From Rules to Solutions: LCRI, PFAS, and Community Impact

Kareem Adeem is the Director of the City of Newark’s Department of Water & Sewer Utilities who led the City’s nationally-recognized LSLR program to replace over 23,000 LSLs in over 3 years. Director Adeem has a BA in Construction Management from Thomas Edison University and is a NJ licensed operator. Director Adeem is a Newark native who began working for the City in 1991 as a laborer and worked his way up to Superintendent of Maintenance Operations, Assistant Director and became Director of the department in 2019.

Rick Callender is the Chief Executive Officer of Valley Water. Appointed CEO by the Board on May 26, 2020, Mr. Callender oversees an integrated water resources system that includes the supply of clean, safe water; flood protection; and environmental stewardship of waterways for Santa Clara County’s 1.9 million residents.

Mr. Callender has worked for Valley Water since 1996, serving most recently as the Chief of External Affairs. As the CEA, he led Valley Water’s efforts in strategic external communications to the media, community, and the public. Mr. Callender also oversaw all government relations efforts on local, regional, state, and federal levels, as well as public policies that directly affect Valley Water.

Prior to joining the district, Mr. Callender worked as a Special Assistant to former City of San Jose Mayor Susan Hammer, as a Field Campaign Organizer for the California Democratic Party, as a Congressional Fellow for the United States House of Representatives, Subcommittee on Energy, and as a Congressional Fellow to Congressman Ronald V. Dellums. He also served as president of the San Jose-Silicon Valley NAACP from 2000 to 2008.

Mr. Callender earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering and Technology with an emphasis in electronic and computer technology from California State University, Chico, completed all coursework for his Master of Arts in Public Administration from San Jose State University, earned his Juris Doctorate from Northwestern California University School of Law, and is a member of the California State Bar. He has also attended and graduated from eight executive leadership programs at different universities throughout the nation.

Randy Conner is the Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Water Management (DWM) appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson. No newcomer to the field, he is returning to the role after previously serving as the DWM Commissioner from 2017 to the end of 2020.

Commissioner Conner brings more than two decades of experience in urban engineering and infrastructure to the department. He formerly served as the First Deputy Commissioner at both the Chicago Department of Transportation and the Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation.

At the Department of Water Management, Commissioner Conner oversees a system that delivers high-quality drinking water to more than 42% of Illinois residents daily. This system includes over 4,300 miles of water mains, 4,450 miles of sewer mains, two of the world’s largest water treatment facilities, and over 2,100 employees. He manages an annual operating budget of approximately $1.4 billion and a capital budget of approximately 750 million dollars annually.

When he previously held the position, Commissioner Conner created a Division of Performance Management to elevate professionalism in the department; established mandatory EEO training for all employees to improve the department’s culture; and oversaw the implementation of the ambitious 10-year “Building a New Chicago” capital plan which represented a $6 billion investment in water infrastructure to support the city’s future growth.

He is a licensed minister and has logged thousands of service hours with many community and civic service organizations. A recipient of the Man of Honor Award from the Chicago Defender, he attended Purdue University, where he studied Engineering and Construction Principles, and is certified in Emergency Action Planning by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. A lifelong Chicago resident, he resides in the West Pullman neighborhood and is the father of one daughter.

Kelley Dearing Smith’s brand focuses on visionary leadership and storytelling. Kelley is Louisville Water Company’s Vice President of Communications and Marketing and Past Chair of AWWA’s Public Affairs Council. In her 25-year career at Louisville Water, Kelley has developed strategic partnerships and communication efforts that build Louisville Water’s brand and highlight the value of water.

Kelley is a member of Louisville Water’s Executive Leadership Team and directs all communications and content marketing, brand development, education and outreach, public affairs, and economic development.

Kelley has authored a book highlighting Louisville Water’s history and oversaw the development of the “WaterWorks Museum” at the company’s 1860 original pumping station.

Kelley frequently speaks to utilities and businesses on best practices for branding and communication. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism from Eastern Kentucky University and prior to Louisville Water, Kelley worked in television news.

