The Diversity in Water Speaker Series, founded in November 2020, is organized by a small planning team in collaboration with the AWWA Ohio Section Young Professionals and Diversity & Inclusion Committees. The Speaker Series provides a platform for water leaders from diverse backgrounds to discuss their careers, lend us their life lessons, and help lead the discussion on championing diversity within the water industry, and in our day-to-day lives.

The Speaker Series highlights one leader on the second Thursday of the month in January, March, May, July, September, and November at 5:30 PM via Zoom.

Want to stay up to date with our events? Sign up here.

Upcoming Speaker Events
Calendar

If you are interested in being a future speaker or know someone you feel might be a great fit, please fill out our form!

Meet the Diversity in Water Speaker Series Planning Team



 Megan Shortridge, Information Management
Ohio EPA
Josh Fuchs, Assistant Engineer
Hazen and Sawyer
Alex Short, EI
ms consultants, inc
Annaka Ruther, EIT
City of Columbus, OH
Tony Searls, Commercial Services Superintendent
Greater Cincinnati Water Works

Past Speakers:

Click the photo to be directed to the recording of that session/speaker. You can view recordings of all past speaker events on our YouTube channel.

  • Tya Darden, Environmental Manager, Ohio EPA
  • Miyah Bayless, Research & Control Specialist, City of Dayton
  • Bic (Bichvan) Boyles, Program Manager - Lab and Pretreatment, Delaware County Regional Sewer District
  • Youngwoo Seo, Associate Professor, Civil Engineering, Chemical & Environmental Engineering The University of Toledo
  • Lt. Colonel Chad Roby, Portfolio Manager/Water Engineer at Jacobs
  • Vicente Gómez-Alvarez, Biologist at US EPA - Cincinnati, Water Systems Division
  • Kieshia Kinney, Manager of the City of Dayton’s Division of Water Supply and Treatment
  • Jessica Glowczewksi, Akron Waterways Renewed Operational Manager for the City of Akron
  • José N. Hernandez, Manager of Engineering for Cleveland Water
  • Jeanna Hondel, President and founder of Ascension Construction Solutions
  • Mark Riley, Administrator for the City of Toledo Division of Water Distribution
  • Cathy Bailey, Executive Director of the Greater Cincinnati Water Works Department
  • Allison MacKay,  Professor and Chair of Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering at The Ohio State University
  • Ari Copeland, Operations Specialist at Black & Veatch
  • Tiffany Petry, Water and Sewer Superintendent for the City of Englewood
  • Dr. Willie Harper, Professor of Environmental Engineering and Science at the Air Force Institute of Technology
  • Laquania Graham, Education and Outreach Administrator at Cleveland Department of Water
  • Sierra McCreary, Project Manager and Office Lead at Black and Veach
  • Danella Pettenski, Administrator for the City of Columbus Division of Water
  • Robert L. Davis, Director of the City of Cleveland’s Department of Public Utilities
  • Stacia Eckenwiler, Project Manager at Columbus Department of Public Utilities

Questions? Comments? We would love to hear from you! The organizing committee can be reached at [email protected] or click here to contact us directly.

You may also be interested in Diversity and Inclusion Resources: https://oawwa.org/page/DiversityandInclusionResources