Job Description

The City of Rogers is working to establish a dedicated stormwater utility to provide sustainable funding, strengthen flood resilience, and support responsible growth in one of the fastest-growing regions in the United States. The FUSE Executive Fellow will help the City build the organizational, financial, legal, and public-support framework necessary to transition from general-fund stormwater management to a self-sustaining utility model. This is a two-year fellowship, with Year One focused on discovery, utility design, stakeholder alignment, and implementation planning, and Year Two focused on advancing adoption, scaling organizational capacity, and embedding long-term stormwater management systems within City operations.

Fellowship Dates: October 26, 2026 – October 20, 2028

Salary: Executive Fellows are FUSE employees and receive an annual salary of $95,000. Fellows can also access various health, dental, and vision insurance benefits. This amount is not representative of market-rate salaries for the experienced professionals in our program but is intended as compensation for a year of public service.

ABOUT THE FUSE EXECUTIVE FELLOWSHIP

FUSE is a national nonprofit dedicated to increasing the capacity of local governments to work more effectively for communities. We embed private sector executives in city and county agencies to lead projects that improve public services and accelerate systems change. Since 2012, FUSE has led over 400 projects in 58 governments across 26 states, impacting a total population equivalent to 1 in 10 Americans.

When designing each fellowship project, FUSE works closely with government partners and community stakeholders to define a scope of work that will achieve substantive progress toward high-priority local needs. Projects address today’s most pressing challenges and opportunities, including affordable housing, economic mobility, climate resilience, public safety, infrastructure, technology, and more.

FUSE conducts a full executive search for each individual project to ensure that the selected candidate has at least 15 years of professional experience, the required competencies for the role, and deep connections to the community being served.

Executive Fellows are embedded in government agencies working with senior leaders for at least one year of full-time work. Prospective responsibilities may include thorough data analytics and research, developing enhanced operations and financial models, building change management and strategic planning processes, and/or building broad coalitions to support project implementation efforts. Executive Fellows are data-driven and results-oriented and able to effectively manage complex projects. They build strong relationships with a broad array of stakeholders, foster alignment within and across various layers of government, and build partnerships between governments and communities.

Throughout the fellowships, Executive Fellows receive training, coaching, and professional support to help achieve their project goals.

PROJECT BACKGROUND

Modern stormwater management is essential to protecting public safety, preserving property, supporting economic growth, and improving environmental quality. Across the United States, communities are experiencing increasingly frequent and severe rainfall events that place growing demands on aging drainage infrastructure and natural watershed systems. At the same time, municipalities face increasing regulatory requirements and rising costs associated with flood mitigation, infrastructure maintenance, water quality protection, and watershed restoration. Dedicated stormwater utilities have emerged as a proven approach for creating sustainable funding mechanisms that align costs with system demand while providing communities with the resources needed to proactively manage long-term stormwater challenges.

Rogers, Arkansas, is located within Northwest Arkansas, one of the fastest-growing metropolitan regions in the country. The city has made significant progress in advancing stormwater management over the past several years and now possesses many of the technical foundations necessary for long-term success. These include a completed citywide hydraulic model, a draft Municipal Stormwater Management Plan, and a dedicated stormwater engineer responsible for technical analysis and regulatory compliance. The City currently funds stormwater responsibilities through general revenues while continuing to meet obligations under its Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit. As growth continues and infrastructure demands increase, City leadership recognizes the need for a dedicated, sustainable funding mechanism to support ongoing operations, maintenance, regulatory compliance, capital improvements, and watershed management initiatives.

Rogers now has an opportunity to build upon its technical foundation by creating the organizational, financial, legal, and political infrastructure necessary to establish a stormwater utility. This fellowship will help the City evaluate and adapt proven utility models, including lessons learned from Fayetteville, Arkansas, while designing an approach tailored to Rogers’ unique needs and growth trajectory. Through this work, the City can position itself to proactively address flooding, strengthen watershed stewardship, improve long-term fiscal sustainability, and support resilient growth for residents, businesses, and future generations.

PROJECT APPROACH

Beginning in Fall 2026, the FUSE Executive Fellow will work with the Department of Community Development, Mayor’s Office, and City leadership to advance the creation of a dedicated stormwater utility for Rogers. Through this two-year fellowship, the fellow will help the City establish the governance structures, funding mechanisms, organizational capacity, public support, and implementation strategies necessary to create a sustainable stormwater utility capable of supporting long-term flood resilience and watershed management. While the City’s stormwater engineer will continue to lead technical analysis and engineering functions, the fellow will serve as an organizational builder and strategic project lead focused on implementation, coordination, and long-term utility development.

The first 90 days of the fellowship will focus on in-depth discovery and relationship-building. During this phase, the fellow will conduct a comprehensive listening tour with key stakeholders, including Community Development staff, Engineering, GIS, Rogers Water Utilities, Finance, the City Attorney’s Office, City Council members, regional planning organizations, Benton County officials, developers, major property owners, and community stakeholders. The fellow will review the City’s hydraulic model, draft Municipal Stormwater Management Plan, existing stormwater funding practices, regulatory requirements, and related planning documents. The fellow will also conduct a detailed assessment of Fayetteville’s stormwater utility structure, implementation process, rate framework, credit program, legal structure, and public engagement strategy, while researching additional best practices from comparable communities. Based on the insights gathered, the fellow will develop and present refined project goals, priorities, and anticipated Year One deliverables for City leadership’s review and approval.