Darrell has worked in the water treatment industry since 1997. Darrell earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Grambling State University, a Master of Science degree from Rosalind Franklin University School of Medicine and Science and holds an IEPA Class A Water Operator’s License.

During his tenure he has served the City of North Chicago, Village of Oak Park and currently the City of Evanston as its Water Production Bureau Chief.

Sandra Kutzing is a professional engineer and Senior Vice President at CDM Smith in New Jersey with 22 years of experience in drinking water. She has a B.S. from the University of Illinois and an M.S. from the University of Washington. Ms. Kutzing is CDM Smith’s Lead and Copper Strategy Leader, assisting utilities with meeting the Lead and Copper Rule and implementing lead service line replacement programs.

Mr. LaFrance leads American Water Works Association, the world’s largest and oldest association of water professionals, with 50,000 members worldwide. Overseeing a staff of approximately 150 in Denver and Washington D.C., LaFrance guides AWWA’s extensive scientific, educational, and public policy work to build a better world through better water.

Prior to joining AWWA, he was the CFO for Denver Water.

John Lisle serves DC Water as Vice President, Marketing and Communications. He is a leader in the Office of Marketing and Communications which is responsible for all of the Authority’s internal and external communications through numerous channels — including publications, web, social media, traditional media, public outreach, graphic design, special events and emergency response. In this role, John helps manage DC Water’s relationships with customers, the media, and various other internal and external stakeholders. Mr. Lisle also advises members of the Senior Executive Team on crisis management and communications strategy.

Before joining DC Water in February 2013, Mr. Lisle was Communications Director for the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) in Washington DC. He brings more than two decades of communications experience to his current role, including 10 years as an award-winning reporter for NewsChannel 8 and WJLA-TV and a stint as Public Information Officer for the Arlington County Police Department.

John Lisle has a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from the University of Maryland and is a Certified Public Manager after graduating from the Center for Excellence in Public Leadership at George Washington University.

Tracy is Executive Director, Government Affairs, for the American Water Works Association (AWWA).  He was an independent consultant and served as Interim President of the U.S. Water Alliance and national Source Water Protection Coordinator for the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities.  He is also an Adjunct Professor at George Mason University School of Law and Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College.  He was Principal with The Cadmus Group, Inc., an environmental consulting firm, from 2004 to 2014.  Mehan served as Assistant Administrator for Water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from 2001-2003.  He served as Environmental Stewardship Counselor to the 2004 G-8 Summit Planning Organization (2004).  Mehan also served as director of the Michigan Office of the Great Lakes (1993-2001) and as Associate Deputy Administrator of EPA in 1992.  He was director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources from 1989 to 1992.  Mehan is a graduate of Saint Louis University and its School of Law.  Mehan served on the Water Science and Technology Board and now the Committee on the Mississippi River and the Clean Water Act for the National Research Council of the National Academies.  He was also an independent expert judge for the City Water Conservation Achievement Award program (2006 & 2011) sponsored by The U.S. Conference of Mayors and its Urban Water Council.

Mehan is a member of the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) and a regular book reviewer for ELI’s flagship publication, The Environmental Forum.

Mehan serves on EPA’s Environmental Financial Advisory Board as well as the boards of the U.S. Water Alliance and the Great Lakes Observing System.  He is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Center for Environmental Policy, School of Public Affairs, American University and a past member of the board of the Potomac Conservancy (2006-2014).

Traci Minamide joined CDM Smith in 2024 as Principal Civil Engineer after serving the City of Los Angeles, California at LA Sanitation and Environment (LASAN) as Chief Operating Officer. In that role, Minamide provided executive leadership over the operations and management of various LASAN programs including wastewater treatment, conveyance, water recycling, watershed protection and solid resources. Her broad portfolio of experience includes supporting the expansion of Los Angeles’s Recycled Water Program. Her contributions included the $4.5 billion Hyperion 2035, a plan that initiates the mayor’s goal to recycle 100% of the city’s wastewater by 2035 to create a local water supply.

