PODCAST: From Hauling Water to Turning on the Taps

Episode 1
Olga Morales-Pate, CEO of RCAP, shares her background growing up in a rural village without basic infrastructure and how access to water changed her life. She discusses her journey from working in a chemistry lab to becoming a regulator for the state of New Mexico, and eventually joining RCAP as a technical assistance provider (TAP). Olga emphasizes the importance of water as the horizontal infrastructure of communities required to support economic development and create opportunities. She also highlights the challenges faced by rural and Tribal communities, including funding accessibility and the need for capacity development.

RCAP believes that Rural America is Essential America. For over 50 years, RCAP has been working to improve the quality of life in these small communities, building long-term relationships while making a tangible impact through capacity building and technical assistance. Dive into stories from rural and Tribal communities in all 50 states and 5 territories with the people who live there, and the technical assistance providers (TAPs) who work tirelessly every day to help communities achieve sustainability through water, wastewater, entrepreneurial, and community-led rural development projects.