Thu, 10/04/2018 - 16:07

ALEXANDRIA, Va.—The Water Environment Federation (WEF) announced its 2018-2019 Board of Trustees during WEFTEC 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Board of Trustees was confirmed by WEF’s House of Delegates and led by 2018-2019 President Tom Kunetz. At a ceremony on Oct. 2, the WEF “gavel of leadership” was passed to President Tom Kunetz, who is assistant director of monitoring and research for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. Kunetz leads the district’s efforts on key strategic engineering initiatives and has over 30 years of experience in the field of environmental engineering in both the public and private sectors, focusing on design of wastewater treatment facilities, improving the water environment and protection of public health. During his year-long term as WEF president, Kunetz will continue to help fulfill the federation’s strategic direction and critical objectives—to connect water professionals, enrich the expertise of water professionals, increase the awareness of the impact and value of water, and provide a platform for water sector innovation. “This past year, we have made great progress on WEF’s objectives,” Kunetz said during his acceptance speech. “One of our new strategic goals for WEF is to increase diversity and inclusiveness in the water sector through engagement and membership growth. In this next year, we will encourage people in underrepresented groups to get into college programs and training programs where they can get the education needed to succeed in the water sector.” In addition to Kunetz, the 2018-2019 Board of Trustees includes: Past-President Jenny Hartfelder (Denver, Colorado), President-Elect Jackie Jarrell (Charlotte, North Carolina), Vice President Lynn Broaddus (Minneapolis, Minnesota), Treasurer Jamie Eichenberger (Denver, Colorado) and Secretary and WEF Executive Director Eileen O’Neill (Alexandria, Virginia). Trustees are Rajendra Bhattarai, (Austin, Texas) Joan Hawley (Muskego, Wisconsin), Aimee Killeen (Baton Rouge, Louisiana), Mark Poling (Hillsboro, Oregon), Peter Vanrolleghem (Quebec City, Canada) and Ifetayo Venner (Tampa, Florida).