Texas H2O Winter '18

TEX Sh2o | Winter 2018 |

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The Official Newsletter of the Texas Section AWWA | Every Drop, Every Day, Everywhere©

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Also: Remembering Kay Kutchins

| kay kutchins |

Remembering Kay Kutchins

BY CLIFF AVERY texas h2o editor

K

ay Kutchins, the Texan who tore down more barriers than anyone for women in the water industry, died Dec. 8 in San Antonio. She had undergone bypass surgery earlier in the week.

She was 77.

Among her many accomplishments, she was the first woman inducted into AWWA’s Water Hall of Fame in 2014.

Kutchins was the first woman to AWWA Vice President Michael Simpson serve as chair of the Texas Section presenting Kay Kutchins with the Water in 1987. She was the first woman to Industry Hall of Fame award at Texas receive the Fuller Award from the WaterTM 2014 in Dallas.

Section, in 1987. She was the first woman named director, to represent the Section on the AWWA Board.

“When it came time to elect a director,” Kutchins once recalled, “a manager told me that he was very proud of my efforts on behalf of the Section, but that he was going to nominate another person because ‘we need a man and an engineer,’ not a public relations person to represent Texas.”

Kutchins overcame that and once named to the AWWA Board, she was elected twice as vice president, but her attempts to win the presidency were unsuccessful. Shattering that glass ceiling would fall to Kutchins’ close friend and ally. Texan Katie McCain became AWWA’s first woman president in 2004.

Kutchins was the guiding pioneer as more women from Texas Section have taken leadership at the national level. Jeannie Wigginton of Austin and Glenda Dunn of Waco have been directors on the AWWA Board who were elected to the vice president level; Mari Garza-Bird and Alissa Lockett, both from San Antonio, were elected as at-large directors, and Garza-Bird was elected vice president.

Kutchins served on the AWWA Public Affairs Committee, Management Division Training and Development Committee, Technical and Education CONTINUED PAGE 24 | kay kutchins

She was a mentor to me. It was Kay that got me on the AWWA Public Affairs Council in the early 2000s. She was a terrific lady and will be missed by many people.

— Mary Gugliuzza, Fort Worth Water, Texas Section Public Information Committee Chair 1998-2018 She welcomed me to the Texas Section way back in 1985 (or so). I first met her at a TWUA Regional School in Lubbock.

She was responsible for the education and career success of so many of our members. I have spoken to folks who credit her solely with their careers in water. She led and pushed. She was an asset to the Texas Section and to AWWA. We will all miss her.

— Katie McCain, AWWA Past President We’ve lost such a kind and wonderful person who taught us all what our roles and responsibilities are for protecting our public’s health and our environment. A true role model for us here in Texas and many others across our nation. She will be greatly missed here, but will be happily welcomed to her new home where she will bring many more smiles and much laughter.

— Dean Sharp, Former Texas Section Chair She was a big influence at SAWS and always made me smile when I’d see her. She’s going to be missed by many.

— Alissa Lockett, Former Texas Section Chair

www.tawwa.org TEXASh2o WINTER 2018 | 3 |

| letter from the texas section chair |

A Core Principle and a Time-Lapse Photo Texas Section American Water Works Association P.O. Box 80150 Austin, Texas 78708 www.tawwa.org Ron Tamada, Chair 469-499-6152 Elston Johnson, Chair-Elect 512-809-7552 Melissa Bryant, Vice-Chair 210-302-3611 Bruce Curtis, Imm. Past Chair 972-602-1001 Mike Howe Executive Director/Secretary-Treasurer 512-238-9292 Fax: 512-238-0496 mikehowe@tawwa.org This publication is distributed bi-monthly to the more than 3,500 members and friends of the Texas Section – American Water Works Association.

Contributing writers can contact the editor: Cliff Avery GCP Association Services, LLC PO Box 676 Pflugerville, TX 78691 512-251-8101 Fax: 512-251-8152 texwater@texas.net The publication name, TexasH2O: © 1996-2018 Texas Section – American Water Works Association, Inc. © 2018 Texas Section – American Water Works Association, Inc.

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BY RON TAMADA texas section chair

I

n my first TEXASh2o article I promised to provide more discussion about diversity in the Texas Section. I’m now delivering on that promise. Actually, a team of TAWWA members is helping me with this promise. In this issue of TEXASh2o you will see articles prepared by your Section officers, executive director and Diversity Committee leaders. A couple of years ago the Illinois Section of AWWA devoted an entire issue RON TAMADA of their magazine to diversity in their section 469-499-6152 with articles by their section leadership on this rontamada@gmail.com theme. Every great idea deserves to be repeated, so here is the Texas version.

My involvement in TAWWA began about 12 years ago when I joined the Diversity Committee at the invitation of a longtime friend. I had the privilege to chair this committee for several years until 2016, when I became a Texas Section officer and remain a member of this committee.

An AWWA Core Principle. AWWA lists its five core principles on the AWWA website (www.awwa.org/about-us/strategic-plan.aspx). “Foster Diversity and Inclusion,” one of these core principles, provides the direction for the Association and its sections and chapters. We are to purposefully work to increase the diversity of the membership and make all AWWA members feel like they have a place and role in the organization.

At the Association level, the charge is lead by the Diversity and Member Inclusion Committee (DMIC). This Members of the Diversity and Member Inclusion Committee.

CONTINUED PAGE 22 | letter from the texas section chair

| 4 | WINTER 2018 TEXASh2o www.tawwa.org

| executive director report |

Capitalizing on the Opportunity

BY MIKE HOWE tawwa executive director

I

am reluctant to call myself an opportunist as the word really defines someone who "exploits circumstances to gain immediate advantage rather than being guided by consistent principles or plans."

But when I see an opportunity, I want to seize the moment when it fits our plans or long term goals. So, maybe I am one who will Capitalize on an opportunity when it is standing there staring me in the face—while still "being guided by consistent principals or plans."

However you define it, when I began this job, there was an opportunity that could not be passed up. Her name is Katie McCain.