Following the discovery period, the fellow will focus on designing the foundational components of a Rogers stormwater utility. This work is expected to include supporting or overseeing a utility rate study, evaluating funding mechanisms, developing financial projections, and assessing governance and operational models. Working closely with GIS staff, engineering personnel, and external partners as appropriate, the fellow will help evaluate approaches that link utility fees to impervious surface area, land-use characteristics, and system demand while ensuring fiscal sustainability and fairness.

The fellow will also help develop the organizational and policy framework necessary to support utility implementation. This work may include evaluating staffing needs, preparing organizational recommendations, developing job descriptions for future utility positions, supporting ordinance development, and coordinating with legal counsel regarding utility structure and implementation requirements. In collaboration with Rogers Water Utilities, the fellow will evaluate options for billing integration and long-term administrative operations.

A significant component of the fellowship will involve stakeholder engagement and public communication. The fellow will help design and facilitate outreach efforts with residents, businesses, schools, nonprofit organizations, faith-based institutions, and major property owners to build understanding of stormwater challenges, utility funding needs, and proposed rate structures. This work will help ensure that utility development reflects community priorities while addressing questions related to equity, exemptions, incentives, and implementation.

Throughout Year One, the fellow will also support coordination with regional partners, including the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission, neighboring municipalities, watershed organizations, and Benton County. These efforts will help ensure that Rogers’ utility structure aligns with emerging regional stormwater standards, watershed management objectives, and future opportunities for intergovernmental collaboration.

By the end of Year One, the fellow will have helped establish a clear, actionable framework for stormwater utility implementation, strengthened organizational readiness, improved stakeholder alignment, and increased the City’s capacity to manage stormwater through a sustainable, dedicated funding structure. The fellow and City leadership will collaborate to define more specific goals, success measures, and priorities for Year Two based on lessons learned and emerging opportunities.

The second year of the fellowship will focus on advancing implementation readiness, refining policy and financial recommendations, strengthening institutional capacity, and supporting adoption pathways for utility creation. By the end of Year Two, the north star of this fellowship is for Rogers to be positioned to establish and operate a financially sustainable stormwater utility that protects neighborhoods, supports resilient growth, improves watershed health, and provides a durable framework for long-term stormwater management throughout the community.

EXPECTED DELIVERABLES

By Fall 2027, at the end of Year One, the fellow is expected to have completed the following:

• Stormwater Utility Feasibility and Organizational Framework – Developed recommendations for utility governance, organizational structure, staffing requirements, operational responsibilities, and implementation phases necessary to establish a Rogers stormwater utility.
• Utility Rate Study and Financial Strategy – Produced a utility rate framework and multi-year financial model evaluating revenue generation, operating costs, capital investment needs, and long-term financial sustainability.
• Stormwater Utility Policy and Ordinance Package – Developed draft ordinance recommendations, utility policies, credit program concepts, annexation and utility-boundary expansion policies, and supporting implementation guidance.
• Public Engagement and Stakeholder Alignment Strategy – Designed and implemented a structured public engagement process that builds understanding, gathers feedback, and strengthens support among residents, businesses, institutions, and community stakeholders.
• Regional Coordination and Implementation Roadmap – Established a roadmap aligning utility development with regional stormwater initiatives, watershed management goals, regulatory obligations, and future intergovernmental collaboration opportunities.

By Fall 2028, at the end of Year Two, the fellow is expected to have supported the following high-level outcomes:

• Council-Ready Stormwater Utility Implementation Package – Positioned the City for adoption and implementation of a dedicated stormwater utility through finalized governance, funding, policy, staffing, and operational recommendations.
• Institutionalized Stormwater Utility Capacity – Established durable organizational systems, partnerships, and implementation structures that enable Rogers to sustain long-term stormwater management, regulatory compliance, flood resilience, and watershed stewardship.

KEY STAKEHOLDERS

• Executive Sponsor – Greg Hines, Mayor, City of Rogers
• Project Supervisor – John McCurdy, Director of Community Development, City of Rogers

QUALIFICATIONS

• 15+ years of progressively responsible experience in organizational transformation and change management, from practitioner to enterprise-level leadership.
• Synthesizes complex information into clear and concise recommendations and action-oriented implementation plans.
• Develops and effectively implements both strategic and operational project management plans.
• Generates innovative, data-driven, and result-oriented solutions to complex challenges.
• Respond quickly to changing ideas, responsibilities, expectations, trends, strategies, and other processes.
• Communicates effectively verbally and in writing and excels in active listening and conversing.
• Fosters collaboration across multiple constituencies to support more effective decision-making.
• Establishes and maintains strong relationships with diverse stakeholders, both inside and outside of government, particularly community-based relationships.
• Embraces differing viewpoints and implements strategies to find common ground. Demonstrates confidence and professional diplomacy while effectively interacting with individuals at all levels of various organizations.

FUSE is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply for this position.