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Water 2023: Legal, Financial, and Executive Challenges & Opportunities

FREE to AWWA members! Join us on April 13 & 14 in Washington, DC for a comprehensive discussion.

 

April 13 & 14, 2023 I  Washington, DC

The Workshop "Water 2023: Legal, Financial, and Executive Challenges & Opportunities" is available to AWWA members only, and will be free of charge. Join AWWA today, or contact AWWA Customer Service for membership inquiries at service@awwa.org or 800.926.7337.

    


Workshop Location 
Squire Patton Boggs
2550 M St NW
Washington, DC 20037
 
Workshop Sponsor



 
Location Host


 

Who Should Attend?

  • water utility leaders (CEOs, GMs, General Counsels, CFOs, COOs, Directors, etc.) 
  • water sector company senior executives 
  • legal professionals practicing in the water and environmental spaces 
  • financial community leaders involved in water and infrastructure funding
  • senior members from the municipal legal and financial communities

Registration Detail

Capacity is limited, and will close when full. The workshop fee is complimentary, however registration is available to AWWA members only. Join AWWA today, or contact AWWA Customer Service for membership inquiries at service@awwa.org or 800.926.7337.

Please register early; advance registration is required per host facility security requirements.

    

Cancellation Policy: Please notifiy us if you must cancel, so that your seat can be offered to another participant. Email cancellations to Customer Service.
 


Hotel, Metro, and Parking Information

The workshop will be held at the office of Squire Patton Boggs (2550 M Street NW, Washington DC, 80037), with many nearby hotels to consider. Transportation to the seminar is not included; four possible hotel options are:

The Westin Georgetown
2350 M Street, NW
Tel: 202/429-0100
Reservations
Fairmont Washington DC - Georgetown
2401 M Street, NW
Tel: 202/429-2400
Reservations
Washington Marriott Georgetown
1221 22nd Street, NW
Tel: 202/872-1500
Reservations
The River Inn
924 25th Street, NW
Tel: 202/337-7600
theriverinn.com

 

 

 

 


The nearest Metro Station to Squire Patton Boggs is approximately a four-block walk. It is the G.W. University-Foggy Bottom Metro Station which serves Metro's Blue, Orange and Silver Lines. (NOTE: You can access the Blue Line directly from Reagan National Airport, and you can access the Silver Linie directly from Dulles International Airport.) For additional information on Metrorail (including routes, fares, hours, etc.) see www.wmata.com. 

The nearest parking garages to Squire Patton Boggs are both located on M Street, NW: Colonial Parking - 2440 M Street, NW LAZ Parking - 2445 M Street, NW  


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.

Water 2023: Legal, Financial, and Executive Challenges & Opportunities

Workshop Agenda*

Thursday, April 13, 2023

12:30 p.m.

Registration Opens

1:00 p.m.

Welcome, Introductions and Overview of the Roundtable

Opening Remarks:  
“Water Infrastructure Policy and Funding: The View from Capitol Hill and From Inside the Biden Administration.” The Hon. Bill Shuster, Squire Patton Boggs Senior Policy Advisor and former Chairman, U.S. House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. 

1:30 p.m.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) - Legal, Financial and Executive Challenges and Opportunities In a Rising Interest Rate Environment

A discussion on key aspects of the BIL, how water utilities and the sector are addressing some of the unique challenges of utilizing BIL funding, key opportunities the law is presenting to utilities and the sector to address operational and infrastructure needs, and how the BIL and other non-traditional funding sources are shaping legal, capital planning, and asset management functions of water operations.

Moderator: Dennis Jackson, Associate Vice President, Hazen and Sawyer
Panelists: 
•    Alejandro Escobar, Associate Director, WIFIA Program, USEPA
•    Marcela Navarrete, CPA - Vice President, Strategic, Financial and Management
                   Services, El Paso Water
•    Christina “Tina” Romero, Financial Manager, Austin Water
•    Lauren Von Bargen, Assistant Vice President - Moody’s Investor Services

3:00 p.m.

Break

3:15 p.m.

