AWWA Member Spotlight – David Kuzminski, Town of Portland, Conn.

Position: Technology Coordinator 

Education: Bachelor’s degree, Hartford Conservatory; Certified Distribution Operator; Cross Connection Impactor

How did you get started in the water sector? About 48 years ago, I began working with the water division for the Town of Portland, Conn., during summers in high school and college. I eventually became the town’s water conservation coordinator, and 20 years ago I transitioned to becoming the town’s technology coordinator managing the day-to-day operations of the technology department.

What led to your interest in attracting young people to water careers? To support efforts to develop a partnership between the town and students of Portland High School, I worked with Ed Yush, a high school advisor, to develop the Town Tech Educational Partnership in the early 1990s. We created a public access television program, Portland on the Move, to provide students with real-world experience managing, writing and producing a television show while working alongside government officials. In 2001, I developed a Town Tech course at Portland High School to provide students exposure to a wide range of topics under the technology umbrella, such as design, coding and producing a podcast. 

Describe the Water & People course you developed for high school seniors. In 2009, I worked with the state department of public health and Gateway Community College to develop curriculum for a high school course called Water & People, introducing seniors to possible career paths in the water sector. With the emergence of workforce shortages due to increasing retirements, it seemed necessary to provide students with hands-on experience to encourage their interest in water careers. I taught the Water & People course at Portland High School from 2009 through 2015 and at Bloomfield High School from 2017 through 2019. (Pictured left, Kuzminski with student at 2022 Water and People Boot Camp.)

Tell us about your transition to your water careers podcast. When the COVID-19 pandemic shut-down most in-person educational programs, it seemed like an opportune time to begin a water careers podcast. It is called Careers You Didn’t Know About: The Future of the Water & Wastewater Industry. To date we have aired 29 episodes of interviews with a variety of people associated with the water and wastewater community. They cover a broad range of career paths that provide insight into what it is like to be part of the water workforce. Demand for Certified Operators is at an all-time high, and that was a driving force behind creating the podcast, along with the lack of awareness about opportunities in the water sector. (Pictured right, Kuzminski conducting a podcast interview.)

What key skills do you think will drive the Water 2050 workforce? Just as with the past water workforce, those fresh and new to the industry will continue to be dedicated to providing an essential resource to the public while also bringing innovation to a fast-paced world where change is inevitable.

As past chair of the Connecticut Section and a Fuller Award recipient, how have you benefited from AWWA membership? My AWWA experience has been invaluable, both for the resources that have been made available and for the networking capabilities that have resulted in life-long relationships that continue to cultivate a tight-knit industry.

Please describe your family and/or hobbies and interests. I truly enjoy being part of my community. As a musician, I was inspired to open my own music shop – Connecticut Valley School of Music & Dance – in my hometown of Portland, which has been in operation since 1988. I am recently widowed after the passing of my wife, Ronna, who was the head of the dance department for 30 years and loving mother to our two children and grandmother to our grandson. 

Anything else you’d like to add? This past June we awarded a student at Portland High School with a scholarship dedicated to the memory of Ronna.