Fall Conference Builds on Summer’s Virtual Success by Dave Eggerton Nov 20, 2020 Voices on Water You will not want to miss ACWA’s 2020 Virtual Fall Conference & Exhibition for a long list of reasons, including some you might not have considered. First, ACWA will once again deliver high-quality keynote addresses from California water leaders and experts. For example, implementation of the state’s Water Resilience Portfolio will leave no corner of our industry untouched. Your effectiveness as a water manager will depend on knowing how the Portfolio will move from concept on paper to action on the ground. Want to know how? Hear directly from the three people appointed to that task by Gov. Gavin Newsom during a Dec. 3 keynote panel discussion between California Environmental Protection Agency Secretary Jared Blumenfeld, Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot and Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross. Keynote speakers also include Daniel Swain, a nationally renowned climate change scientist. Past ACWA Executive Director Timothy Quinn will also join us and discuss how effective water management has evolved in California, along with his fellowship work at Stanford University. In addition, one of California’s leading communications consultants, Cassandra Pye, will share her insights into successful leadership and the importance of racial and gender diversity in the workplace. ACWA has extended the deadline for registration to Nov. 24 at 4:30 p.m. If you have not already registered for the ACWA 2020 Fall Conference & Exhibition, I strongly urge you to learn more and consider doing so at www.acwa.com/events. Of course, among the biggest draws to an ACWA Conference is networking with your colleagues from across the state. We all thought that opportunity would have to wait until a return to in-person. However, this conference will feature Networking Lounges that translates that experience into the virtual space. This new addition builds on the success of our 2020 Virtual Summer Conference & Exhibition. Responses from a post-event survey identified this need and we acted on it. That same survey, by the way, revealed that 75% of attendees would attend another virtual conference, so this is your opportunity to find out why many of those people described ACWA’s summer conference as the best virtual event they had experienced to date. Aside from networking with colleagues and keynote addresses from top water leaders, ACWA conferences feature panels and forums delving into the granular details of our industry, often offering the closest thing to a glimpse into a crystal ball. One of these deep dives during the Fall Conference will focus on how a changed U.S. Supreme Court could affect environmental law, a main driver of how we do our jobs as water managers. This conference will also include a 2020 election analysis, giving attendees another look at 2021 and beyond in terms of expected water industry developments. Speaking of the future, ACWA conferences give younger water professionals an exciting opportunity to sharpen their understanding and expertise. The much lower cost of ACWA virtual conferences, compared to in-person events, allows agencies to register more employees. Registering five people from the same agency earns a sixth registration at no cost. The theme of this conference — “Adapting to Change” — sums up its ultimate value for ACWA member agencies and all California water professionals. This Dec. 2-3 is where you can gain clarity on what it will take to succeed in 2021 and beyond.
