Aaron A. Salzberg, PhD
CEO, American Water Resources Association
CEO, Civitas LLC
Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, University of North Carolina
Aaron Salzberg currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the American Water Resources Association, one of the longest standing professional organizations dedicated to advancing multidisciplinary science and education to build a more resilient, equitable, and sustainable water future. He also holds an adjunct faculty appointment at the University of North Carolina and manages a private consulting practice providing policy advice, strategic planning, and facilitation services to government, private sector, and non-profit clients on issues related to water, sustainable development, institutional reform, and environmental security.
From 2019 to 2025, Dr. Salzberg served as the Director of the Water Institute at the University of North Carolina where he led the University’s efforts to support a more water secure world through research, policy, and practice. Prior to UNC, Dr. Salzberg served as the U.S. Department of State’s first Special Coordinator for Water Resources where he led the development and implementation of U.S. foreign policy on drinking water and sanitation, water resources management, and transboundary water and conflict. In this role, he led the United States’ engagement in bilateral, regional, and international negotiations, initiatives, and programs to promote a more water secure world and to mitigate tensions over shared waters. This included direct facilitation support to governments seeking to resolve conflicts over water. He also led the development of the United States’ first Global Water Strategy and the World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) first Hydrological Research Strategy.
Prior to his work at the Department of State, Aaron spent several years at the Naval Center for Space Technology developing and implementing vibro-acoustic testing protocols to ensure the survivability of spacecraft and spacecraft hardware to the launch and ascent environment. He’s worked on several launch systems including the Space Shuttle and Titan IV.
Aaron currently holds appointments as a Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Previous appointments include Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Scientific Research Board of the World Meteorological Organization, and service on the National Academies of Science’s Climate Security Roundtable and the National Academies U.S. Global Change Research Program.
Aaron has a Ph.D. in Genetic Toxicology and an M.S. degree in Technology and Policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an M.S. degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland. He is the recipient of numerous awards and distinctions including the Frank E. Loy Award for Environmental Diplomacy (from the U.S. Department of State), the Alan Berman Research Publication Award (from the Naval Center for Space Science and Technology), the Hugh Hampton Young Award (from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology), the American Association for Cancer Research Young Investigator’s Award, and was one of three recipients of the inaugural 2022 Faculty Award for Global Excellence (UNC).