What I am about to do is to compress more than 20 years of history into one short column and hope Liz can find enough space for all of it. This is a story about how Diversity shaped the Texas Section AWWA. In 1997 when I started this position, Katie was the Chair-Elect of the Section. As she was moving into her leadership role, we routinely collaborated on filling out our Divisions and Committees with the best and the brightest in our industry. The effort was truly designed to grow participation in the Section and grow membership. It seems silly to say it, but "back then" diversity was primarily gender-driven. The success of that initial commitment is clear when you look back at those who have served in leadership roles over those

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early years. Plus, participation and membership grew as we clearly were engaging everyone in what was once thought of as more of a "boys club." A Win/Win! During those early years, our gender diverse leadership group grew MIKE HOWE naturally. We scanned our 512-238-9292 mikehowe@tawwa.org growing membership for new leaders, of any age, any gender, or any background. One of the standouts was (still is) Shay Roalson. At the time, Shay was the Chair of our Young Professionals Committee, and in that role, was drawing younger members and potential members our way by providing them a better way to engage in their chosen field. Long story short: Shay became the first Young Professional to ever become the Chair of any of the 43 AWWA Sections. Without question, we rocked! And, not only were we one of the fastest growing AWWA Sections (still the largest single state Section!) but we had a YP Woman as Chair. When you looked at our leadership team, it was obvious that our commitment to diversity was real, and, was making a difference.

A personal note here. As a white male in an industry that generally looked very much like me, I was fully on board with the direction we were going. Whether it was because I grew up with a smart, strong mother and two amazing sisters, or was married to a similarly strong spouse, and our two daughters had their future ahead of them, and from my communications background, I knew that women were a much more powerful and empathetic force in communicating the "value" of CONTINUED PAGE 25 | executive director report

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| diversity |

Thoughts on Diversity

BY BILL SMITH awwa director

I

am from a generation in which I did not think about diversity or inclusion until much later in my career.

Great progress has been made over the years towards diversity, and this trend needs to continue as we move forward into the future. The efforts of AWWA to foster diversity and member inclusion is a significant core value for the Association and I support these efforts at the Section level.

While attending various Texas Section events, it is encouraging to witness and experience the diversity that is apparent. People from different ages, gender

and backgrounds are coming together in the water industry to improve problem solving and provide new viewpoints and ideas.

As members of AWWA, we should all strive to reach out to our fellow members to find ways to make sure that everyone is welcome to participate regardless of race, color, religion, gender or sexual orientation.

Our combined efforts at diversity and member inclusion should make our organization stronger and demonstrate to everyone that we are firmly committed to these efforts.

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| diversity awareness |

My Diversity Awareness Experience

BY BRUCE CURTIS tawwa immediate past chair

I

t was April 1993 when Gloria Steinem and the Ms. Foundation for Women organization started the “Take our Daughters to Work Day” initiative. At the time I was the District Sales Manager for Mueller Co. and part of my job responsibilities required me to travel out of town for 2–3 days of almost every week.

My daughter Kristi was a mere ten-years-old at that time. I don’t recall the actual observance date for this inaugural event, but I do recall that it was the previous week when she presented me with an informational pamphlet regarding this upcoming event. Her teacher had handed out the pamphlets to all of the girls in her class and encouraged them to convince their respective

dads to try and accommodate them with this assigned task. If successful, they were expected to report back to the class with what they experienced. While I embraced the intent and concept for the “Take your Daughters to Work Day,” my travel schedule made it almost impossible for me to take her along with me.

Luckily, as fate would have it, my following week was free of any out-of-town travel requirements. So, as most ten-year-old girls have the seemingly innate ability to do with their dads, she convinced me to take her with me to my office for the day the following week.

Although, after explaining to her what a typical office CONTINUED PAGE 26 | diversity awareness

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| diversity & the future |

Diversity and its Impact on the Future

BY ELSTON JOHNSON tawwa chair-elect

T

he topic of diversity and its benefits to our nation’s workforce is one of the most discussed issues of our time. Government agencies, institutions of higher learning as well as private corporations and small business are taking measures to create a culture of inclusion that attracts a diverse workforce. The Texas Section of AWWA (TAWWA) also recognizes the benefits of diversity and how it plays an essential part in the present and future of the association. The TAWWA website states, “Diversity is vital to the Section’s growth and sustainability.” I do believe diversity plays an essential role in the future of the association and TAWWA must ensure it continues

to attract a diverse group of members to the Section.

TAWWA is comprised of many talented individuals and stands out as one of the most accomplished associations in the state. I believe at the heart of the success of our Section is its ability to adapt to the changes in the water industry. I fully believe TAWWA’s ability to adapt to and in some instances shape the direction of the water industry comes from our diversity.

TAWWA is benefiting not only from a membership with different cultural and ethnic backgrounds but also from the diversity in careers, education and experiences that make up our membership.

CONTINUED PAGE 21 | diversity & the future

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| diversity experience |

My Experience with Diversity in our Industry

BY MELISSA BRYANT tawwa vice-chair

F

ostering diversity has come a long way in the water industry, and I have seen firsthand the changes for the better as a Hispanic female engineer that graduated from college more than 20 years ago. I started in the private sector with a small firm in Dallas and was the only minority in an office with only three female engineers out of 25 engineers.

I experienced the discrimination in pay and credibility.

I would have to work twice as hard as my male counterparts to get even close to the same recognition. I was the only one in the office who at the time knew AutoCad and MicroStation, so while I was asked to work on multiple project deliverables, I still

received less pay than the male engineers in training (EITs) coming into the company fresh out of college. I soon moved to San Antonio, where I found the diversity to be much greater, but I was still the only female engineer in the company I went to work for up until 2005. As I progressed in the organization and advanced in my career, I made it a point to advocate for minority and female engineers. Today we have 15 engineers in our engineering department, ten of those engineers are female, and five are minorities.

