from the executive director
4 SOURCE summer 2013
Executive Committee
Chair
Jacques DeBra
Chair Elect
Bruce Macler
Vice Chair
Sue Mosburg
Treasurer
Rob Hills
Past Chair
Steve Dennis
Association Director
Phil Brun
Association Director
Dawn White
Secretary
Tim Worley
Trustees
Tom Bloomer
Heather Collins
Uzi Daniel
Joe Guistino
Kirk Medina
Tanya Yurovsky
Directors
Conference Director
Tammie Myers
Education Director
Scott Rovanpera
Certification Director
Darcy Burke
Technical Programs
Jessica Adams-Weber
Government Affairs
Rick Callender
Division Chairs
Business Administration
David Shank
Water Distribution
Drew McIntyre
Water Resources
Joe Wong
Water Quality
Willie Frehner
Operations & Maintenance
Brandy Hancocks
Operators Division
Bill Cardinal
Councils
Manufacturers Associates Council
John Wilson
Workforce Development Council
Christina Hawkins
Standing Committee Chairs
Audit
Rod Greek
Awards
Vacant
Personnel Selection
Debra Kaye
SDWA
Craig Thompson
Smaller Utilities
Glenn Reynolds
Water For People
Sophie James
Young Professionals
Brandon Stipe
The Condition We’re In
With apologies to Kenny Rogers, “Just drop in to see what condition
our condition is in.”
CA-NV AWWA has been doing a lot lately to see what condition our
condition is in, and as a member-owner of this organization we invite
you to join us. The 2012 Annual Report summarizes some of the strides
we are making to serve you with more of what you need and to maintain
a healthy organization for a long time into the future. Please “drop in” on
that report, and reflect on how we’re doing. And we would appreciate
hearing if we’ve stumbled in some way, or what we could do better—that’s what helps us improve.
Earlier this year, several small group interview sessions provided great insights about how you
think about AWWA—both our Section and the Association. This exercise validated that the CANV
Section offers some of the best training around for water operators, backflow testers and water
conservation specialists. However, we’re not strongly known for some other areas where AWWA
as a whole is very strong. We are moving gradually and thoughtfully to represent members’
interests better on key regulatory and legislative issues, offer more peer-to-peer resources for
members, provide more education in utility management issues and broaden our education and
training offerings to cover more utility concerns.
We are especially excited to invite members to drop in and see our two new physical spaces. In
May, we opened a new training center in West Sacramento to better serve the training needs of
northern California. The suite has been completely refurbished as a classroom with a complete wet
lab for hands-on training and certification exams in backflow prevention. A small office rounds
out the 2,800 square-foot space. Watch for an invitation to an open house to dedicate the space
in late July. The first classes have already taken place and a full slate of classes and workshops is
scheduled for the rest of the year. (See the article on page 8 by CA-NV AWWA Education Director
Scott Rovanpera.)
Topping off the physical improvements, the staff and members alike will both be thrilled by the
new surroundings when the CA-NV AWWA office relocates to The Frontier Project in August.
The LEED (Leadership in Energy Efficient Design) Platinum-rated building is itself a training
and demonstration site, built on land owned by the Cucamonga Valley Water District. Our staff
will benefit from a vastly improved work environment with great natural lighting and ventilation.
Members and class attendees will appreciate the larger, more comfortable training room and,
under a covered and shaded awning, some updated backflow assemblies. The Frontier Project
invites new training topics that will be possible only in a LEED facility, although no specific classes
or workshops have been planned yet. Finally, it can’t be overstated how welcome it will be to
strengthen the Section’s bond to our water community by having a water district as our landlord.
Let me conclude with a few additional ways to drop in on your association. We encourage everyone
to drop in on one of the student chapters that are popping up on university campuses. Drop
in to one of our Water Education Seminars this summer and pick up several training contact hours
in a single day. Drop in to see what condition our conference is in is—we have a very comprehensive
program planned for Sacramento this fall. And certainly our technical committees would appreciate
having members drop in, lend a hand and share an idea, or just a word of encouragement.
Timothy Worley, Ph.D.
Executive Director, CA-NV Section AWWA