Denise Venuti Free, Director of Communications and External Affairs, New Jersey American Water

Denise Venuti Free is responsible for overseeing communications and external affairs for New Jersey American Water, including customer education, media relations, issues management, community outreach, and workforce development programs. Free joined American Water in 2009 and was promoted to her current position in 2016. She is the chairperson of the Communications Committee for the New Jersey Utilities Association (NJUA), a member of the Communications Committee for the National Association of Water Companies (NAWC), and a member of the Public Relations Society of America. She was also a Fellow in Lead New Jersey’s Class of 2018.

She serves on the Board of Advisors for the Salvation Army Kroc Center in Camden, New Jersey SHARES, and Lead New Jersey. Free is also a participant of the US Water Alliance’s Camden Water Equity Task Force, which works align the resources of the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to advance equity and inclusion in Camden through smart water management. She earned a B.A. in communications from Rutgers University.