John P. Fraser Water Leaders Fellowship The John P. Fraser Water Leaders Fellowship was created in 2019 to honor former ACWA Executive Director John P. Fraser for his 22 years of service to the Association and his numerous contributions to the water community, including creating the non-profit organization that would become the Water Education Foundation. The fellowship is presented each year to an individual working at an ACWA member agency who has been selected to participate in the Water Education Foundation’s Water Leaders Class. The Fellowship winner will receive funds to cover the program’s tuition, plus reimbursement for travel expenses required by the program, not to exceed $1,000. Applicant Requirements Applicant must be a full-time employee at an ACWA public member agency. Applicant must be selected to participate in the Water Education Foundation’s Water Leaders Class and satisfy all program requirements and criteria as established by the Foundation. Recipient Requirements Attend ACWA’s Spring Conference & Exhibition in May Serve on the selection committee to select the following year’s Fellowship recipient Present information from the class written report to an ACWA audience, to be determined, upon request of the Executive Director How to Apply Applicants for ACWA’s fellowship must apply through the Foundation’s application process and meet the Foundation’s eligibility requirements. The Foundation’s application will ask applicants to specify whether they also are applying for ACWA’s John P. Fraser Fellowship. The application process begins in Fall of each year. The Foundation will forward all fellowship applicants to ACWA for evaluation. Selection A selection committee consisting of members of ACWA’s Communications Committee’s Awards and Scholarships Subcommittee, a minimum of one past ACWA President and the previous Fellowship recipient will evaluate the applications using established ranking criteria in order to determine eligibility and select the top candidate.A representative from the Foundation will serve as an adviser to the selection committee to answer any questions related to the Water Leaders Class and its eligibility requirements. The spirit of the fellowship is to support young professionals in their career advancement and provide financial assistance to qualified individuals who may otherwise not be able to apply for the program. Therefore, special consideration will be given to applicants who meet one or more of the following criteria: Applicants from member agencies with 100 or fewer employees; Applicants from member agencies with annual adjusted operating budgets of less than $10 million; Applicants from agencies without (or with limited) budgets for professional development The Selection Committee will notify the Foundation of ACWA’s top candidate. Once confirmed by the Foundation, the recipient is notified and recognized at ACWA’s Spring Conference & Exhibition. Unsuccessful fellowship applicants will also be notified. Disbursement Tuition funds are paid directly to the Foundation. Reimbursement for travel expenses required by the program is payable to the fellowship winner or their agency.
