ACE26 celebrates accomplishments across the water sector

The future of water is bright, if the recipients of this year’s Outstanding Young Professional Award are any indication. Also known as the 5 Under 35, the award recognizes five emerging leaders in the water sector. They were recognized during the Opening General Session at the Annual Conference and Exposition (ACE26) earlier this week. They are (pictured below, from left to right):

• Tiffany Tran of Brown and Caldwell (California-Nevada Section)
• Gluzen Ramos Ong of Regional Municipality of York (Ontario Section)
• Mackenzie Martin of Barge Design Solutions (Kentucky-Tennessee Section)
• Stephanie Estabrook of Woodward and Curran (California-Nevada Section)
• Alfredo Rodriguez of CDM Smith (Rocky Mountain Section)

They were among many others recognized on stage Monday, including:

• Greg Wukasch of San Antonio Water System in Texas (Diversity and Inclusion Award)
• Clayton County Water Authority in Georgia (Diversity and Inclusion Award)
• Sarah Baumgardner of the Western Virginia Water Authority (Public Communications Achievement Award)
• South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority (Public Communications Achievement Award)
• Kearns Improvement District in Utah (Public Communications Achievement Award)
• City of Loveland, Colorado (Exemplary Source Water Protection Award for Small Drinking Water Systems)
• Philadelphia Water in Pennsylvania (Exemplary Source Water Protection Award for Very Large Drinking Water Systems)
• Armando Garzo and Robert McKenzie of North Texas Municipal Water District (Heroism Award)
• Peter Lusardi of GHD, Inc. (Publications Award)
• Henrietta “Hank” Boyer of the Kansas Section (Jack W. Hoffbuhr Award)
• David Rager of Rager Management Consulting, LLC and past president of AWWA (Outstanding Service to AWWA Award)
• Christopher Woodcock of Woodcock and Associates, Inc., and the New England Section (Volunteer of the Year Award)
• Ivonne Santiago of the University of Texas at El Paso (Award of Merit)
• Melinda Friedman of the Confluence Engineering Group (Abel Wolman Award of Excellence)
• Bruce Macler, retired from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Dr. John L. Leal Award)
• William Becker of Hazen and Sawyer (A.P. Black Research Award)
• John Alston, posthumously (Honorary Member Award)
• Nilaksh Kothari of Preferred Consulting, LLC and past president of AWWA (Honorary Member Award)
• Craig Woolard of Montana State University-Bozeman and past president of AWWA (Honorary Member Award)
• Mike Howe of Clear Water Communications (Water Industry Hall of Fame)

Other awardees recognized during ACE 26 were:

• Cody Finan, American Water Works Association (Paula I. MacIlwaine Award)
• Calgon Carbon Corporation (Innovation Award)
• Charlotte Water (Innovation Award)
• Alex Mofidi of Confluence Engineering Group (John Lechner Award of Excellence)
• Gabriel Cerrón-Calle of Arizona State University (Academic Achievement Award)
• William Taylor of University of California-Davis (Academic Achievement Award)
• Carrie Ellis of University of Rhode Island (Academic Achievement Award)
• Swastik Ghimire of Arizona State University (Academic Achievement Award)
• Tim Sensibaugh of the City of Fort Wayne, Indiana (Mark Kirkland Appreciation Award)
• Ashok Dhingra of AKD Consulting (Water Equation Award)
• Georgia Section (Water Equation Award)

The authors of the Best Article Awards, which were also given at ACE26, were:

• Steven L. Barfuss and Matthew Fugal (Distribution and Plant Operations Division)
• Andre Slonopas, Gerald A. Mazur, Jessica A. Coughlin, Mary McElman, Jacob F. Strahan, and Shawn G. Talmadge (Engineering and Construction Division)
• Viraj deSilva and Dhruv Deshmukh (Management and Leadership Division)
• Sara E. Stullken, Jonathan S. Cohen and Sara Hughes (Water Conservation Division)
• Peter Lusardi (Water Quality and Technology Division)
• Susan Teefy, Gordon Williams, and Paul Gilbert-Snyder (Water Science and Research Division)
• Leila Khatib, Anh Pham, Khaled Ahmed, and Val S. Frankel (Water Resource Sustainability Division)

ACE26 also celebrated each of the George Warren Fuller recipients:

• Emilie Moore, Florida Section
• Alan Domonoske, Intermountain Section
• Jim Jackson, Kansas Section
• Kim Childress, Kentucky-Tennessee Section
• John Willemin, Michigan Section
• James Kershaw, North Dakota Section
• Robin Rupem, Ohio Section
• Carlos Alberto Ortiz Rosado, Puerto Rico Section
• David Hoagland, Rocky Mountain Section
• Mark Mayer, South Dakota Section
• Daniel Dawson, Southwest Section
• Nancy McTigue, Virginia Section
• Garth Carl, Western Canada Section
• Mike Forslund, Wisconsin Section
• Andy Cooper, Chesapeake Section
• Kenneth R. Waldroup, North Carolina Section
• Karen Marie Dietze, Missouri Section
• Doug Woodbeck, Nebraska Section
• Robert Osborne, South Carolina Section
• Gil Shearouse, Georgia Section
• Kawika K. Uyehara, Hawaii Section
• Jerald Lukensmeyer, Iowa Section
• Roger Riddle, Indiana Section
• Emerson Marvel, New England Section
• Joseph M. Pokorny, New York Section
• Peter Wallers, Illinois Section
• Captain Michael MarcAurele, Alaska Section
• Simon Vincent, Quebec Section
• Suzanne Chiavari, New Jersey Section
• Eric Volk, Minnesota Section
• Amy McLeod, Alabama-Mississippi Section
• Tim Thomure, Arizona Section
• David Carlson, Montana Section
• Michael T. Brown, Pennsylvania Section
• Allison Kershaw, Ontario Section
• David R. Hokanson, California-Nevada Section
• Eric Wert, California-Nevada Section
• Jonathan Stanley, West Virginia Section
• Ramiro Carlos Meza de Ochoa, Mexico Section
• John Roth, Pacific Northwest Section
• Marisa Vergara, Texas Section
• Donald Lange, Texas Section

For more on the awards and awardees, visit ace.awwa.org/2026-award-winners/.