Minamide has a bachelor’s in civil engineering from California State Polytechnic University–Pomona and a master’s in civil engineering from Loyola Marymount University. She is a former President of the California Association of Sanitation Agencies (CASA) and a former Chair in the CASA Legislative Committee. She served on the California Advisory Panel for Direct Potable Reuse (DPR), working with treatment agencies, water purveyors, NGOs and the public to advise the State Water Resources Control Board on advance treatment of wastewater for DPR. For all her accomplishments, Minamide was recognized with the Asian American Architects and Engineers Leadership Award.

Davonna holds B.S. In Geography from Missouri State University and a Master of Urban Planning from the University of Kansas. With over 20 years of experience in project and program management, Mrs. Moore-Edeh has led some of the nation’s prominent freight and planning initiatives in the public sector. She possesses extensive expertise in complex multimodal and long-range planning, skillfully balancing organizational policy with public interests while identifying opportunities for operational improvements.

As a rising leader in equity, Mrs. Moore-Edeh spearheads the development and implementation of CDM Smith’s Equity Integration Strategic Plan, which provides concrete solutions to key challenges in achieving equitable change. She has also served as an Equity Integration Specialist on various projects, offering guidance on project execution through the alignment of policy and technology that highlight equity in project and program delivery.

Jim Mueller has 30 years of experience in planning, designing, constructing and supporting operations of large-scale water and wastewater infrastructure improvement projects. He has been extensively involved in developing and implementing billions of dollars of transformational infrastructure programs. In addition, Mr. Mueller has led organizational and business process changes as well as the creation and advancement of a comprehensive risk assessment, prioritization and asset management program.

After 29 years with NYCDEP, Mr. Mueller became the Executive Director of PVWC in 2022 and is responsible for managing, planning, coordinating and administering all activities of the largest public water supply system in NJ serving 800,000 people including 22 wholesale customers.

A graduate of Manhattan College and New York University, Mr. Mueller holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering, a Master’s Degree in Environmental Engineering and an MBA in Finance and Statistics. He is also a NY State Licensed Professional Engineer.

Superintendent Patrick Pauly oversees all operations of the utility and the work of 350 professionals in its Business, Distribution, Engineering, Plants, Technology, and Water Quality sections.  Milwaukee Water Works is the largest public utility in Wisconsin and provides drinking water from Lake Michigan to over 860,000 people in 16 communities in Milwaukee, Ozaukee, and Waukesha Counties.

After receiving his Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from UW-Milwaukee in 1990, Pat joined the Water Works as a civil engineer in 1991, where he worked on water main projects. In 2013, Pat became the manager of the Mains Design Section, and in 2016 was promoted to Chief Design Engineer, where he led the Water Works’ program to replace lead service lines. In 2019, Pat became the Administration Manager, where he oversaw day-to-day operations of the utility, and became the Interim Superintendent in December 2021.

Mayor Cavalier Johnson nominated Pauly to be Superintendent in July, 2022. The Common Council unanimously approved the appointment on July 28, 2022.

Michael Scaduto is a Principal Engineer with the City of Los Angeles, Department of Public Works, LA Sanitation and Environment (LASAN) with over 24 years of stormwater experience. Michael is a graduate of California State Polytechnic University Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona) and is a registered professional civil engineer, active member in the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and certified as an envision sustainability practitioner.  Within LASAN he is responsible for managing the City’s Safe Clean Water Program and oversees the delivery of $500M in Flood Protection and Water Quality Capital Improvement Projects over the next 5 years.

Prior to his career in engineering he taught at Don Bosco Technical Institute where he taught courses in mathematics, surveying and International Building Code.

Ed Sniffen was appointed Director of the Hawaii Department of Transportation on December 5, 2022. As Director, Ed is responsible for State Transportation Infrastructure – – Airports, Commercial Harbors, and Highways. As the Chief Executive for the Department, Ed’s goals are improving safety, preservation and upgrade of Hawaiian transportation systems; ensuring efficiency and transparency in Departmental Operations, and pursuing opportunities and innovative strategies to leverage DOT resources and private partnerships to positively impact the highest goals of the State.

Previously, Ed Sniffen served as the Hawaii Department of Transportation’s Deputy Director for Highways. Sniffen was previously executive assistant to Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell. He also served as DOT Highways Division administrator and as technical design engineer in the Highways Division Design Branch.