I am so proud of the strides toward diversity and equity that we have made as an industry, but I know CONTINUED PAGE 34 | diversity experience

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| career diversity |

Career Diversity

BY DEDRA ECKLUND tawwa diversity committee co-chair

D

iversity is an extremely important aspect in the water and wastewater industry. It can show up in various forms, whether it is diversity in projects, the workforce, or in career choices. I have been fortunate to experience and benefit from all three of these areas. The area that I have found most value in has been diversity in my career. I have worked in consulting for a state-wide firm, a start-up firm and I am currently a project manager at a national firm. I have also worked for a public agency that allowed me to understand the owner’s perspective.

This path to career diversity started in college at Texas A&M University. I did not take a typical path with a degree in Civil Engineering. Instead, I pursued a

degree in Agricultural Engineering because I was impressed with the program and the electives I could take in other engineering departments. This atypical path would continue when I entered the workforce.

I started out my career working for a consulting firm.

I learned how to address client needs quickly, experience a project in the field and not just in theory, participate in the decision-making process and manage projects from concept to completion. It was a valuable beginning to my career and the lessons I took from that experience led me to a better understanding of engineering as a service industry.

CONTINUED PAGE 28 | career diversity

| 16 | WINTER 2018 TEXASh2o www.tawwa.org

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| internship program |

BRA's Internship Program Provides Opportunities

BY CATHY DOMINGUEZ brazos river authority

M

any people think of interns as either college students or recent graduates, but that certainly wasn’t the case for Laura Jardine.

She began her internship with the Brazos River Authority 16 years after completing college. She turned that experience into a full-time job, moving up the ladder to become a senior plant operator for the BRA’s East Williamson County water treatment plant in Taylor. She now holds a Class A license in water treatment from the state.

Jardine attended high school in Grapevine before majoring in biology at Texas Woman’s University in

Denton, where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in 1995.

She worked in the Trinity River Authority's Laura Jardine started out as an intern for BRA Environand is now a senior plant operator. mental lab for a year while taking environmental science classes at the University of North Texas. Then Jardine moved to Phoenix where she lived for 11 years. There, she worked as a health inspector and also worked with her husband as a painter and muralist. The Jardines moved back to Texas in 2008 to be closer to family.

In 2011, she saw an internship at the East Williamson County water plant posted online and applied for the position. She was selected for the program, gaining valuable experience and an introduction to the BRA, which turned out to be beneficial to her as well as to the organization.

“I decided to apply for the internship position because I wanted to see if this was an area I wanted to pursue as a full-time career,” she said. Jardine said the decision turned out to be a great one—and something she recommends to others.

“I think the internship program is an excellent way to introduce folks to water/wastewater opportunities,” she said. “I would encourage other people to apply to the program. I feel I was very fortunate when I finished CONTINUED PAGE 28 | internship program

| 18 | WINTER 2018 TEXASh2o www.tawwa.org

| beaumont |

Beaumont Receives Courageous Service Award

TAWWA's Jennifer Elms presents Beaumont Water and Sewer Services employees with the AWWA Courageous Service Award for their exemplary service during Hurricane Harvey.

Pictured at left: Barry Miller, Ronnie Heiman, Jesse Powell, Troy Pierce, Jennifer Elms, Joann Roberts, Blain Dishman and Dr. Joe Majdalani.

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www.tawwa.org TEXASh2o WINTER 2018 | 19 |

| a&m water network |

Texas A&M Water Network Events

The Texas A&M Water Network Chapter hosts events such as tailgates before Texas A&M football games and educational workshops.

| 20 | WINTER 2018 TEXASh2o www.tawwa.org

| diversity & the future |

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12 | diversity & the future Having a membership made up of people with expertise in education, engineering, finance, operations and the sciences provides a group of people capable of addressing the current challenges that face our industry. Equally important is the perspective of the diverse types of utilities in the state.

The state’s water utilities range in size from the smallest communities serving less than 100 customers to the hundreds of thousands served by the state’s largest utilities. Recognizing water utilities in the state are diverse in their number and types of communities they serve is integral to the continued growth of TAWWA. I fully believe the continued success of our association is dependent upon and serving the diversity of our state’s water utilities.

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| letter from the texas section chair |

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 | letter from the texas section chair Committee has the responsibility of planning and communicating AWWA diversity awareness efforts and supporting AWWA’s sections in their diversity building work. I am a member of this committee and can affirm that each member is totally dedicated to the committee’s mission.

In the Texas Section, our Diversity Committee works to create a culture that values diversity and the contribution that each member can make. Led by Chair Camille Sowells (csowells@ cpyi.com) and co-chair Dedra Ecklund (daecklund@lan-inc.com), this dedicated committee is putting the finishing touches on the TAWWA Diversity diversity technical session for Committee Co-Chair TM Texas Water 2019. Camille is Dedra Ecklund. currently on leave, but contact Dedra if you have questions or an interest in the Diversity Committee.

The diversity of diversity. When I joined the Diversity Committee I thought; “Okay, there’s race and gender.” I learned there’s so much more. An AWWA colleague once said that diversity is about differences.

Differences in what makes us, well, us. And when I began to think about it in that way, it gave me an appreciation of the diversity of diversity. Its scope includes ethnicity, age or generational influences, occupation or job background, and in Texas, geography.

When we formed the new ad hoc Planning TRWA Ad 2016 (bleeds).pdf 1 2/2/2016 7:57:33Strategic PM Committee, we really worked to include representation

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from every part of our state because perspectives and water issues vary widely from the Rio Grande Valley to East Texas and from the Gulf Coast to the Panhandle.

(More about this committee in a later issue). Other differences include political parties, where you grew up (urban or rural), disabilities or no, sexual orientation, tattoos or not, hobbies and interests (remember that I really like listening to different kinds of music, yes, including disco) and many more. The Diversity Committee leads and guides us in making each member feel like they are a part of TAWWA because of, or despite, their differences. Maybe some of our chapter meetings should be in the maintenance building rather than the administration building.

