Effective Utility Management

AWWA's Effective Utility Management seminar is vitally important for all utility managers who want to get started on the path to developing an effectively managed and sustainable utility. Based on the well-established Effective Utility Management (EUM) framework, the seminar shows participants how to use the Ten Attributes of an Effectively Managed Utility" and the "Five Keys to Management Success" to identify both areas of strength and opportunities for improvement AND how to get started in making meaningful changes in everyday operations.

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Instructor biography

2023 Registration is Open!

May 2 & 3 in Denver, Colorado

Who Attends:

Utility leaders (executives, directors, general managers, and top level assistants and deputies) from large, medium, and small systems
Utility managers across the major functions of a utility -- Admin/HR, operations, customer service, finance, and engineering/planning
Utility governance - board members, commissioners, etc.
State primacy agency staff who work with utility managers on capacity development (financial, managerial, technical)
Consultants who work with all of the above

Register by April 20, 2023 for the best rates!

Registration Rates	Member Early	Non member Early	Member Late	Non member Late
Seminar Registration Includes Day 1 lunch	$595	$795	$695	$895

Seminar Cancellation Policy:AWWA must receive cancellations in writing. All cancellations dated on or before April 20, 2023 will receive a refund, minus a 25% administrative fee. After April 20, 2023 cancellations will not be refunded; however, substitute registrants are welcome. Email requests for substitutions or cancellations to service@awwa.org.

Hotel, Venue, and Parking Information

This 2-day seminar takes place in-person at the brand new state-of-the-art Colorado State University (CSU) SPUR Complex in Denver, Colorado. Visit CSU SPUR - Hydro to learn more about the venue!

While an hotel block is not established, please feel free to explore nearby lodging options on your own. A few options are:

The Source Hotel
Denver's RiNo District
2 miles
Hotel website

Denver Airport Marriott at Gateway Park
Mid-way to Denver Airport
10 miles
Hotel website

Hilton Denver City Center
Downtown Denver
4 miles
Hotel website

CSU SPUR - Hydro Building
4817 National Western Dr.,
Denver, CO 80216

CSU Spur is located northeast of I-25 and I-70 in Denver, between the Washington Street and Brighton Boulevard exits. Free parking is available in Lot N (see visitor details & maps).

COVID-19 Requirements & Release

COVID-19 REQUIREMENTS & RELEASE
Attendance at or participation in any AWWA Event is subject to the release below, and compliance with AWWA’s and the conference and event facilities’ policies and procedures to implement current CDC and applicable state’s recommendations, including, retreating immediately if feeling unwell or showing certain symptoms.
By registering for this event, you acknowledge that attendance at and participation in AWWA conferences brings some risk of being exposed to or contracting COVID-19, and that you fully assume and accept such risk in order to attend.
In light of the ongoing spread of COVID-19, individuals who currently or within ten (10) days prior to AWWA conferences who have experienced COVID 19 or any of its variants, any symptoms associated with COVID-19, which include fever, cough, and shortness of breath should not attend.

RELEASE:
By registering for this event, I agree to the following: I hereby release, covenant not to sue, discharge, and hold harmless AWWA and its affiliates, including their respective employees, officers, directors, agents, and/or representatives, from any claim or cause of action, including all liabilities, penalties, losses, damages, costs, or expenses of any kind, arising out of or relating to exposure to COVID-19. I agree that the foregoing release, discharge, and covenants apply even when AWWA or its affiliate directly or indirectly caused injury, losses, or other harm related to COVID-19, whether by negligent acts or omissions, and whether a COVID-19 infection occurs before, during, or after participation in any AWWA (or affiliate) program. This release is binding on my heirs, administrators, executors, successors, and assigns.

EUM Seminar Highlights include: learning how to conduct an EUM self-assessment; how to use the results to identify priority areas to improve and the resources to help you; a progressive and interactive exercise in strategic planning; and interactive discussions on using measurement and benchmarking, implementing best practices in knowledge management, and addressing leadership challenges and issues.

Learning Objectives

How EUM can fit into your utility’s management practices.
How to use a tool based on the Ten Attributes to assess strengths and identify areas for improvement.
About the relationship between EUM and the best practices of continual improvement including Deming’s P-D-C-A.
How to link your EUM priorities to strategic goals and objectives.
How to develop and use SMART measures to track and report your progress.
About the practices and programs that other utilities are using to capture and manage organizational knowledge.
How utility managers are tackling the leadership challenges of the day in the water sector.
How the EUM framework has been incorporated into a variety of tools and programs
How to access the wealth of resources to help your utility improve

2023 Seminar Agenda at-a-glance*


Day 1: Tuesday, May 2
7:30 - 8:00 a.m.	Registration
8:00 - 9:00 a.m.	Introduction to Effective Utility Management (EUM): Ten Attributes of an Effectively Managed Utility and Five Keys to Management Success
9:00 - 10:15 a.m.	Focus on the Attributes - Assessing Current Condition
10:30 - 11:30 a.m.	Identifying Area for Improvement
11:30 a.m. - noon	Keys in Action: Intro to Continual Improvement Framework
noon - 1:00 p.m.	Lunch
1:00 - 2:15 p.m.	Keys in Action: Intro to Strategic Business Planning
2:30 - 4:30 p.m.	Linking EUM Priorities to Strategic Goals & Objectives

Day 2: Wednesday, May 3
8:30 - 10:15 a.m.	Keys in Action: Intro to Measurement
10:30 - 11:30 a.m.	Using SMART Measures to track and report progress
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.	Lunch
12:30 - 1:00 p.m.	Special Topic: Other uses of EUM (benchmarking, small systems, etc.)
1:00 - 2:15 p.m.	Keys in Action: Intro to Knowledge Management
2:30 - 4:00 p.m.	Keys in Action: Intro to Leadership
4:00 - 4:30 p.m.	Resources to Get You Started

*Subject to change

Jim Ginley is an independent management consultant with more than 32 years of experience in the municipal water sector, including more than 16 years on the headquarters staff of the Denver-based American Water Works Association (AWWA) and more than 15 years as a utility management and regulatory compliance consultant. His areas of expertise include strategic planning, organizational assessments, benchmarking, and performance improvement, as well as workshop and focus group facilitation and training. He has a broad-based background that touches all areas of the public water sector, from regulations and training, to operations and management of municipal and privately-owned water and wastewater agencies, both in North America and overseas.

Ginley is active in both the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and the Water Environment Federation (WEF). He has been published in Journal AWWA, co-authored an AWWA guidebook on the AWWA/ANSI Utility Management System Standard (G-400), and authored a chapter in an award-winning water sector anthology, “Damned if We Don’t: Ideas for Accelerating Change around Water. His education includes both a BA in Biology from Kenyon College (Gambier, OH) and a Master of Environmental Management (MEM) from Duke University (Durham, NC).

For registration assistance, please contact service@awwa.org. For general questions, please contact the Conferences and Events Group.