The Build America, Buy America Act (BABA):  Successfully Managing the Legal, 
        Regulatory, and Financial Challenges of This Evolving Program

A discussion on key elements of BABA that impact water utility and the sector’s infrastructure replacement needs and operational activities. The legal and financial requirements of BABA, permitting and resource acquisition requirements, reporting and compliance aspects, and the evolving regulatory aspects of BABA as it continues to be rolled out from Commerce, OMB and EPA.

Moderator: Seth Robertson, Associate Vice President, Hazen and Sawyer

Panelists: 
•    Leslie Corcelli, Associate Director, BABA compliance, U.S. EPA
•    Dan-Tam Nguyen, Environmental Engineer, U.S. EPA
•    David Hill, Ferguson Enterprises, Director of Business Development
•    Nicolette N. Bateson, CPA, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA)

4:45 p.m.

Recap on today’s discussion and a preview of tomorrow morning’s program.

5:00 p.m. 

Networking Reception

   
Friday, April 14, 2023

8:00 a.m.

Registration Opens

8:30 a.m.

Green Financing and ESG in the Water Space: The DC Water Experience

An interactive case study discussion on DC Water’s notable experiences with various types of green financing, managing the growing array of ESG initiatives and challenges, green bonds, self-designated green bonds, and Environmental Green Bonds.

Moderator: Ryan Callender, Esq., Squire Patton Boggs

Panelists: 
•    Matthew Brown, Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President, DC Water
•    Ivan Boykin, Director, Finance, Procurement and Compliance, DC Water
•    Eric Brown, Director, PFM Financial Advisors LLC

10:00 a.m.

Break

10:15 a.m.

Hot Topics in Water Finance 2023 

A discussion with leading capital markets, investment, and private equity leaders on water utility financing opportunities, vehicles, and trends in the current economy.  Topics will include various private financing tools being used for infrastructure replacement projects, opportunities for combining federal and private financing for projects, and the expanding array of traditional and non-traditional private financing tools for water utility and sector financing needs.

Moderator: Ryan Callender, Esq., Squire Patton Boggs

Panelists: 
•    Tim Williams, Managing Director, RBC Capital Markets
•    Thomas Liu, Managing Director, BofA Securities, Inc
•    Kaumudi Atapattu, Executive Director, Morgan Stanley

11:45 a.m.

Wrap up

12:15 p.m. 

Adjourn

   

 

 


*Preliminary agenda; please check back for updates and additional details.

 

Water 2023: Legal, Financial, and Executive Challenges & Opportunities

April 13-14, 2023

Esteemed Presenters


Kaumudi Atapattu
Executive Director  |  Morgan Stanley

Kaumudi brings over 15 years of experience working with municipal water, wastewater, and power clients nationally, both as a consulting engineer and investment banker. She has executed transactions totaling over $20 billion for numerous water and wastewater, combined utility, State Revolving Fund, and public power issuers nationally. Her areas of expertise include traditional tax-exempt and taxable municipal utility financing, structured energy prepayments, and utility securitizations. Prior to her career in public finance banking, she worked as a consulting engineer, developing strategic master plans and comprehensive water and wastewater solutions for clients across the US. In this role, she developed engineers’ reports and financial analysis to support the issuance of over $2.0 billion of debt for municipal clients. 

Ms. Atapattu received a Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Mississippi and a Master of Science in Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley. Kaumudi also has an MBA from the Walter A. Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. She maintains a California professional engineers license and holds FINRA securities licenses 7, 50, 52, 63, and 79.


Ivan A. Boykin
Director, Finance  |  DC Water

Mr. Ivan Boykin serves DC Water as Director, Finance, working in the Finance and Procurement cluster. Mr. Boykin has served the Authority in a number of roles since initially joining the Authority as Water Billing Assistant, Collections, in August 1999.  Most recently, Mr. Boykin held the position of Manager, Treasury & Debt. 

As Director, Finance, Mr. Boykin plays a critical role in partnering with the senior leadership team in strategic decision making and operations. As part of these duties, Mr. Boykin ensures that top management officials have accurate financial information to make decisions on the operations of DC Water. 

Additionally, Mr. Boykin manages the Accounts Receivable staff for retail revenue payments and the Risk Management team.  He will also direct all cash management activities for short-term liquidity and long-term solvency to ensure our debt is properly managed in accordance with the Authority’s financial policies. 