Why is diversity important to us? There are at least three things that I can think of: organizational strength, workforce and problem solving. Reaching the largest possible number of potential members can only help AWWA and TAWWA to grow faster, stronger and more vibrantly. I think people will gravitate toward and stay with an organization known for valuing the contributions an individual can make, regardless of their background.

We have heard for years about the baby boomer exodus from the workforce. Last year I joined that exodus. The water industry in general, and TAWWA in particular, need capable people to take the place of those of us who have completed our watch. A diverse TAWWA workforce only increases our opportunities for attracting and keeping the talented folks Texas will need for decades to come.

Diverse teams produce more effective, efficient and lasting solutions to problems. We can all agree that the water industry has more than its share of challenges, from aging infrastructure to emerging contaminants to cybersecurity and the funding to address all of them.

We need teams of individuals with varied backgrounds and experiences to help us tackle our complex issues.

A time-lapse photo. So how is AWWA and TAWWA doing on implementing its core principle of fostering diversity and inclusion? I reviewed available membership data for AWWA and the Texas Section from 2012 and 2017 that included four categories: age, gender, ethnicity and job title. It forms a kind of time-lapse photo of our membership over this period and is summarized in the following table:

| 22 | WINTER 2018 TEXASh2o www.tawwa.org

| letter from the texas| section chair | | swift program

AWWA & TAWWA Membership Demographic Data AWWA Category

2012, %

2017, %

TAWWA Change in %

2012, %

2017, %

Change in %

Age Gen Y/Z (1-35) 8 11 +3 12 11 Gen X (36-52) 28 32 +4 28 33 Boomers (53-71) 55 51 -4 50 50 Silent Gen (72-92) 9 6 -3 9 5 Greatest Gen (93-107) 0 0 0 1 0 Gender Female 15 17 +2 18 19 Male 85 83 -2 82 81 Ethnicity African American 2 2 0 2 3 American Indian/ Alaskan Native 1 1 0 1 1 Asian/Pacific Islander 5 5 0 4 4 Hispanic 4 4 0 11 10 White (non-hispanic) 86 87 +1 79 80 Other 2 2 0 2 2 Job Title Design & Engineering/ Managerial & Nonmanagerial 23 26 +3 24 27 Executive 21 20 -1 25 26 Management/ Non-engineering 23 22 -1 25 23 Operations 14 13 -1 9 9 Marketing & Sales/ Non-managerial 3 3 0 3 3 Scientific/ Non-managerial 3 4 +1 2 3 Professorial 2 3 +1 3 3 Purchasing 0 0 0 0 0 Other 10 10 0 8 7 • Not all categories may equal 100% due to rounding up or down.

• 2017 data courtesy of Katie Koch, AWWA Section Relationship Manager

-1 +5 0 -4 -1 +1 -1 +1 0 0 -1 +1 0

Lead by example. The TAWWA officers have worked hard to set an example for our members to follow when it comes to diversity and inclusion. A picture of this year’s Section officers illustrates our commitment to this core principle.

However, the picture only tells part of the story. The officers also have different job backgrounds, are involved in different business activities and hail from different parts of the state (although we need to still improve on this). Our Section is blessed to have many very capable people we can call on to lead TAWWA.

+3 +1 -2 0 0 +1 0 0 -1

Two observations can be made from the data above. First, we are moving generally in the right direction with respect to becoming a more diverse membership; the pluses and minuses are pretty much in the right places. Second, the progress is gradual, very gradual. The largest changes occur in the age category as the Silent Generation and Boomers retire. It appears to me that we are retaining a lot of the Gen Xers and Gen Yers because, as the overall membership is increasing and the older generations are decreasing, the representation from the younger generations is increasing.

The Texas Section membership is a little younger and a little more diverse than the AWWA membership in the gender and ethnicity categories. We have more managerial and engineering members and less operations members than AWWA, and less diversity in job background. So, more work remains to be done.

TAWWA Past Chair Daniel Nix, Past Chair Bruce Curtis, Vice-Chair Melissa Bryant, Chair Ron Tamada, Chair-Elect Elston Johnson and AWWA Director Bill Smith.

Finally, there are two things that make the future bright for diversity and inclusion in TAWWA: first, we know that we are far from finished with this journey and, second, I believe we have the will to continue to do what needs to be done to make our members feel they have a place and purpose with us.

I hope you will enjoy reading the diversity perspectives from my colleagues in this issue of TEXASh2o.

www.tawwa.org TEXASh2o WINTER 2018 | 23 |

| kay kutchins |

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 | kay kutchins Council's Education and Emergency Planning Committees, and was a guest speaker at many AWWA Section Meetings.

Kutchins also worked hard on developing guidance for utility managers. She assisted the North American Development Bank in the creation of and classroom instruction for its four-part Management Training Symposia for U.S. and Mexico utility managers and was a program instructor from 1998-2009.

Kutchins authored AWWA’s M5 Manual “Water Utility Management” and for 20 years, she was the lead instructor for the Texas-based AWWA Water Utility Management Institute, enhancing the management careers of more than 500 utility managers from Texas and the Southwest.

Even before her induction into AWWA’s Water Hall of Fame, Kutchins received an AWWA Honorary Member Award and Outstanding Service to the Water Industry Award.

An Illinois farm girl, she studied at the University of Illinois where she was executive editor of The Daily Illini, the University of Illinois' student newspaper. After college, she embarked on a career in newspaper and corporate journalism.

As her family relocated from North Carolina to Texas, she was offered an opportunity at the San Antonio City Water Board as Training Director.

In 1992, Kutchins joined the Management Consulting Division of Black & Veatch Consulting Engineers. Her work included organization analysis, human resource systems, public outreach, and strategic management associated with new functions and service areas. That work took her to Trinidad and Tobago, England, Hawaii,

Arizona, California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Connecticut and throughout Texas.

Returning to her water involvement in San Antonio, she was named a member of the San Antonio Water System's Citizen Advisory Panel on Water Resources (CAP) from 2009-2014, chairing the Committee from 2012-2014. The SAWS Board reappointed her for an additional two-year term in 2015, the first year as chairman.