He is a civil engineer, having received his B.S. in Civil Engineering from Santa Clara University.

With a strong background in litigation challenging or defending federal regulations, advising on regulatory compliance, internal investigations, and defense against government investigations and enforcement actions, Corinne provides clients with practical advice on how to prepare for and shape new regulations, how to distill and effectively communicate legal requirements within an organization, and how to manage communications with regulators.

Corinne draws on wide experience at the U.S. Department of Justice where she most recently served as Counsel and Chief of Staff in the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, where she assisted in managing a 600-person division that included 400 lawyers. In this role she helped manage the Division’s civil and criminal litigation arising under more than 150 environmental and natural resources laws. She also worked closely with the General Counsel’s Offices for multiple federal agencies, including the EPA, Departments of Interior, Defense, Energy, Commerce, and Agriculture, as well as the White House and Counsel on Environmental Quality to advise high-ranking officials on policy and litigation risks associated with the environmental and natural resource laws and regulations. She also served as Senior Counsel in the Office of the Associate Attorney General, which oversees all civil litigation on behalf of the United States, and as Counselor in the Office of the Attorney General. Her roles in government have given her a unique perspective into the decision-making processes in the federal government.

In the private sector, Corinne counsels clients on environmental compliance across a variety of industries, including the energy and mining sectors, water utilities, and trade groups. In the transactional context, she assists in the drafting and negotiating of the environmental terms in purchase and sale agreements, lease agreements, credit agreements, and disclosures for debt and equity offerings and public filings. Corinne also helps clients understand how their environmental and climate disclosures will interact with existing and forthcoming regulatory requirements and how to limit legal liability risks related to those disclosures. She also advises clients on preparing for regulatory changes, including by drafting comments on rules proposed by federal agencies such as EPA, the SEC, FERC, and Interior. She also advises on issues related to emerging contaminants and is a member of the firm’s PFAS task force.

Ms. Titus, a professional engineer, is President of CDM Smith’s North America Unit (NAU) where she leads the firm’s regional sales and delivery teams and NAU corporate functions while collaborating to develop and execute firm-wide growth strategies. She champions the delivery of innovative and cost-effective solutions to help cities, states, and utilities manage their environment and infrastructure needs.

Ms. Titus has more than 30 years of diverse technical, project management, construction, and leadership experience in the United States, Canada, Egypt, Sweden, Taiwan, and Thailand. Most notably, she has led and successfully delivered landmark projects for some of the largest utilities in the world, including the City of Los Angeles’ award-winning Echo Park Lake Rehabilitation Project and the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant (HWRP) – Bioenergy Facility as well as the City of Santa Monica’s Charnock Well Field Restoration Project.

Along with her global perspective, Ms. Titus has an in-depth understanding of the water industry and the challenges faced by municipalities in delivering safe, clean, and reliable water supplies.

Denise Venuti Free has over 25 years of communications management experience in public, private and nonprofit organizations. In her current position since September 2022, Free is responsible for overseeing all communications and external affairs for New Jersey American Water, including customer education, media relations, issues management, and community outreach and education, as well as municipal engagement and workforce development programs. She joined American Water as a manager in Corporate Communications in 2009, and in 2016, was promoted to director of Communications and External Affairs for New Jersey American Water and American Water’s Eastern Division states of New York, Virginia, and Maryland.

Prior to joining American Water, she was senior director of Communications for the American Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter, and previously served as senior director of Public Relations for the National Constitution Center and manager of Public Relations for the Pennsylvania Ballet. Free previously held additional roles in several nonprofit organizations and communications firms.

Steve Via is Director of Federal Relations for the American Water Works Association working in AWWA’s Washington, D.C., office. Mr. Via’s primary responsibilities are two-fold. First, working with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other federal agencies on the development of policy and regulations that affect the water sector, and communicating the basis and substance of federal policy and regulations to the water sector.

Mr. Via has 31 years’ professional experience in environmental regulatory compliance assistance related to federal and state drinking water, wastewater, and solid/hazardous waste regulations. His work experience includes supporting communities engaged in planning, financing, and managing infrastructure improvements.