Mr. Boykin holds a Master’s degree in Finance: Securities and Investments, from Southern New Hampshire University and a Master’s degree in Entertainment Business from Full Sail University.


Eric Brown
Director |  PFM Financial Advisors LLC

Eric Brown is a director based in the firm’s Arlington office. He currently works in the firm’s national utilities practice, where he is relied upon by some of the largest water, wastewater, gas and public power utilities in the country, including the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority, CPS Energy, San Antonio Water System, Nashville Electric Service, and the Great Lakes Water Authority. His client engagements frequently include design and implementation of complex plans of finance for large capital programs, restructuring and refunding opportunity evaluation and execution, and credit analysis. Since joining PFM in 2010, Eric has participated on debt transactions totaling over $12 billion.

As part of his project engagements, Eric has provided financial advisory services to state and municipal governments, transportation authorities, and utilities throughout the country. His transactional experience includes advising on the first 100-year bond issuance by a U.S. utility, the first independently-certified “green bond” issuance by a U.S. issuer, and the largest approved federal Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loan package in the history of the program.

Eric has accumulated experience in a variety of areas of public finance since beginning his career at PFM in the Virginia local practice, where he provided analytical and advisory support for a large and diverse base of state and local level clients such as the Virginia Port Authority, Fairfax County, Fairfax Water, Arlington County and Prince William County, amongst others.


Matthew (Matt) Brown
Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President  |  DC Water

Mr. Brown is the Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Finance and Procurement.  In this role he has overall responsibility for DC Water's financial management and procurement, including rates and revenue, accounting operations and financial reporting, budget formulation and execution, treasury, investment and debt management, and goods and services and capital procurement.

Mr. Brown previously served as the Director of the Office of Budget and Finance of the District of Columbia where he worked to advance the Mayor’s goals of infrastructure investment, addressing homelessness, and creating opportunities for all DC residents. Mr. Brown also served as Director of the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) where he advanced efforts to reconstruct the 11th Street Bridges, one of the District’s largest infrastructure projects and financed with the District’s first GARVEE bonds.

He began his career in the New York City Management of Budget and has served as Budget Director for the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority, as an analyst with the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, and as a project manager for Public Financial Management.

Mr. Brown holds a B.A. in Political Science from Texas Wesleyan University, and an M.P.A. in Budget and Public Finance from the George Washington University.


Ryan Callender, Esq.
Partner  |  Squire Patton Boggs

Ryan Callender’s experience includes serving as bond counsel, counsel to credit enhancers, underwriters, trustees and public issuers in a variety of conventional and capital market public debt financings. Ryan is experienced in general obligation debt, revenue bond debt, tax increment financing, special assessments and certificates of participation. He also has experience with a variety of industrial development revenue bonds, housing revenue bonds, water and sewer revenue bonds, conduit financings and 501(c)(3) bonds.

One of Ryan’s primary areas of focus is in the structuring of water and sewer revenue debt financing. Ryan has served as bond counsel, underwriter’s counsel and disclosure counsel for a variety of water and/or sewer entities throughout the country. 

In addition, Ryan has experience serving as bond counsel and underwriter’s counsel for various state revolving funds including serving as bond counsel to the Ohio Water Development Authority for more than US$3 billion of bond, floating rate note and commercial paper issues. Ryan is also an active member of and frequent speaker for the Council of Infrastructure Financing Authorities (CIFA).

Ryan is an active member of the National Association of Bond Lawyers (NABL) and has served as a faculty member for NABL’s fundamentals workshop for the past three years. In addition, Ryan is a County Commissioner appointee to the Board of Trustees of Lakeland Community College, and has served as both Chair and Vice Chair.


Leslie Corcelli
Associate Director, BABA compliance | U.S. EPA 

Leslie Corcelli and Dan-Tam Nguyen support the Build America, Buy America Act (BABA) compliance requirements for USEPA Programs.