Aside from her busy career in the water industry, Kutchins sat on the board of San Antonio’s Meals on Wheels, where she served on governance, facilities, and development committees.

A member of First Presbyterian Church in San Antonio, she served as an usher team captain, greeter and member of Sanctuary Choir. Kutchins also has served as Board Secretary for the Olmos Ensemble and Cactus Pear Music Festival and volunteered with the San Antonio Symphony.

Funeral services were held Dec. 15 at the First Presbyterian Church in San Antonio. Among survivors are her two sons and their families: Brad and Carole Fong Kutchins and their children Ashlei, Kourtnei, and Michael of Mansfield, Texas and Scott and Nicole Kutchins and their children Spencer and Logan of Coppell, Texas.

To help us honor her lifetime commitment to the water community, we have begun the Kay Kutchins Future Leaders Scholarship. You can make your taxdeductible contribution by sending a check to Kay Kutchins Scholarship, c/o Texas AWWA, PO Box 80150, Austin, TX 78708 or online at the link on the homepage of the Texas AWWA website, www.tawwa.org.

| 24 | WINTER 2018 TEXASh2o www.tawwa.org

| executive director report |

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 | executive director report participation in any group, and I was more than willing to "Capitalize" on the success of our direction. And, to be clear, the same was true for ALL of the men serving in their multitude of roles in the Section.

Here is the big time jump in my story.

I don’t want to sound like we had some great and unique epiphany, but in the middle of the last twenty years, as the world was paralleling the same direction we were going, when we looked at who was on our Board, who was on our Executive Committee, who was leading our Chapters, who was organizing our trainings, who was leading the Texas Water Conference, and who were our members, it was evident real change had occurred and was still occurring. We believed we had found a balance, and to make an even stronger commitment, we adopted a policy that our leadership must alternate between our utility, service providers, and equipment supplier members.

Diversity and Inclusion is a Core Principal of the AWWA Strategic Plan. Understanding the value of full diversity across every spectrum make us better at what we do. We protect public health. We make utilities better at what they do. We bring water professionals together. Water professionals don’t all follow the same path to get to their chosen profession. It just matters what they bring to our profession and, for us, to our organization.

But, before I wrap this up, let me state that I am not naïve. Our success is not perfect. We are not done.

We must remain vigilant in our commitment. It is easy to ‘drift’ to what makes us comfortable, like watching

an old movie in a comfy chair. But this movie is not in black-and-white or old. It is in full living color, with any number of players from every background. How our players got to this stage is not important. It is how they perform that matters. And everyone should be rewarded accordingly. That is all anyone asks. And when it is clear that opportunities are not equal, it is up to those in leadership roles to level the playing field.

That’s not playing favorites. That’s just smart business.

We can prove it. We do every day. We have Capitalized on the Opportunities and we are so much better for it.

Thanks for listening and as always, thanks for the comments about my remarks in TEXASh2o.

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www.tawwa.org TEXASh2o WINTER 2018 | 25 |

| diversity awareness |

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10 | diversity awareness day for me was like (e.g.: taking and making phone calls, analyzing sales reports and sipping coffee all day), she unequivocally stated how she wanted to do something more fun that she could report on to her fellow classmates. Hence, I scrambled to put together some local customer visits for us to go on the following week.

On our special Father-Daughter day, I had arranged an early morning visit to one of my local waterworks distributors where we dropped off donuts, then we had a quick visit with a friendly water utility superintendent who shared a funny story about a recent product repair that his field crews had to perform on a fire hydrant that had recently been run over by a semi-tractor trailer rig the previous weekend. I then took her with me to a “lunch & learn” call with a local engineering firm where she got to witness my product presentation skills to a roomful of engineers and where we all enjoyed some

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tasty barbeque. Afterwards I then took her to my sales office where she got to meet my administrative assistant and regrettably witness me spill coffee all over a newly printed sales report that my assistant had just finished preparing for me. After my daughter helped clean up my mess, she asked if it was time to go home yet. Sensing she wasn’t having much fun anymore, we called it a day. Overall though, I thought I had met her primary request for us to have a day of fun together.

The next day at school my daughter got to share with her classmates her experience of having a day at work with her dad. Later that evening I was anxious to hear her how her report went. However, when I asked her, all she initially would say was that it went “fine.”

Finally, after pressing her a little further, she said that all of her classmates felt like her experience was likely the most fun day of all the other girls who got to go to work with their dads. I asked her whether she agreed and while she stated yes, she did so but not very enthusiastically. I asked her to explain why she seemed so unenthused about her experience. She went on to explain that after she reported on her experience, her teacher asked if she would like to go into the same line of work that her dad had introduced to her. To my

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| 26 | WINTER 2018 TEXASh2o www.tawwa.org

| diversity awareness |

dismay and without any reservations, she said no.

Needless to say, I was somewhat shocked and disappointed by her response. I asked her why she felt that way and her explanation was simply, “…there’s too many boys in your work and not enough girls.”

Looking back on this event from 25 years ago, and for daughter being only 10 years old at the time, I would say she was very astute in her observation.

Personally, I must admit that I was not nearly that astute. All day long I had failed to realize how she never really got to meet many women during our FatherDaughter day experience who we truly engaged into any in depth conversations with (other than with those few women she met who occupied the front desk receptionist position at each of the businesses we visited and/or with my administrative assistant at my office who had to reprint my sales report for me due to my clumsiness and who had to help clean up my spilt coffee mess). In hindsight, I don’t blame her for not having much interest on her part to aspire to do what I did for a living, because there simply didn’t seem to be much opportunity for “girls” (at least as she saw it) to

do the fun part of my line of work—that primarily being the personal one-on-one engagement and interaction with my industry peers.

Thankfully though, I am glad to see how the work force within the waterworks industry today is much more diverse than 25 years ago, with not only gender inclusion but within all other diversity aspects as well.

