Headshot of Sarah Millonig at CSU One Water Solutions Institute

Sarah Millonig

Director of Operations & Strategic Engagement

Sarah is the Director of Operations & Strategic Engagement for the One Water Solutions Institute at Colorado State University (CSU). With nearly 20 years of experience advancing complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives, she leads operational strategy, program development, and external engagement across OWSI’s portfolio, including activities spanning multiple colleges and the CSU Spur campus.

She oversees business development, partnership strategy, and program implementation, and serves as the lead for OWSI’s activities at CSU Spur – Hydro. In this role, she advances the Water Technology Acceleration Platform (Water TAP) through partnership development, member engagement, workforce development, and coordination of projects, events, and external programs. 

Sarah is co-located at CSU’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in Fort Collins and the CSU Spur campus in Denver. She holds a background in anthropology and environmental education, and prior to joining CSU in 2007, worked as an archaeologist, park ranger, and wilderness guide. 

Contact Information

  • 1372 Campus Delivery (Engr. 205A) Fort Collins, CO 80523-1372
  • CSU Spur Hydro: 4777 National Western Drive, Denver, CO 80216
  • 970-491-3016
  • sarah.millonig@colostate.edu
  • She/her

Resources

Research Interests

Millonig’s work focuses on connecting strategy to execution by aligning programs, partnerships, and resources to advance applied research and implementation-focused solutions. She leads and supports strategic initiatives at the CSU Spur Campus, with a particular emphasis on advancing the Water Technology Acceleration Platform (Water TAP) as a hub for collaboration, testing, workforce development, and innovation. 

She co-directs the Food-Energy-Health-Water Systems (FEHWS) working group at CSU Spur, helping to convene interdisciplinary partners and advance integrated approaches to complex resource and infrastructure challenges. 

Her areas of interest include water reuse and decentralized systems, adoption and implementation of One Water strategies, and the development of tools and partnerships that support integrated water management and informed decision-making. Her work emphasizes bridging technical innovation with real-world application through stakeholder engagement, program development, and applied research coordination. 

She has contributed to and supported large-scale, multi-partner initiatives and sponsored research efforts, including collaborations with the Water Research Foundation such as the Self-Assessment Framework for One Water Cities (WRF #4969).

Education

  • B.A. 2013, Colorado State University – Anthropology
  • A.A.S. 2005, Madison Area Technical College – Parks & Recreation Management

Honors & Awards