Congratulations to California Rural Water’s very own Rachel Kennard for being chosen to receive the Joe and Jean Palmer Scholarship award presented by National Rural Water Association.
Rachel Kennard started with CRWA in August 2019. Prior to California Rural Water, she had worked as a Senior Water Quality & Environmental Compliance Specialist emphasizing drinking water quality and environmental compliance within the investor-owned utility and regulatory sectors.
Her academic accomplishments include winning the 2012 Dell Scholarship award, receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies focusing on freshwater policy from UC Santa Cruz, and being accepted into the UC Davis’ Master of Science program in Hydrological Sciences.
To qualify for the scholarship, Rachel had to be working towards an academic goal with a clear pathway on how to achieve that goal. Rachel’s academic accomplishments, patriotic essay, and her clear vision of how she would serve the rural water community after achieving academic success, helped her win the four-year scholarship. Rachel will receive $1,000 per semester to help achieve her academic goal.
The NRWA National Board of Directors established the Joe & Jean Palmer Endowment Fund to honor the memory of a rural water leader and true friend.
A retired civil engineer and avid environmentalist, Joe Palmer was a prominent figure in the local, state and national water industry. His wife, Jean Palmer, was a former science and chemistry teacher who later owned and operated a gift shop and established an insurance agency, winning several awards from the insurance industry. The Palmers were killed in a traffic accident on May 8, 2000, in their hometown of Camilla, Georgia.
By resolution, the NRWA Rally 2000 in Washington D.C. was dedicated to the Palmers: “They were the epitome of Rural America … Their character, ethics, and morals contributed to the success of their personal businesses as well as the success of rural water nationwide … Rural Water has lost a catalyst, a champion, a leader, and a friend. Their importance and contributions to the rural water family will be felt for generations to come.”
This scholarship will benefit the children of the rural water family attending institutions of higher learning.