For example, if I attempted to replicate the activities of our Father-Daughter day experience today, I would likely be able to start out the day by introducing her to the owner of the distributorship who happens to be a woman. I could now much more easily find a local water utility to take her to where the director of the utility is a woman. And today, at a typical lunch & learn training session held with most engineering firms, the gender make-up of the group of engineers in the audience will likely have a much higher percentage and number of women in participation.

Diversity doesn’t happen overnight, but from my own personal experience, it’ll never happen unless or until you truly look at it from an outside-looking-in perspective.

www.tawwa.org TEXASh2o WINTER 2018 | 27 |

| internship program |

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18 | internship program

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16 | career diversity

my internship there was an operator position open for me here at (East Williamson County).”

In March 2012, Jardine joined the BRA full-time and earned a Class C water license. She has since earned both her Class B and Class A licenses. Those different levels of training, overseen by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, allowed Jardine to take on increasing levels of responsibility. Each license requires coursework and the successful completion of exams.

Additionally, the Class A license requires five years hands-on experience in public water operations.

“The (Class) A exam is a little tough; but, with a bit of studying anyone with experience can pass the exam,” Jardine said.

The job requires expertise in a variety of water plant operations, production, distribution, management, laboratory operations and safety.

“I enjoy many aspects of the water operator position,” Jardine said, mentioning the versatility of the job and the troubleshooting process as two particular areas that she considers highlights.

According to a study by the U.S. Department of Labor, less than 6 percent of operators in the water and wastewater industry are women. Of the 29 positions in water and wastewater treatment with the BRA, three operators are women.

What are the biggest concerns Jardine faces in her job?

“Storms are my biggest challenges here at the water plant,” she said. “My biggest reward is when the plant is running smoothly, and working with an awesome team of coworkers—both maintenance and operations. I enjoy the challenges as well as the diversity of the job.”

She credits others working for the BRA for their roles in contributing both to her success and to the success of the plant.

“I could not have made it this far without the help of my coworkers,” Jardine said. “On both sides, maintenance and operations here at EWC, my coworkers have answered my many questions and allowed me to follow them around and absorb as much information as I could during my internship and early years here at the BRA. They are the best!”

Subsequently I joined a public agency where I could utilize the skills I learned in consulting and implement them in the communities we served. At the agency, I saw first-hand the hard work and dedication required to make everything work seamlessly for the public welfare. Whether it was how quickly repairs were made to waterlines or how yearly budgets affected water and sewer rates, I learned how everything had a direct effect on a community. I also gained valuable knowledge from working with operators, maintenance staff, field inspectors and SCADA/electrical experts.

Their understanding of the water and wastewater systems the agency managed taught me the practical aspects of engineering and I take that with me in every project I work on now that I am in consulting again.

I look back on the almost 15 years I have been in the water and wastewater profession and am grateful for the challenges and opportunities the industry has offered me. Diversity leads to richer careers, wellrounded companies and better project success. I am encouraged by the industry’s continued embrace and celebration of diversity in all aspects.

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| 28 | WINTER 2018 TEXASh2o www.tawwa.org

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| new members |

TAWWA Welcomes New Members Joining Sept. 16–Nov. 30, 2018 Ashley Adams Houston, TX

Rashaud Ardoin Houston, TX

Sean Beach Amarillo, TX

Xcleshia Boyd Houston, TX

Victoria Compton Houston, TX

Jonathan Dobbins Houston, TX

Derrik Adams Houston, TX

Guadalupe Arevalo Houston, TX

Jerrell Bean Houston, TX

Vincent Bradley Houston, TX

Cesar Cordova Houston, TX

Stephen Drab Houston, TX

Derrick Adkins Houston, TX

Chris Arnold Wichita Falls, TX

Martha Beger Houston, TX

Terrell Breantley Houston, TX

Eric Coreathers Houston, TX

Jordan Drake Kountze, TX

Alka Agarwal Houston, TX

Christopher Aubrey Houston, TX

Donald Bell Houston, TX

Reginald Bremby Houston, TX

Corix Texas Bastrop, TX

Willie Dugas Houston, TX

Jose Aguilar San Juan, TX

Alfredo Ayala Houston, TX

Jerry Bellamy Houston, TX

Lealyce Brisco Houston, TX

Vernon Cruse Houston, TX

Kennel Eaglin Houston, TX

Atheer Alanbagi Houston, TX

Trevion Bailey Houston, TX

Denise Benson Houston, TX

James Bronikowski Leander, TX

BJ Cunningham Hockley, TX

Keith Earls Houston, TX

Kedrick Alexander Houston, TX

Sandra Baker Fort Worth, TX

Abraham Berry Houston, TX

Derrick Brooks Houston, TX

Andrew Czubai Arlington, TX

Abid Ali Houston, TX

Velgeta Baker Houston, TX

Brian Binford Houston, TX

Alexis Brown Houston, TX

Miguel Dabila Houston, TX

East Texas Municipal Utility District Tyler, TX

Willie Anderson Houston, TX

Earl Ballard Houston, TX

Woody Blackmon Houston, TX

Louis Brown Houston, TX

Charles Dade Houston, TX

Mauro Araujo Brownsville, TX

Gustavo Barrios El Paso, TX

Frenchie Bledsoe Houston, TX

Daffy Burroughs Houston, TX

Sam Dalton Dallas, TX

Gary Archie Houston, TX

Joryus Batiste Houston, TX

Terry Bohannon Houston, TX

Phillip Cain Houston, TX

John Dang Houston, TX

Adam Calderon Houston, TX

Amin Darabnoush Tehrani Arlington, TX

Rigo Calzoncin Rosenberg, TX Jordan Marc Cameron Houston, TX Alejandro Carpy Houston, TX Sebastian Carrier Houston, TX Arturo Carrillo Sr. Houston, TX Dave Cherenfant Houston, TX Thomas Chims Houston, TX Glen Chinnery Houston, TX Rodolfo Cisneros Houston, TX City of River Oaks River Oaks, TX Toxie Cockrell Missouri City, TX Marion Coles Houston, TX

