Young Professionals Summit
February 9-11, 2025
Dallas, TX
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.
Registration is Open
Dates & Location:
February 9-11, 2025
Hilton Anatole, Dallas, Texas
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
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
- Nicole Proto & 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.
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2025 YP Summit Scholarships Are Closed
Check back for details on the 2026 YP Summit Scholarship Applications – coming in summer 2025.
Invest in the Future of Water
Become a Sponsor
The Future of Water
The next generation of water leaders is waiting to connect with your brand. Demonstrate your thought leadership by becoming a sponsor of the YP Summit.
Contact Us
Quick Links
Hilton Anatole
2201 North Stemmons Freeway, Dallas, TX 75207
Located just north of Dallas, the Hilton Anatole offers fine entertainment, curated art, and plenty of entertainment. Just a few miles from the Dallas Arts District and downtown Dallas.
Book Your Room Today
Dallas is ready to welcome The YP Summit. Conference events will take place at the Hilton Anatole.
Book your room today in our official UMC/YP Summit room block. Please use only the link below to reserve your hotel accommodations.
Alert: AWWA is aware of multiple unauthorized organizations contacting attendees to solicit hotel rooms. For your protection, reserve hotel accommodations using only the link provided by AWWA. Reservations made through any other housing services company cannot be guaranteed by AWWA and could result in hidden charges, unusual restrictions, or incorrect hotel placement. You may report fraudulent activity to awwaconferences@awwa.org.
Thank You to Our 2025 Sponsors
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“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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