PWQA leader, award announced
At its annual convention, held virtually this year, Greg Reyneke passed the PWQA gavel of leadership to Irma Y. Bishop of Hall’s Culligan. Russell Harrison became VP and Allan Horner moved to the Secretary-Treasurer position. Bishop set priorities to actively communicate with the membership and engage in continual efforts to recognize past successes in the area of legislative gains and increase outreach to state legislatures and regulators. During the convention, PWQA’s Special Service Award was bestowed on Bill Hanson, formerly the President and Owner of Aquacon, for his dedication in achievement of the association’s outreach goals.
IBWA Board, officers named
The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) announced its 2020-2021 officers and Board of Directors, elected by IBWA members in November. Tara Carraro (Nestlé Waters North America) was elected to serve as Chair of the Board of Directors. She is a member of IBWA’s executive committee and Board of Directors, and previously served as Vice Chair. C.R. Hall became Vice Chairman and Brian Hess (Niagara Bottling ) took over as Treasurer, while Robert Smith (Grand Springs Distribution) became Immediate Past Chairman. Jillian Olsen, David Redick, Joe Bell, Kari Mondt and Greg Nemec were elected or re-elected for a three-year term.
WEF design award winners, Board announced
The Water Environment Federation (WEF) announced students from the University of Guelph and Colorado School of Mines as winners of the 2020 Student Design Competition. The 19th annual competition showcased the innovative ideas of 27 teams from 22 WEF Member Associations and five countries. The University of Guelph team (Rebecca Bar, Rebecca Beutel, Acacia Markov and Justin Salvucci) won the Environmental Design category. The Colorado School of Mines team (Gillian Allison, Kelsey Buechler, Tori Heckart, Kayla Hubbard and Kate Stephens) won the Wastewater Design category. Both teams received award plaques and their respective Member Associations will receive a $2,500 award. WEF announced its 2020-2021 Board of Trustees, which will be led by new President Dr. Lynn Broaddus, President of Broadview Collaborative. The 2020-21 Board of Trustees includes: Past-President Jackie Jarrell; President-Elect Jamie Eichenberger; Vice President Ifetayo Venner; Treasurer Keith Hobson and Secretary/WEF Executive Director Walt Marlowe. Trustees are Rajendra Bhattarai, Howard Carter, Shellie Chard, Gustavo Gallo-Chacon, Aimee Killeen and John Trofatter.
Madeksza to head Veolia
Matt Madeksza has been named President and CEO of Veolia North America, responsible for overseeing a company serving approximately 4,000 industrial and municipal customers across the US and Canada. He previously held leadership positions with Boeing and United Technologies Corp. and spent the past 14 years with Saint-Gobain Corp. Madeksza replaces interim President and CEO Brian Clarke.
Len Assante Scholarship winners announced
The Groundwater Foundation and Franklin Electric announced the 2020 recipients of the Len Assante Scholarship, awarded to individuals who are pursuing educational opportunities to advance careers in the groundwater industry. The recipients were Sky Blailcock, Jake Cobb, Bradley Mason, Lawarren Pickens and Drew Smith, each currently enrolled in their second year at Southwest Mississippi Community College.
Brazilian women honored by ACS, SBQ
The American Chemical Society (ACS) and the Brazilian Chemical Society (SBQ) announced this year’s winners of the Brazilian Women in Chemistry and Related Sciences awards. The accolades are designed to promote gender equality in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in Brazil and to advance understanding of the impact of diversity on scientific research and the field of chemistry. The winners were: Paola de Azevedo Mello, PhD, Emerging Leader Award; Ana Flávia Nogueira, PhD, Leadership In Academia Award and Sonia Maria Cabral de Menezes, PhD, Leadership In Industry Award. Each winner will receive a $2,000 cash prize, a three-year CAS SciFindern subscription, a three-year ACS membership and an award certificate.
AMTA/Reclamation Fellowships announced
AMTA and the Bureau of Reclamation announced the 2020 recipients of the AMTA/Reclamation Fellowships for Membrane Technology. The four recipients will receive a $11,750 fellowship to support their research that advances membrane technology in the water, wastewater or water reuse industries. They are: Stephanie McCartney, Columbia University (NY); Duong Nguyen, University of Colorado (Boulder); Jacob Palmer, Texas State University (San Marcos) and Haley White, Georgia Institute of Technology.