The 8^th National Capital Region (NCR) Water Resources Symposium will be held October 9, 2020 at the University of the District of Columbia. This one-day symposium brings together experts from governmental agencies, academia, the private sector, and non-profits to discuss challenges and opportunities for sustainable management of water resources and infrastructure in the region, as well as nationally and internationally.

 The theme of 2020 NCR Water Resources Symposium is “Water Management in the Era of Artificial Intelligence: Digital Solutions & Smart Technology Applications.” Featured speakers (morning plenary session) include James P. Cooper, PE, Intelligent Water Lead at Arcadis (Keynote) and panelists: Elkin Hernandez, DC Water; Chandra Pathak, USACE; Christian Manalo, Booz-Allen-Hamilton; and Steve Bieber, Acting Water Resources Director, DC Council of Governments (Panel Moderator). Our luncheon speaker is Alexandra Campbell-Ferrari, Co-Founder and Executive Director for The Center for Water Security and Cooperation. 

FEATURED SPEAKERS:

James P. Cooper is a Vice President at Arcadis and serves as their Global Solution Leader for Intelligent Water. In this role, he collaborates with water sector utilities throughout the world to better understand their assets, systems, organizations and customers by exploring how advanced digital solutions, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and predictive analytics, might help their workforces create more sustainable, human-centric outcomes. Jim earned an Executive Certificate in Artificial Intelligence: Implications for Business Strategy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is the principal author of the fourth edition of the American Water Works Association’s M32 Computer Modeling of Water Distribution Systems, published in 2018. He is a well-established industry thought leader, authoring more than 45 publications on utility management, system optimization and intelligent systems, and maintaining licenses and certifications in sustainability, project management, and water and wastewater plant operations. Jim is also a Professional Engineer in seven states, and currently serves as a Trustee of the Engineering & Construction Division of the American Water Works Association and immediate past president of his local Water Environment Federation section.

Steven E. Bieber serves as Acting Water Resources Program Director, Department of Environmental Programs Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. He is responsible for managing COG’s water resources programs including regional Anacostia Restoration Partnership, water security programs, drought management, urban stream restoration, and other related environmental programs for local governments and utilities in the Washington, DC area. Mr. Bieber has over 30 years of experience in the water sector. He holds a B.S. in Zoology from Michigan State University, an M.S. in Oceanography from Old Dominion University, and an MPA degree from the University of Baltimore.

Chandra S. Pathak, PhD serves as a senior policy advisor and subject matter expert in hydrologic and hydraulic engineering for theU.S. Army Corps of Engineers Engineering and Construction Division at headquarters in Washington, D.C., where he manages national water resources issues. Dr. Pathak has more than 35 years of broad water resources and environmental engineering experience; including water resources planning, flood risk infrastructure (dams, levees and floodwalls), and complex hydrologic and hydraulic studies. Dr. Pathak is skilled in numerical (hydrologic, hydraulic and water quality) models and geographic information systems and program and project management. Currently, he is also an adjunct professor at the George Mason University at Fairfax, Virginia. Dr. Pathak received his doctorate from Oklahoma State University in hydrologic engineering. Dr. Pathak has authored and co-authored more than 100 peer reviewed publications. In 2007, he was awarded Diplomate of Water Resources Engineering and Fellow Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Elkin Hernandez is the Director of Maintenance Services at DC Water, with over 20 years of experience in the design, construction, commissioning, maintenance and operation of large utilities as a contractor, consultant and utility employee. Mr. Hernandez background includes work on telecom cation, automation, process control and cybersecurity. Currently his work is focused in the fields of smart water, management, and maintenance optimization. Mr. Hernandez holds Bachelors and Master’s degree in Electrical and Computer science.

Christian Manalo, P.E., DEE, F.ASCE, is a Lead Associate with Booz Allen Hamilton based in McLean, Virginia. He has extensive experience in security and emergency preparedness for water utilities both internationally and domestically. He has performed dozens of physical and cyber security risk assessments and provided training in these areas, including for USEPA’s Water Security Division. He currently supports the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Engineering & Construction Division, where he manages both the agency’s Resilience Initiative and Infrastructure Sustainability Initiative. Mr. Manalo holds both M.S. and B.S. degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering, previously served as President of ASCE’s National Capital Section, and is an active AWRA member.

Alexandra Campbell-Ferrari is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Water Security and Cooperation, a 501(c)(3) based in Washington, D.C. dedicated to understanding, evaluating, and innovating in water law and governance. Alexandra specializes in water and sanitation law, including water quality, water allocation, and interstate water law. She has worked in private practice and was a Fulbright Scholar in Spain researching water law and watershed management in Spain and the European Union. Alexandra previously taught Legal Research and Writing to International LLM students at The George Washington University Law School and served as the Chair of the Environment and Energy Committee for the ABA Young Lawyers Division (YLD), successfully leading the passage of a Resolution by the YLD recognizing the Human Right to Drinking Water and Sanitation. Alexandra currently teaches Water Law at the University of Maryland Carey School of Law and American University Washington College of Law. Alexandra has been an invited speaker at the Wall Street Journal, the American Bar Association, International Bar Association, World Water Week, Africa Water Week, among others, is featured in Beyond the Brink, a documentary on water scarcity and national security, and serves as a Co-Chair of the Water, Wastewater and Waste Pillar for Denton's Smart Cities and Communities Think Tank.

 

REGISTRATION:

 All attendees are expected to register online (link below) by September 25, 2020

 Step 1: Go online to the link: https://co.clickandpledge.com/?wid=58557

 Step 2: Fill out the registration fee section

 Step 3: Fill out the contact information section

 Step 4: Scroll down and click “SUBMIT” to complete the registration and payment

 

 

The NCR Water Resources Symposium is hosted by the AWRA-National Capital Region Section and the University of the District of Columbia. For further information please contact Dr. Tamim Younos (email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).