Water Industry Career Day

Save the date for The Water Center at Penn’s Water Industry Career Day event, hosted on October 28th from 10:45am to 1:30pm at Perry World House. This event is presented in partnership with the Penn Alumni Water Forum, PennClubH2O, Penn Earth and Environmental Sciences Department, Penn Environmental Innovations Initiative, Perry World House, Penn Career Services, and Wharton MBA Career Management. We’ll feature presentations from water industry leaders across the private and public sectors, and students will have the opportunity to engage with our speakers during a panel discussion and networking lunch.

Attendees will hear from two keynote speakers, Carla Reid of WSSC Water and Angela Curry of Bentley Systems, who will share their personal career journeys and their unique perspectives on the water industry. A panel of industry professionals from Aqua Essential Utilities, Amane Advisors, Solenis, and Hach Company will answer questions about their organizations’ impact on water resiliency and innovation, and future career opportunities in the water industry.

Following the speakers and panelist discussion, students will also have the opportunity to attend a networking lunch to chat with and ask questions of representatives from leading water and sustainability companies.

Opening Remarks:

• Howard Neukrug, Executive Director, The Water Center at Penn

Opening Keynote:

• Carla Reid, General Manager and Chief Executive Officer, WSSC Water

Panelists:

• Chris Crockett, Chief Environmental, Safety, and Sustainability Officer, Aqua Essential Utilities, Inc.
• Lotta Kanto Oqvist, Chief Sustainability Officer , Solenis
• Bill Malarkey, Managing Partner, Amane Advisors
• Alex Rubilar Penn Wharton MBA, Global Product Manager, Hach Company

Closing Keynote:

• Angela Curry, Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer, Bentley Systems

Moderator:

• Maria Andrews, Associate Director, Penn Earth and Environmental Science Department

Thank you to the sponsors whose generous support made this event possible:

About Amane Advisors

The world of water is changing. The traditional economy is being replaced by the circular economy. Global information networks are generating new levels of intelligence. The lines between B2B and B2C are disappearing. Whatever your products and services, clients demand higher profits, better solutions, intelligent interfaces, less risk, and access to capital. The challenge is no longer solely technology or engineering, but taking advantage of the changes. Companies must act now.

Our advice is based on years of analysis and experience, as well as hundreds of water experts in our network, and our clients. We draw on insights and expertise from the water industry and farther afield to transform your aims and ambitions into successes.

More information at https://www.amaneadvisors.com.

About Aqua Essential Utilities

With more than 130 years in operation, Aqua, an Essential Utilities company, believes that water is a resource worth protecting, and we take our responsibility to protect and provide water services for the communities we serve seriously. We know that water is Earth’s most essential resource and are committed to sustainable, transparent business practices.

Aqua currently provides wastewater and water utility services to more than 3 million people in eight states within the United States. As we continue to grow the company and its operations, Aqua strives to deliver excellent customer service and give back to the communities we serve.

More information at https://www.aquaamerica.com.

About Bentley Systems

At its core, Bentley Systems is a software development company that supports the professional needs of those responsible for creating and managing the world’s infrastructure, including roadways, bridges, airports, skyscrapers, and industrial and power plants, as well as utility networks. Bentley delivers solutions for the entire lifecycle of the infrastructure asset, tailored to the needs of the various professions — the engineers, architects, geospatial professionals, planners, contractors, fabricators, IT managers, operators and maintenance engineers — who will work on and work with that asset over its lifetime. Comprised of integrated applications and services built on an open platform, each solution is designed to ensure that information flows between workflow processes and project team members to enable interoperability and collaboration.

More information at https://www.bentley.com/en.

About Environmental Innovations Initiative

We are undeniably at a pivotal moment in history. As we emerge from the social and economic devastation of the pandemic, there is a triple imperative to fix the systems that are causing the climate and biodiversity crises as well as institutionalized inequalities. The Environmental Innovations Initiative will bring together researchers, scholars, and students to develop new ideas and innovative solutions for our global environment. It is designed to maximize Penn’s distinctive interdisciplinary strengths, building collaborations across disciplines and creating a catalyst to spur new areas of inquiry across such areas as climate change, sustainability, and environmental equity, among others.

More information at https://provost.upenn.edu/eii.

About Hach

Hach’s broad line of instrumentation and chemistries have been carefully crafted for more than 80 years to make water analysis better – faster, simpler, greener and more informative – so you get it right the first time, every time. Our experts understand your applications and we’re committed to helping you discover optimal solutions for your specific needs.

Since our founding in 1933, we’ve led the industry in developing innovative solutions to help you manage your water more efficiently and accurately. Today, Hach products can be found across the entire globe and serve industries ranging from municipal drinking and wastewater to food, beverage and power, and every other category that touches water. As a wholly owned subsidiary of Danaher Corporation (NYSE: DHR), Hach is equipped with the support and resources to provide you with the breakthrough products and expert guidance you’ve come to expect.

More information at https://www.hach.com.

About RES

RES is the nation’s largest ecological restoration company, and is restoring a resilient earth for a modern world. They restore our land and waters with ecological integrity and innovation, project by project. They support the rehabilitation and stewardship of nature’s resources alongside responsible human progress.

Founded in 2007 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, RES quickly expanded along the Gulf Coast and then grew organically into Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio. In 2016, KKR, a leading global investment firm, announced a major investment in RES. RES became a member of KKR’s Green Solutions Platform, and the resulting partnership provides an important depth of resources and expertise as we help advance the path of building a resilient earth alongside responsible human progress. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, RES now employs over 770 dedicated employees in 30 operational hubs across the country.

More information at www.res.us.

About Solenis

Whether you’re an engineer, technical director or a plant manager in a paper mill, chemical processing plant or other water-intensive industrial operation, or an owner or operator of a pool or spa, we can help you improve your operational efficiency, achieve your sustainability goals, and maintain the cleanliness and health of your water. That’s exactly what we’ve been doing since our founding more than 100 years ago. Today, we’re a leading specialty chemical supplier and water treatment company with a truly global footprint. With over 6,000 employees and 48 manufacturing facilities, our operations span 120 countries and five continents.

Throughout our rich history, we’ve operated under many different names: Drew, Betz Laboratories, Hercules, Stockhausen and Ashland Water Technologies. But our guiding principle has never changed: we help you solve your toughest challenges.

More information at https://www.solenis.com/en.

About Veolia

Veolia group aims to be the benchmark company for ecological transformation. In 2022, with nearly 220,000 employees worldwide, the Group designs and provides game-changing solutions that are both useful and practical for water, waste and energy management. Through its three complementary business activities, Veolia helps to develop access to resources, preserve available resources, and replenish them.

In 2021, the Veolia group supplied 79 million people with drinking water and 61 million people with wastewater service, produced nearly 48 million megawatt hours of energy and treated 48 million metric tons of waste.

More information at https://www.veolia.com/en.

About WSSC Water

Established in 1918, WSSC Water is currently among the largest water and wastewater utilities in the nation, with a network of nearly 5,844 miles of fresh water pipeline and over 5,610 miles of sewer pipeline. Our service area spans nearly 1,000 square miles in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties, and we serve 1.9 million residents through approximately 475,000 customer accounts. WSSC Water drinking water has always met or exceeded federal standards.

More information at https://www.wsscwater.com/.

Learn more about our speakers:

Maria Andrews

Maria has been teaching at Penn since 2002 and is currently the Associate Director for Undergraduate Programs in Earth & Environmental Science (EES). Maria teaches graduate-level courses for the Master of Science in Applied Geosciences (MSAG) program, including Aqueous Geochemistry and Fundamentals of Air Pollution. She also teaches two undergraduate courses: a junior thesis seminar and Air Pollution: Sources and Effects in Urban Environments. Maria holds a Bachelor of Arts in chemistry from Rutgers University and a Master of Science in engineering geology from Drexel University. Maria’s professional experience in the environmental field ranges from applications of analytical air, soil, and water chemistry to multiple facets of environmental consulting. Her focus of interest has been the behavior and interaction of inorganic and organic pollutants in the environment. Maria’s interest in environmental issues has led her to engage with local and international communities. She is currently serving as a faculty advisor for Penn Engineers Without Borders (EWB), where she works with students in sanitation and water access projects in rural Guatemala.

Chris Crockett

Christopher Crockett has over 27 years of experience in the water, stormwater, and wastewater industry. Chris is responsible for environmental compliance, safety, and sustainability covering 10 states, 1500 drinking water systems and 186 wastewater systems for Aqua America and for Peoples Natural Gas under Essential Utilities. One responsibility is leading the Essential efforts to identify and address PFAS including its laboratory that analyzes thousands of PFAS samples annually. Chris is a recognized expert on environmental issues having served on various state task forces and industry committees. Chris was formerly the Deputy Commissioner of the Philadelphia Water Department where he led many groundbreaking programs in infrastructure and water quality including the award winning source water protection program, Green Cities Clean Waters, and the creation of Philly Rivercast. Chris received a BS in Civil Engineering (’93), an MS in Environmental Engineering (’95), and a PhD in Environmental Engineering (’2004), all from Drexel University. Chris is a professional licensed Civil Engineer in PA. Dr. Crockett is the winner 2019 George Warren Fuller Award by PA AWWA for distinguished service in the water supply field.

Angela Curry

Angela is the Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer and Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Bentley Systems (Nasdaq: BSY), the infrastructure engineering software company. Bentley Systems provides innovative software to advance the world’s infrastructure – sustaining both the global economy and environment. Our industry-leading software solutions are used by professionals, and organizations of every size, for the design, construction, and operations of roads and bridges, rail and transit, water and wastewater, public works and utilities, buildings and campuses, mining, and industrial facilities. Our offerings include MicroStation-based applications for modeling and simulation, ProjectWise for project delivery, AssetWise for asset and network performance, Seequent’s leading geoprofessional software portfolio, and the iTwin platform for infrastructure digital twins. Bentley Systems employs more than 4,500 colleagues and generates annual revenues of approximately $1 billion in 186 countries.

Angela is responsible for managing the company’s regulatory compliance and corporate responsibility programs.

Lotta Kanto Oeqvist

Lotta Kanto Oeqvist is the Chief Sustainability Officer, global leader for strategic marketing and innovation of new products and solutions for the industrial segment. Lotta has more than 25 years of experience in a variety of different positions, from sales and application support for pulp and paper customers, to leading positions in market developments and R&D. She brings experience in close cooperation with global customers and colleagues to create new-to-the-world innovations and solutions to support a sustainable growth for the future. Lotta’s strategical work in the ESG area (Environmental, Social and Governance) spans over many areas including responsible sourcing, production, development of new sustainable products and much more, supporting Solenis focus to help customers to reach their sustainability goals. She received a MSc in Chemical engineering from Chalmers Technical University in Sweden and her PhD in Industrial Microbiology from Helsinki University, Finland. She is now working in Germany and lives with her family in a low energy house.

Bill Malarkey

At Amane Advisors, Bill helps his customers navigate the water business. With a team on five continents partners he inspires innovation to create the future, anticipating the waves of the water industry. He has years of analysis and experience, and consults hundreds of water experts in his network. Bill has his law degree from Georgetown University.

Howard Neukrug

Howard Neukrug is the former Commissioner and CEO of Philadelphia Water, where he was responsible for all aspects of utility operations, environmental compliance, engineering, financing, budgeting, capital and strategic planning, customer service, human resources, and legal and policy decisions for its drinking water/wastewater/stormwater system serving 2.3 million people. At Penn, he is the director of the Water Center and teaching courses on the water industry and the role of water in urban sustainability and resiliency. He is also a Principal with CASE Environmental, LLC, where he provides consulting services to cities and utilities in urban planning, systems design, sustainability, organizational development, strategic planning and trends and innovations in the global water industry.

Carla A. Reid

Carla serves as General Manager and Chief Executive Officer (GM/CEO) at WSSC Water. She is the first woman to serve in this capacity. Reid is a civil engineer and senior executive with more than 30 years of business and leadership experience in the public sector.

As GM/CEO, Reid leads the 103-year-strong water utility, the largest in Maryland, in every aspect of its operation; from finance and supply chain management to engineering, environmental stewardship and customer service.

Reid earned a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Howard University and a master’s degree in Human Resources Management from University of Maryland University College.

Alex Rubilar

Alex Rubilar is a Global Product Manager on the Drinking Water team at Hach Company. As a Global Product Manager he is responsible for launching new products and initiatives. His areas of focus have included projects within Lead and Copper Rule offerings, Algal Bloom/cyanotoxins testing, and electrochemistry product development. Prior to Hach, Alex earned his MBA from the Wharton School and an MA in International Studies (with a focus in Latin America) from the Lauder Institute at Penn. Alex served for six years as an active-duty infantry officer in the U.S. Army. While stationed in Germany he was deployed to Romania and Moldova three times and later served as company commander of the Headquarters Company at the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation in Fort Benning, Georgia. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics. He and his family live north of Denver, Colorado.