Young Professionals Summit
March 22-24, 2026
Charlotte, NC
Young Professionals Summit
Future Water Leaders: Turbocharge Your Career Path
Join early-career water professionals and students to learn skills and make connections that can shape careers and put you on the path to water leadership.
During the YP Summit, participants will:
- Discuss emerging challenges and identify how these may impact their goals.
- Recognize the skills they have and the ones they might need to develop further as future leaders.
- Explore trending workforce issues and how those offer opportunities for growth.
- Learn from peers and current water leaders the value of their perspectives as young professionals.
- Engage with hands-on water and wastewater tools and approaches in a team-setting to expand practical knowledge and build lasting peer-to-peer support networks.
That’s a Wrap!
Thank you to everyone who attended the 2025 YP Summit in Dallas, TX!
See you next year!
2026 Dates & Location:
March 22-24, 2026
Charlotte Convention Center
Charlotte, NC
Who Attends The YP Summit?
Early-career water professionals eager to transform the future of water
Students in engineering, environmental science, business, communications, and other disciplines prominent in the water sector
Program and Activities
Sunday, February 9 – Tuesday, February 11, 2025
Skills development workshops, supplemental training and networking opportunities for emerging leaders and students in the water sector.
Pre-Summit Activity – Sunday, February 9, 2025
Limited to the first 100 that register – so register for YP Summit today to reserve your seat.
Plan to meet at the Hilton Anatole for the shuttle at 12pm and return by 5pm.
About the Tour Location
The Bachman Water Treatment Plant has been serving Dallas for nearly a century and has the capability to produce up to 150 million gallons per day.
Nestled within the city and surrounded by a beautiful park, the facility operates with precision and adaptability, making the most of it’s historic location.
Bachman utilizes conventional treatment techniques such as coagulation, flocculation, and sedimentation, alongside ozone disinfection and biological filtration, to ensure high-quality drinking water.
Recently, they completed a major ozone improvement project, which included a full replacement of generators and other enhancements to the facility.
Gain insight into their participation in the Texas Optimization Program, which highlights their commitment to exceeding turbidity standards. They are also proud to have been awarded Best Tasting Drinking Water in Texas at the Texas Water 2024 Convention, a testament to the team’s dedication and the quality of our treatment process.
They look forward to sharing their history, advancements, and passion for delivering high-quality water to the community.
AWWA YP Leader Training Day – Monday, February 10, 2025
This event occurs concurrently with the WEF Emerging YP Leadership Workshop, please select one of the following when you register for YP Summit (Free with YP Summit registration).
- Half-day, afternoon.
- Lunch will be provided.
Welcome, AWWA Overview & Call for Action
- Keynote Speaker – Cheryl Porter, AWWA President
Pathways to Organizational Leadership
- Facilitated by Chelsea Boozer
- Featured Speakers:
- Sally Mills-Wright, Dallas Water Utilities
- Anooj Kothari, American Cast Iron Pipe Company
Section Sharing
- Featured Speakers:
- Zac Bolen & Alison Kwong, North Central Texas Chapter – Texas Section
- Brittany Loveless, Virginia Section
Water 2050 World Café
- Introduced by David LaFrance, AWWA CEO
Role of Advocacy in the Water Sector
- Facilitated by Chelsea Boozer
- Featured Speakers:
- Bebe Schaefer, Water&
- Ken Lykens, AWWA Water Utility Council Chair
WEF Emerging YP Leadership Workshop – Monday, February 10, 2025
This event occurs concurrently with the AWWA YP Leader Training Day, please select one of the following when you register for YP Summit (Free with YP Summit registration).
- Half-day, afternoon
- Lunch will be provided.
- Questions? Contact WEF Staff Ama Richardson at arichardson@wef.org
YP Summit Welcome Reception – Monday, February 10, 2025
Everyone is welcome to the official kick-off of the 2025 YP Summit.
Join us on Monday evening for networking and snacks.
YP Summit – Tuesday, February 11, 2025
Join us first thing Tuesday for morning coffee & networking. Sessions will then occur all day, and lunch is provided.
YP Summit Networking Reception – Tuesday, February 11, 2025
With the completion of the YP Summit, attendees now have a reception to continue to network with each other, share their thoughts and collaborate!
Join us Tuesday Evening for networking and snacks.
5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Hilton Anatole
Wedgewood Ballroom
Certificates of Completion
AWWA will provide Certificates of Completion for sessions and workshops. Use the conference mobile app to track your session attendance. Download “AWWA Events” from your app store and enter posted check-in and check-out codes at the beginning and conclusion of each session.
How to Access Certificates of Completion
Important Note: All approvals are at the discretion of your licensing agency, and a Certificate of Completion does not guarantee that your agency will award you credit. It is the individual’s responsibility to contact the licensing agency to confirm that the education program is acceptable for continuing education credit. Visit awwa.org/credits to learn more.
