Jeanne Bennett-Bailey of Fairfax, Va., has officially begun her one-year term as president of the American Water Works Association. Bennett-Bailey becomes the 135th president of AWWA.
As an active member of AWWA, Bennett-Bailey was the AWWA’s Volunteer of the Year in 2014 and has served as chair of the Public Affairs Council and as a member of the Board of Directors, the Executive Committee, the Utility Quality Management Committee and the Diversity and Member Inclusion Committee. Now retired, she most recently served as the public affairs officer for Fairfax Water in Fairfax, Va., the state’s largest water utility.
During her term as president, Bennett-Bailey will focus on workforce development, young professionals and the Association’s Water Equation Campaign, which supports programs such as the Community Engineering Corps and the One AWWA Operator scholarship.
“Wow, this is amazing! I can hardly take it in,” Bennett-Bailey told the crowd at the closing of ACE16 in Chicago. She accepted the presidential gavel from Gene Koontz, who earlier said Bennett-Bailey’s communications background makes her, “The right person at the right time.”
“What better way to tell the next generation we’re interested in them than to invest in them,” Bennett-Bailey said. “I want to make sure they have all the information and materials they need, when, where and how they need it.”
In light of the water crisis in Flint, Mich., solving the problem of lead in water continues to be a focus of AWWA’s work and will be for Bennett-Bailey during her term. “I want to support initiatives already begun,” she said. “I’m looking forward to helping members find the solutions we’re looking for in terms of lead and lead removal and corrosion control management.”
Click here to read more about Bennett-Bailey taking over as AWWA president.
