Jennifer Ivey, WEF chair of the 2019 Utility Management Conference, blogs about the popular event, a joint partnership between WEF and the American Water Works Association.
My favorite conference of the year is almost here and in one of my favorite cities! A joint partnership between WEF and AWWA, the 2019 Utility Management Conference program is jam-packed with sessions that highlight all of the issues that keep utility leaders up at night: sustainability, finance and rates, workforce development, public communications, etc. Join me in Nashville March 5-8, 2019 to learn from and network with utility managers and directors, public officials, regulators, educators, and consultants from all over the United States and beyond.
The week kicks off with the Young Professionals Summit on Tuesday, March 5. The YP Summit will focus on the Future of Water with sessions devoted to communicating the value of water, training the utility leaders of tomorrow, and addressing industry challenges locally and globally. This is an amazing opportunity for YPs to learn from the best in the industry so they can develop their skills and expand their network.
For those of us who have aged out of the YP fun, there is plenty for you to choose from on Tuesday, too! We are offering eight workshops, some half-day and some full-day, on a variety of topics from leadership training to the Internet of Things. We will continue to explore many of these topics in our technical sessions Wednesday afternoon through Friday morning. There are so many must-see presentations on the program, I know you’ll have as difficult a time as me deciding which ones to attend. And be sure to join us on Wednesday morning for the Opening General Session, featuring our keynote speaker who will share ways to build a high-performance culture within your organization.
I know it will be hard to pull yourself away from the outstanding UMC program, but I hope you’ll find some time to enjoy Music City, too! I highly encourage you to visit some of my favorite places in Nashville, most of them within walking distance of the conference hotel: Ryman Auditorium, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Music Row, and the Johnny Cash Museum, to name a few.
Jennifer Ivey is a vice president with Carollo Engineers, where she leads the financial management group. She has more than 20 years of experience in multiyear financial planning, impact fee, bond feasibility, and cost of service, rate, and charge studies throughout the United States, as well as civil and environmental engineering design projects. She is the WEF chair of the 2019 Utility Management Conference in Nashville, Tenn. She also serves on WEF’s Utility Management Committee and Program Committee.