By Sydney Zinner
Big news! AWW Director Mona Dominguez has been honored with one of Alabama Rivers Alliance’s highest accolades—the River Hero Award!
Mona’s dedication to protecting Alabama’s waterways has made a lasting impact, and we couldn’t be prouder! AWW staff, along with her husband Ariel and daughters Amelia and SJ, were there to celebrate this well-deserved recognition at the Alabama Rivers Alliance Water Rally at Camp Beckwith in Fairhope, AL back in March.
The highest of the River Celebration Awards is the River Hero Award. This ultimate recognition is given to passionate individuals who have had a profound impact on Alabama’s river movement through their hard work, leadership, and years of service. They go above and beyond to protect our rivers, our health, and our environment. They exemplify river stewardship and have a rich history of advocating for the protection of Alabama’s waterways.
Alabama Rivers Alliance
What Makes Mona a “River Hero”?
If you looked up Mona Dominguez online, you may find that she is the Director of Alabama Water Watch and the AWW Staff Liaison for the AWW Association, the Acting Director of the Auburn University Water Resources Center, and on the Alabama 4-H State Staff. These things, though impressive, only scratch the surface of what makes Mona a River Hero.
What you likely won’t find on the internet is the heart and dedication that she brings to her work every day. The early mornings and late nights she has worked to secure grant funding for AWW and WRC programs, the hours and hours of dedicated work that she put into building the 4-H AWW Program, creating a space for Alabama’s youth to explore environmental education, stewardship, and career discovery through water monitoring.
You won’t see the relationships she has built with countless educators, Extension staff, and partner organizations throughout Alabama, building bridges and creating opportunities for 4-H AWW to reach youth in Alabama communities.
You won’t find how she puts trust and faith in her staff, empowering us to grow personally and professionally and take on new challenges and improve our work. You won’t find how she encourages us to push beyond the boundaries of what we think we can do, always offering her support and guidance along the way.
You won’t see how she sees and cultivates the qualities of a River Hero in others she encounters through environmental work, including staff, volunteers, youth, program partners, and the communities she works alongside. Mona leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and her dedication to watershed stewardship and education.
Mona’s impact extends past her professional accomplishments and what you may find on her resume. Mona’s work builds on the legacy of former AWW Directors (and River Heroes) Bill Deutsch and Eric Reutebuch, while forging her own path to expand and enhance the program. Her compassion reaches far beyond AWW’s staff and volunteers – she fosters a genuine culture of respect, kindness, and shared purpose that makes working with her so significant.
A Legacy of River Heroes
Mona joins an inspiring group of past River Hero recipients, many of whom have been involved with Alabama Water Watch as Volunteer Monitors, Board Members, and past Directors:
- Dan Murchinson, Lake Mitchell HOBO (2005)
- Sam Howell, Friends of Locust Fork River (2005)
- John Wathen, Friends of Hurricane Creek (2006)
- Soos Weber, Flint River Conservation Association (2006)
- Dick Bronson, Lake Watch of Lake Martin (2007)
- Beth Stewart, Cahaba River Society (2007)
- Mimi Fearn, Dog River Clearwater Revival (2008)
- Sergio Ruiz-Cordova, AWW Staff (2008)
- Stan Mahoney, Wolf Bay Watershed Watch (2008)
- Bryan Burgess, Coosa Riverkeeper (2009)
- Wendy Seesock, Save Our Saugahatchee, Former AWW Staff (2010)
- Mike Shelton, Weeks Bay Water Watch, Formerly with Weeks Bay NERR (2010)
- Deb Berry, Smith Lake Environmental Preservation Committee (2011)
- Mike Mullen, Choctawhatchee Riverkeeper and AWWA Board (2012)
- Bill Deutsch, AWW Founder and Former Director (2012)
- Doug Morrison, Friends of Big Canoe Creek (2015)
- Eric Reutebuch, Lake Watch of Lake Martin and Former AWW Director (2018)
- Frank Chitwood, Coosa Riverkeeper (2019)
- Henry Hughes, Friends of Shades Creek (2024)
Join us in congratulating Mona on this amazing achievement!