Charles Ebo Houston, TX Mario Erives Houston, TX Chinkata Esiaba Houston, TX Enrique Esquivel Olmito, TX Lucette Falcon Sugar Land, TX

Herman Darden Houston, TX

Francois Ferdnand Houston, TX

Joshua Davidson Houston, TX

Jose Flores Roma, TX

Michael Davis Houston, TX

Darrell Fontenot Houston, TX

Robert Delao Houston, TX

Telekia Foots Houston, TX

Nicole Dennis Lubbock, TX

Jason Francis Houston, TX

Travis Dent Houston, TX

Jose Fuentes Houston, TX

Vikesh Desai Wichita Falls, TX

Sean Fuller Houston, TX

William Dial Houston, TX

William Fuller Houston, TX

Oswaldo Diaz Houston, TX

Greg Gaffney Richmond, TX

Terry Dibler Houston, TX

Jeremy Garcia Houston, TX

Albert Dickey Houston, TX

Pete Garcia Houston, TX

Ba Dieu Houston, TX

John Garrett Houston, TX

| 30 | WINTER 2018 TEXASh2o www.tawwa.org

| new members |

TAWWA Welcomes New Members Joining Sept. 16–Nov. 30, 2018 Consuelo Garza Houston, TX

Josh Hartmangruber Wichita Falls, TX

Alfred Jones Houston, TX

Frank Lee Houston, TX

Shondel Martin Houston, TX

Dennis Nguyen Houston, TX

Demetrius Gatewood Houston, TX

Jon Harwood Suwanee, GA

Henry Jones Houston, TX

Ernest Leonard Houston, TX

Tomas Martinez Houston, TX

Duc Nguyen Houston, TX

Naomi Gevaerd De Souza Arlington, TX

Troy Heflin Houston, TX

Megan Jordan Houston, TX

Frederick Lethridge Houston, TX

Ronald Masek Houston, TX

Huyen Nguyen Houston, TX

Omar Hernandez Richmond, TX

Nicholas Jutan Houston, TX

Jason Lewis Houston, TX

Frank Mayo Houston, TX

Nam Hoang Nguyen Houston, TX

Trevor Herpaul Houston, TX

Aaron Keith Austin, TX

Vincent Lewis Houston, TX

Aaron McCall Houston, TX

Nhu-Thy Nguyen Houston, TX

Juan Herrera Houston, TX

Joseph Kellinger Houston, TX

Ming Li Fort Worth, TX

Brian McDonald Houston, TX

Craig Nickerson Houston, TX

Emily Herron Conroe, TX

Ryan Kelso New Braunfels, TX

Hui Lin Freeport, TX

Jose Mendoza Houston, TX

Mack Nosrat Houston, TX

Jared Hillsman Houston, TX

Don Kennedy Anna, TX

Xiaohua Lin Houston, TX

Markos Mengesha Houston, TX

Joseph Nunez Houston, TX

Nadine Hodges Buda, TX

Arshad Khan Houston, TX

Meng Ling Austin, TX

Roopa Metla Houston, TX

Oluwaseun Ogunlala Houston, TX

Larry Hoover Kennedale, TX

Gauher Khan Houston, TX

Porfirio Lising Houston, TX

Byron Metoyer Houston, TX

Carlos Palacios Pearland, TX

Dalton Howard Houston, TX

Shoaib Khan Houston, TX

Christopher Living Houston, TX

Montreon Mimms Houston, TX

Gregory Palmer Houston, TX

Ray Hunter Houston, TX

David Kinchen Dallas, TX

Patricia Lockman Houston, TX

Steven Mindt Overton, TX

Akshay Parenky Arlington, TX

Md Hussain Houston, TX

John Kmiecik Houston, TX

Joaquin Lopez Houston, TX

Damon Mitchell Houston, TX

Majelon Patterson Houston, TX

Zinah Hussein Houston, TX

Belinda Knighten Houston, TX

John Louis Houston, TX

Scott Mitchell Richland Hills, TX

Hugo Paulin Houston, TX

Priyanke Ilanga Houston, TX

Richard Koctor Houston, TX

Herbert Love Houston, TX

Michael Moosavi Leander, TX

Joseph Pierre Houston, TX

Carl Isaac Houston, TX

Alan Krathaus Houston, TX

Erron Lowery Morgans Point Resort, TX

Alexis Morris Houston, TX

Eduardo Pineda Houston, TX

Lamont Jackson Houston, TX

Cindy Kraus Houston, TX

Terry Lynch Houston, TX

Jed Morris Lufkin, TX

Ellsworth Pinkins Houston, TX

Ankita Jain Pflugerville, TX

Anthony Kwong Houston, TX

Magna Imperio Systems York, SC

Matthew Morris Houston, TX

Quinn Pitt Houston, TX

Terry Jenkins Houston, TX

Martin Kyle Houston, TX

Joe Mann Fort Worth, TX

Rick Myer York, SC

Demarquis Porch Houston, TX

Herbert Jessie Houston, TX

Lee Lanehart Houston, TX

Ernest Manning Houston, TX

Michael Myers Houston, TX

Loaquin Price Houston, TX

Sonceria Johnican Houston, TX

Willie Laster Houston, TX

Emanuel Manzano Houston, TX

Ebrahim Nassiri Houston, TX

Branako Primm Spring, TX

David Johnson Houston, TX

James Lathan Houston, TX

Juanita Marks Houston, TX

Gerardo Navarrete Houston, TX

Jason Purcell Houston, TX

Harold Johnson Houston, TX

James Leake Houston, TX

Lucia Marquez Houston, TX

Jacqueline Navarro Houston, TX

Daliah Quarrie Houston, TX

Paul Johnson Houston, TX

Mikell Leblanc Houston, TX

Timothy Marshall Houston, TX

Blake Neffendorf Buda, TX

Goffrey Quarrie Houston, TX

Jasmine Gibbs Houston, TX Lorinda Gibson Wickett, TX Drayton Gilder Houston, TX Brian Gillespey Houston, TX Michael Gobin Houston, TX Chase Gordon Houston, TX Sadtreat Gray Houston, TX Mark Gremillion Navasota, TX Aaron Griffin Houston, TX Mercedes Griffin Houston, TX Rafeal Guilbeaux Houston, TX Andrew Hafford Houston, TX Crystal Hall Houston, TX Paul Hallett Houston, TX Ben Halliday Dallas, TX Inez Hamilton-Acosta Houston, TX Aijaz Haque Houston, TX Marcus Hardge Houston, TX Alissa Hardy Houston, TX Jaumor Hargrove Houston, TX Tyrone Harmon Houston, TX