Please allow 30 to 60 days for certificate processing time. For login assistance, call 800.926.7337 or email service@awwa.org. For certificate discrepancies or continuing education questions, email EducationServices@awwa.org.
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Become a Sponsor in 2026
The annual Young Professionals Summit is an unparalleled opportunity to connect directly with the next generation of water leaders and convey your thought leadership and industry foresight.
Contact Us
We would love to hear from you!
Quick Links
AWWA YP Utility Scholarship Winners
Water Equation (WE), AWWA’s philanthropy supports the future of the water industry by investing in the water workforce through scholarships, leadership programs, and volunteer engineering opportunities.
Jenna Arsenault
Operations Supervisor
Parks Canada
British Columbia
Dom Bennett
Assistant Director of Customer Care
City of Lee’s Summit (Water Utilities Department)
Missouri
Kayla Sanon
Admin. Technician, Senior
City of Richmond — Dept. of Public Utilities
Virginia
Marina Shenoda
Principal Engineer
City of Newark — Water & Sewer Department
New Jersey
Misty Smith
Executive Assistant
Immokalee Water and Sewer District
Florida
AWWA HBCU Scholarship Winners
Cescar Kangogo
Masters in Engineering in Civil and Environmental Engineering
Tennessee State University
Carolyne Njeri
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Tennessee State University
MD Al Sadikul Islam
Civil Engineering
University of the District of Columbia
WEF YP Utility Scholarship Winners
The Water Environment Federation (WEF) awards five scholarships to young professionals (YPs) working for a utility in North America. The YP Utility Scholarship program helps YPs learn about what being part of the WEF Utility Management Community (UMC) entails and increases YP involvement within this community.
Andrea Andino
City of Hialeah Public Works Department
Florida
Jayla Berry
North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality
North Carolina
Jordan Lewis
North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality
North Carolina
Daniel Roberts
Trinity River Authority of Texas
Texas
Kayson Smith-Bejgrowicz
Aqua Engineers
Hawaii
Thank You to Our 2025 Sponsors
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Digital Sponsor
“Attending YP Summit 2024 was an absolute blast, from teaming up for the Water Circuit Challenge to making friends in the water industry and expanding my network. With leadership training, water facility tour, and city exploration, it was the perfect mix of learning and fun—I highly recommend it for anyone looking to grow professionally and make lasting connections!”
June Kouet
Engineering Intern, Four Waters Engineering, Inc.
“Getting these connections is priceless. Meeting people my age in the industry, doing similar but different things across the U.S. Some of the people I met at my first YP Summit are my best friend to this day!”
Renee Lanza, P.E.
Senior Consultant, GEI
“The past two YP Summits I have attended have been a great opportunity to meet other water industry young professionals and to learn more about parts of the industry I might not otherwise have known about.”
Malia Turner
Hazen and Sawyer
“I enjoyed learning about professional development plans—how to close identify skills gaps and hone in on which skills you want to grow. There are so many different aspects of engineering in the water industry; sometimes you don’t know where you need to grow until someone tells you, or coaches you.”
Natalie Thompson
Principal Engineer, Hazen & Sawyer
“I had more fun, learned more, felt more engaged, and felt more welcome at the last YP Summit more than any conference I’ve ever attended. It is hands down the best conference you can attend as a young water professional, both professionally and personally.”
Brie Peterson
Technical Sales Tonka Water, a Kurita brand
“I met so many young professionals! I enjoy talking to more people, getting to hear how their organizations work. In sessions we touched on some vulnerable topics like imposter syndrome—which everyone faces, and it’s completely OK. It was good to hear that.”
Bhar Murali
Project Manager for Water Engineering and Reliability, Region of Peel, Ontario, Canada
Resources for Young Professional from AWWA
As you prepare for YP Summit, we invite you to explore the wide range of relevant resources available from AWWA.
The Water Workforce: Strategies for Recruiting and Retaining High-Performance Employees
The most important resources at any utility are human resources. People make all the difference in the success or failure of your utility’s operation. Managing utility workforce issues is the focus of this practical handbook for water utility human resources employees.
Get the Book
State of the Water Industry
Since 2004, AWWA has published the annual State of the Water Industry Report based on survey results to help water utilities, service providers, regulators and researchers identify and prepare for challenges, opportunities, and trends impacting the water community.
State of the Water Industry
Plain Talk About Drinking Water
Consumers want straight talk about drinking water. They want the truth told plainly in language they understand, but that doesn’t talk down to them. They get just that in Plain Talk about Drinking Water, AWWA’s top-selling book that answers common consumer questions about tap water.
Read More
The Water Dictionary Handbook
Developed specifically for water and wastewater professionals, this unique dictionary has more than 15,000 definitions for water-related words, phrases, and acronyms.
Read More
Communicating Water’s Value: Talking Points, Tips & Strategies
This book offers tips and tools to assist management, communications staff, and employees at both small and large utilities in shaping customers’ understanding about the value of water.
Get the Book
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2025 Facility Tour
