Sullivan
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) Administrator Dr. Kathryn Sullivan will offer the keynote address at the 2016 Executive Management Conference of the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA), the annual gathering of the nation’s top drinking water executives, Oct. 16-19 at the Scottsdale Resort at McCormick Ranch in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Sullivan considers NOAA “America’s environmental intelligence agency,” and she will discuss the agency’s work to enable better decision making on water information-driven problems with timely, reliable and actionable climate and weather information.
RELATED: AMWA’s Executive Management Conference Heads to Scottsdale
Designed to meet the particular challenges of top drinking water executives, AMWA’s Executive Management Conference will feature authoritative presenters who speak from front-line experience. Topics include:
- Cloud, Big Data and Analytics: Driving Business Value – CIOs from Denver Water, DC Water and the New York City Department of Environmental Protection will discuss how these two evolving capabilities are driving business value in the water industry.
- Building the Water Workforce – water leaders from Detroit and New Orleans will discuss their efforts to develop a skilled workforce and employ under-represented and disadvantaged workers.
- Foraging for Sustenance in the Hunt for Appropriate Rate Structures – New York City Department of Environmental Protection will offer insights on finding a sustainable rate structure that addresses ratepayer affordability concerns.
- Restoring and Retaining Customers’ Confidence in Drinking Water – featuring utility execs from Tucson and Cincinnati.
- Community Engagement to Build Understanding and Support – with management perspectives from Santa Cruz, San Diego County and Scottsdale.
- One Water L.A.: A Collaborative Approach to Regional Water Challenges – how multiple agencies and stakeholders came together to address regional water resource and infrastructure challenges.
- Asset Management 2.0: Overhauling Legacy Systems – how early AM adopters are upgrading with enterprise asset management.
- Hydrating Arizona: Smart Water Management in the Valley of the Sun – featuring water leaders from Phoenix, Scottsdale and Mesa.
- Creating a Degree Program for Utility Workforce Development – South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority will chronicle its collaborative partnership with the Connecticut State University System to develop a unique Public Utility Management degree program.
- Automating the Grievance Process: Minimizing Demands on HR and Legal Resources – Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority will share the innovative electronic system it developed to streamline the process of initiating and carrying out discipline.
- Strategic Considerations for Enhancing Cybersecurity – an authoritative discussion of the business case for enhancing cybersecurity, consequences of breaches and the strategic considerations of an effective cybersecurity program.
AMWA member utilities are typically represented at the conference by their general managers and CEOs, so many opportunities are built into the program for participants to network with colleagues and share insights. Meeting participants can take a special tour of the Central Arizona Project’s headquarters and Lake Pleasant storage reservoir.
Registration is open to any public water or wastewater utility and to private firms that are AMWA subscribers. For more information about the conference, visit the event website.