www.tawwa.org TEXASh2o WINTER 2018 | 31 |

| new members |

TAWWA Welcomes New Members Joining Sept. 16–Nov. 30, 2018 Anthony Quinn Houston, TX

Lawrence Renfro Houston, TX

Sabrina Roberson Houston, TX

Job Santos Houston, TX

Ira Stanley Houston, TX

Demond Vaughn Houston, TX

John Raglin Houston, TX

Marco Reyes Houston, TX

DuMarcus Roberston Houston, TX

Jose Saracho Houston, TX

Mackenzie Stern Dallas, TX

Emmit Vaughn Houston, TX

Ennis Rance Houston, TX

Juan Reyna Houston, TX

Walter Robinnett Houston, TX

Sergio Sarduy Houston, TX

Marilena Stoica Houston, TX

Guadalupe Velez Houston, TX

Michael Randle Houston, TX

Navella Richard Houston, TX

Justin Robinson Bastrop, TX

Maegan Saverline Orange Grove, TX

Shannon Stranton Houston, TX

Jason Vo Houston, TX

Phillip Ray Nash, TX

Davion Richards Houston, TX

Rhonda Robinson Houston, TX

Mahendra Seemungal Houston, TX

Kimberly Taylor Houston, TX

Rondrick Wallace Houston, TX

Darren Reed Houston, TX

Jonathan Rideaux Houston, TX

Selena Rocha Houston, TX

Singarpal Sekhon Houston, TX

Darrell Tennard Houston, TX

Xiaoxuan Wang Houston, TX

Nadeem Rehan Houston, TX

Michael Riggs Houston, TX

Albert Romo Houston, TX

Richard Seline San Antonio, TX

David Terrell Houston, TX

Ceasar Watson Houston, TX

Edwin Rendon Houston, TX

Linda Riley Houston, TX

Raiset Ruban-Valiente Houston, TX

Noah Shaffer Austin, TX

Cecil Thomas Houston, TX

Philip Wheat Dallas, TX

Juan Rendon Houston, TX

Bobby Roberson Houston, TX

Oscar Sanchez Olmito, TX

Joseph Shaw Houston, TX

Elizabeth Thomas Houston, TX

Joseph White Houston, TX

Mohammad Siddiqui Houston, TX

Moses Thomas Houston, TX

Wilbert Whitfield Houston, TX

Gilles Sie Grand Prairie, TX

Orinthia Thomas Houston, TX

Maurice Williams Houston, TX

David Silguero Houston, TX

Shemika Thomas Houston, TX

Paul Williams Houston, TX

Cohen Sims Houston, TX

Lane Thompson Tyler, TX

Jeffery Wilson Houston, TX

Mark Skaggs Lewisville, TX

Roy Thorpe Houston, TX

Yingchao Yi Houston, TX

Brent Smith Houston, TX

Marlea Tichy Irving, TX

Cash Smith Houston, TX

Emmuel Toliver Houston, TX

Jarvis Smith Houston, TX

Robert Toliver Houston, TX

Mark Smith Conroe, TX

Kevin Tran Houston, TX

Quincy Smith Houston, TX

Ervin Travis Houston, TX

Stedman Smith Houston, TX

Ismael Trevino Houston, TX

Armando Solis Houston, TX

Grant Turner Houston, TX

Michael Sommerdorf Richardson, TX

Vince Turner Houston, TX

Hillary Spells Houston, TX

Emmanuel Tuse Houston, TX

Clyde Spivey Houston, TX

Cuong Van Houston, TX

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| diversity experience |

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15 | diversity experience there is still work to do, especially in the plant operations, distribution and collection system maintenance, and other field positions. While my organization has a diverse crew of 30 plant operators, we only have one female operator. I also still hear the frustrations from our younger female engineers who are having to prove themselves in their designs.

Several have to deal with contractors asking the male field inspectors questions that should be directed at the female project engineer, so it sometimes seems like the respect is not always there. I’m glad to say our own field inspectors respect our female engineers and quickly let the contractors know who they need to be directing their questions to! While this shouldn’t be an issue in this day and age, I hope that in ten years our industry will truly have equal pay for all and will respect the knowledge and diversity of thought that women and minorities bring to the industry.

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| 34 | WINTER 2018 TEXASh2o www.tawwa.org

|| calendar calendar ||

What’s Happening Across Texas DATE

ACTIVITY

FEB 28

CAC Seminar 2019

MAR 6

Bingo For Bags Fundraiser

APRIL 2-5

Texas Water 2019

TIME

5:30 pm

LOCATION

INFORMATION

Austin Water's Center for Environmental Research

www.tawwa.org

Aggie Park San Antonio

www.tawwa.org

George R. Brown CC Houston

www.txwater.org

Want to share your event with the Texas water community?

Contact Mike Howe, 512-238-9292, or mikehowe@tawwa.org.

Check the Section’s website, www.tawwa.org, for the latest information on Section activities.

Imagine it.

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www.tawwa.org TEXASh2o WINTER 2018 | 35 |

TEXASh2o

c/o GCP Association Services, LLC PO Box 676 | Pflugerville, TX 78691 512-251-8101 | (f ) 512-251-8152 texwater@texas.net | www.tawwa.org

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