Alejandro Escobar
Associate Director, WIFIA Program | U.S. EPA 

Alejandro Escobar has more than 20 years of experience as both an environmental consultant and within U.S. EPA as the Associate Director of the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) Program.  A self-proclaimed continuous learner of new things related to infrastructure financing, Alejandro is committed to making water resources cleaner, more sustainable, more accessible, and more equitable.  He has an environmental engineering degree, a Master of Environmental Management in Resource Economics and Policy and a Master of Business Administration.


Dennis E. Jackson, PE
Associate Vice President | Utility Management Solutions  | Hazen and Sawyer

Mr. Jackson is an Associate Vice President and regional market leader for Utility Management Solutions (UMS) at Hazen and Sawyer. He has technical expertise in financial management and economic modeling for utilities that are considering new capital and/or operational investments. He has participated in more than $1 billion in capital projects funded through multi-source arrangements. Sources of funds consisted of Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovations Act (WIFIA), State Revolving Funds (SRF), Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), and other non-traditional funding sources. Many of his recent engagements included lowest-cost funding evaluations for municipal utilities implementing major capital works programs.


Thomas Liu
Managing Director - BofA Securities, Inc. | Bank of America, N.A.

Mr. Liu is a Managing Director and Manager of BofA Securities’ Water and Wastewater/State Revolving Fund Group – top-ranked in both the water/wastewater and the SRF industry. In addition to serving as a member of the Municipal Department’s management team, he specializes in water and wastewater financings – serving many of the nation’s largest water utilities – as well as State Revolving Fund financings – a highly leveraged form of water/wastewater pooled financings. Mr. Liu is very active in the industry and has served as a board member and/or advisor to U.S. EPA’s Environmental Financial Advisory Board, the Council of Infrastructure Financing Authorities and the American Water Works Association.
Mr. Liu received his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in Finance and Economics and his B.S. from the University of Maryland in Accounting and Economics. He is also a Certified Public Accountant (inactive status) and holds the FINRA Series 7, 63 and 52 licenses.


Dan-Tam Nguyen
Environmental Engineer | U.S. EPA 

Dan-Tam Nguyen and Leslie Corcelli support the Build America, Buy America Act (BABA) compliance requirements for USEPA Programs.


Bill Shuster
Senior Policy Advisor  | Squire Patton Boggs

Congressman Bill Shuster, senior policy advisor, provides strategic advice and consulting to clients on a wide range of public policy matters, including transportation, infrastructure and local governments. During his tenure, Congressman Shuster was one of the most respected Members of Congress while serving in the US House of Representatives. His public service career was devoted to fostering, promoting and expanding economic opportunities across the country. 

A former Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Congressman Shuster earned a reputation for effectively working across the aisle to improve America’s infrastructure. 


Tim Williams
Managing Director, Public Power & Utilities  |  RBC Capital Markets

Tim Williams heads RBCCM’s Public Power and Water Utilities Group where he focuses on SRF and water & sewer issuers nationwide. Mr. Williams has over 18 years of public finance experience, senior managed, structured, and run cash flows for many SRF and water and sewer credits. Major SRF clients include new indenture SRF credits (Virginia, Illinois, and Oklahoma); restructured SRF credits (Iowa, Kansas); Reserve Fund SRF credits (New York, Michigan, Connecticut, Colorado, Massachusetts, Missouri, and Rhode Island), and Cash Flow and Hybrid SRF credits (Ohio, Florida, Arizona, North Dakota, Maine, Virginia, and South Dakota). Major senior managed water and sewer clients include City of Columbus, City of Atlanta, Denver, Massachusetts Water Resources Water Authority, DC Water, Hampton Roads, VA, Phoenix, St. Louis, and City of Tallahassee, FL.

Mr. Williams formerly worked at J.P. Morgan, UBS Securities and Merrill Lynch & Co. and has been involved in developing new bond approaches such as Green Bonds, as well as securing ratings upgrades, developing bond issuance strategies to meet capital improvements needs and providing the insight needed to address market constraints. He is active in the environmental finance community and speaks on occasion at the Council of Infrastructure Finance Water Authority conferences. Mr. Williams received a BA from Dartmouth College, an M.A. in Urban Planning from the University of Virginia, and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School.

Interested in our Regional Texas Workshop on May 10, 2023? 

Learn more here

 

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For questions regarding registration, lodging or general conference questions, please contact the Conferences and Events Group.