:
- Solvay Soda (Bulgaria): Operations at Europe's largest synthetic soda ash producer.
- Devnya Water (Bulgaria): Managing conventional water and wastewater treatment for a population of 146,000.
- ESSROC Italcementi (Bulgaria): Wet-process cement manufacturing at the country's largest cement plant.
- City of Pardubice (Czech Republic): Early training in conventional water treatment.
Despite this extensive leadership background, when I immigrated to the United States, I made the bold and humble decision to restart my career from the ground up. Starting as a Water Treatment Plant Operator Trainee for the City of Tempe, I embraced the opportunity to learn US regulations and technologies firsthand. This "ground-up" perspective gave me a unique advantage—I understand the challenges my teams face because I have walked in their shoes.
Strategic Leadership
My rapid ascent in the US water sector was not accidental—it was the result of combining my foundational European leadership experience with the fresh, hands-on expertise I gained starting over in America.
This unique combination allowed me to advance quickly from trainee to Supervisor, where I transformed a facility in crisis into an award-winning operation. Today, I leverage this dual perspective to direct group-level strategies, manage $40M+ in capital projects, and drive innovation across municipal and industrial sectors. My journey has groomed me to be a flexible, adaptable leader who thrives on challenge.
European Leadership
10+ years leading operations at Solvay Soda, Devnya Water, and ESSROC Italcementi.
USA Immigration
Restarted as Operator Trainee. Learned US systems from the ground up.
Rapid Promotion
Leveraged past experience to rise quickly. Led turnaround of troubled facility. Won National Director's Award.
Executive Leadership
Directing group-level strategy, major capital projects, and innovation for large-scale operations.
"Luiza trusts her employees and empowers them to take on tasks with her full support. This allows them to become self-driven and motivated. Under her supervision the plant is running efficiently, looking better than ever."— Manuel Castano, Mechanic, JGMWTP