Monday Opening Keynote
Erica Gies
An award-winning journalist and National Geographic Explorer
Erica Gies is the author of "WATER ALWAYS WINS: THRIVING IN AN AGE OF DROUGHT AND DELUGE", a book about how the Slow Water movement can help us adapt to climate change. An award-winning journalist and National Geographic Explorer, she writes about water, climate change, plants, and critters for Scientific American, Nature, The New York Times, The Atlantic, National Geographic, The Guardian, and other publications.
Monday Opening Plenary Panel
Workforce Development
This panel is designed to provide different perspectives on investment in the water sector workforce. The topic focuses on the looming threat of retirements in an aging water workforce and the challenges of training, recruiting, and retaining younger generations with different attitudes regarding the integration of work, lifestyle, social activism, and family commitments. A robust workforce is essential for water resources professions and the public and private sectors will need to adapt to changes in the workforce and its expectations.
Moderators: Owen Mills, Oklahoma Water Resources Board and Member of the AWRA Board of Directors; Denis Qualls, The University of Arizona. Panelists: Sharon Peters, EMA, Inc., and Member of AWWA’s Workforce Strategies Committee; Alex Chen, Seattle Public Utilities, City of Seattle; Todd Helms, Muller Water Products; Melissa Meeker, The Water Tower.