WC&P TRC expanded
Matthew Wirth, General Manager of the Pargreen Sales Engineering-Water Division, has re-joined the WC&P Technical Review Committee and Lawrence R. ‘Larry’ Zinser, Master Water Conditioning, became the newest member in February. Wirth, a water professional with 42 years of experience, works at multiple levels in the water industry. In addition to front-line field support (including design, application and service troubleshooting), he is an approved trainer for several industry organizations, state CEU programs and an author for trade periodicals. Wirth holds a Water Conditioning Master license in the State of Minnesota, a BA Degree in organizational management and communication from Concordia University (St. Paul, MN) and received his engineering training at the South Dakota School of Mines and 
Technology in Rapid City, SD. He can be reached at (630) 433-7760.
Following an education in chemistry (BS Degree) at Georgetown University, graduate work at Wayne State University and a 27-year career with the US Marine Corps, Zinser has served an additional 27 years in design, manufacture, education and troubleshooting of residential, commercial and industrial water treatment systems. He has provided numerous technical courses (which have been accredited by WQA as well as Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia and Delaware Ground Water Associations, the American Nephrology Nurses Association and the Lehigh-Carbon County Community College) throughout the country and internationally. Zinser can be reached at [email protected] or cell phone, (215) 421-7115.
Pollack named WQA Government Affairs Director
The Water Quality Association has selected Jeremy Pollack as its new Government Affairs Director. He will be based in Washington, DC, providing him direct and critical access to Congress, federal agencies and many key partners and stakeholders of the Water Quality Association. Pollack once worked in an advisory role for WQA and most recently served as Manager of Federal and Global Government Affairs for the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). He was the chief liaison for ASHRAE’s 50,000 members to Congressional and federal agencies on issues related to resiliency, water, energy, sustainability and COVID-19 guidance. For WQA, Pollack will be responsible for building strategies to ensure creation and passage of key legislation and regulation, including interacting with legislators, coalition building and persuasively advancing the association’s positions on water-related issues. He replaces David Loveday, who passed away in July after 15 years with WQA.
Minegishi appointed Toray VP
Toray Industries, Inc. has appointed Dr. Shinichi Minegishi as Senior VP of Toray Membranes USA, Inc., effective April 2021. He joined Toray Industries, Inc. in 1993 and spent 17 years at the Global Environment Research Laboratory before moving to the Water Treatment Division in 2010. Minegishi is the inventor of Toray’s UF membrane and was primarily responsible for R&D of the company’s UF and membrane bio-reactor (MBR) membranes. Later, as GM of the UF & MBR Membrane Products Department, he played a key role in managing global UF and MBR research, technology development, production and sales. As VP of TMUS, Minegishi will be responsible for business development to help the company become a leading supplier and innovator of membrane technologies for water and wastewater treatment and specialty separations.
AMTA award winner, board announced
The American Membrane Technology Association (AMTA) announced that the 2021 recipient of the Ian C. Watson Fellowship for Membrane Advancement is Dana Reed of the University of Houston. She is an Environmental Engineering graduate student studying ‘Covalent Organic Framework Nanofiltration Membranes as a Platform for Development of a Simplified Predictive Donnan Steric Pore Model with Dielectric Exclusion’ under the guidance of Dr. Devin Shaffer. Reed has a BS Degree in mechanical engineering from Baylor University (Waco, TX), where she graduated Summa Cum Laude. AMTA announced the election of nine members to its Board of Directors: Division I–Public Agencies, Industrial Users, Regulatory Agencies and Water Suppliers to End User: Daniel Haman, City of Fargo Water Plant, ND; Mehul Patel, PE, Orange County Water District, CA and Art Ruiz, El Paso Water, TX. Division II–Company/Corporate (Manufacturers, Suppliers, Consultants, Engineers & Architects): Michael Bourke, Wigen Water Technologies, CO; Doug Eisberg, Avista Technologies, Inc., CA and Ben Movahed, PE, BCEE, WATEK Engineering Corporation, MD. Division III–Associates (Individuals, Additional Affiliate of Div. I or II/ University & College Professors): Karla Kinser, PE, Burns & McDonnell, CO; Gregory Madden, H2O Innovation, MN and Greg Wetterau, PE, BCEE, CDM Smith, CA. The newly elected Board Members will serve for two-year terms, beginning in February 2022. AMTA also announced the decision, as voted on by its membership, to establish a new Florida non-profit corporation, AMTA, Inc., and merge the existing California corporation into the new Florida non-profit.