Susan Kennedy - Chairman and CEO of Cadiz Inc.

Welcome to another episode of the Business Leaders of America podcast. In this episode, I sit down with Susan Kennedy, Chairman and CEO of Cadiz Inc., a trailblazing leader whose career spans high-impact roles in both public service and the private sector. Susan served at the highest levels of California government, including as Chief of Staff to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Cabinet Secretary to Governor Gray Davis. Today, she’s at the helm of a mission-driven company working to solve one of the most urgent challenges of our time: equitable access to clean water. We talk about her remarkable transition from public service to leading one of California’s most ambitious water solutions companies, and how that shift has shaped her leadership and vision. Susan shares how Cadiz is tackling the urgent challenge of equitable access to clean water, leveraging innovative infrastructure, partnerships, and bold long-term planning. We also get into how her political experience has helped navigate California’s complex regulatory landscape, and how Cadiz is uniquely positioned to deliver on its mission with both the technology and funding to back it up. If you're interested in how leadership, policy, and innovation converge to solve real-world challenges, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss. Notable Awards and Recognitions • Chairman and CEO of Cadiz Inc., a publicly held natural resources company focused on sustainable water and agricultural projects. • Served as Chief of Staff to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and as Cabinet Secretary and Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Gray Davis, leading policy, legislative strategy, and crisis management at the highest levels of California state government. • Negotiated landmark, multi-billion-dollar investments in California’s water infrastructure, including an $8 billion agreement to restore the San Francisco Bay Delta ecosystem. • Named one of Fast Company’s “Most Creative People in Business” for her innovative work at the intersection of technology, sustainability, and public policy. • Served as Communications Director for U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, acting as the Senator’s senior advisor on media, public affairs, and political strategy. • Served as Vice President and Senior Advisor at Lyft, providing guidance on regulatory strategy and public policy engagement during a time of rapid expansion and innovation. • Serves as an Advisory Board Member for GrubMarket Inc., a fast-growing food technology company focused on building a more efficient and equitable food supply chain. How to connect with Susan Kennedy • https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanpkennedy/ • https://cadizinc.com/ Show Notes [1:38] Susan shares what motivated her transition from public service to the private sector and how that shift has shaped her leadership approach. [4:38] As Chairman and CEO of Cadiz, she discusses tackling the clean water crisis and how leading a mission-driven company shapes her vision of success. [6:42] How political ties and experience at the highest levels of state government have played a key role in advancing Cadiz's water infrastructure projects in California's complex regulatory landscape. [9:34] The scale of Cadiz's impact and how the company is helping local communities with its water infrastructure solutions. [14:49] Discussing the capital-intensive nature of large-scale infrastructure projects, particularly in water systems, and how Cadiz is positioned financially to support its current initiatives and future growth. [18:51] How Cadiz defines and measures success in the near term, including the key benchmarks and metrics being used to track progress across its major water infrastructure projects. [24:00] How listeners can stay connected, learn more about Cadiz’s mission, and follow the company’s future developments. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices