Water & Wastewater professional recognised!

The 2013 ISA Water/Wastewater and Automatic Controls (WWAC) Symposium, to be held 6-8 August 2013 in Orlando (FL USA), highlights ISA’s ongoing partnership with the Water Environment Federation (WEF). An award recognizing the collaboration between the two organizations was recently bestowed on Thomas DeLaura, vice president of Eramosa International, Inc.

DeLaura was named ISA’s Water and Wastewater Industry Division Member of the Year for his work to promote collaboration between WEF’s Automation and Information Technology Committee and the ISA Water and Wastewater Division. The award is given by the ISA Water and Wastewater Division to recognize a volunteer leader whose contributions have had a significant impact on the water and wastewater automation community.

The WWAC Symposium is experiencing a new-found growth in popularity thanks to newly formed alliances with the WEF, the Florida Section of the American Water Works Association (FSAWWA) and the National Rural Water Association (NRWA). By forming strong partnerships with other associations, the symposium has been able to reach a broader cross-section of water and wastewater professionals across the industry. For members of these associations, the symposium provides targeted professional development and training opportunities otherwise inaccessible.

“This collaboration aligns with WEF’s Strategic Direction, connecting water professionals to leverage knowledge and promote innovation,” said DeLaura. “I am very much looking forward to continuing WEF’s technical co-sponsorship of the 2013 WWAC Symposium. It has been a pleasure to be part of the team that brought ISA and WEF together for this symposium, as well as on several other initiatives. The power of such collaboration is uplifting.”

DeLaura, who also serves as vice chair of WEF’s Utility Management Workforce Subcommittee and chair of Michigan Water Environment Association’s (Bath) Asset and Infrastructure Management Committee, has been a member of WEF since 1982. He has more than 38 years of experience in creating strategic plans, conducting research and developing integrated programs of interrelated projects. DeLaura has served as end user and manager of information and process-control computer systems with a municipality, and has consulted with water utilities across the United States, Canada and Australia. He has written and presented on numerous topics of interest to the water and wastewater industry, been involved in research projects for the Water Research Foundation and the Water Environment Research Foundation and received several awards from the industry for dedication and service.