Program Agenda

We’re excited to bring you a mix of dynamic sessions, including panels, lightning rounds, breakout conversations, roundtables, traditional presentations, and mini-workshops. Download the draft Symposium agenda here.  

Additional speakers and details will be added to the schedule below as sessions are finalized. Some sessions may end up in a different time in the final program. Click the + symbol to expand sections to see the day-by-day Symposium agenda.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 1 (Day 0)

12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. 
ADVISORY COMMITTE MEETINGS & WORKING LUNCH

2:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. 
PRE-SYMPOSIUM WORKSHOP CONSERVATION TRACKING TOOL TRAINING

TBD/TBA
EVENING SOCIAL EVENT

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 2 (Day 1)

8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
REGISTRATION & LIGHT BREAKFAST

9:00 a.m. - 9:20 a.m.
WELCOME PLENARY

  • Ron Burke, President & CEO, Alliance for Water Efficiency
  • Mary Ann Dickinson, Founding President & CEO, Alliance for Water Efficiency  

9:20 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
BREAK

9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. 
TRACK A1 - Outdoor Water Use & Landscapes: Dive Into the Issue and Policies

  • Victoria Arling, WaterNow Alliance 
  • ​Diana Denwood, Aurora Water  
  • Krista Guerrero, Metropolitan Water District of Southern 
  • Kelly Kopp, Utah State University 
  • Lindsay Rogers, Western Resources Advocates  
  • Rick Schultz, Castle Rock Water 

TRACK B1 - Behavior Change: Foundations & Frameworks for the Next Frontier

  • Matt Dickens and Julia Grothe, Santa Clarita Valley Water  
  • Beth Livingston, EPA WaterSense Program 
  • Doug Messer, University of Southern California Dornsife Public Exchange  
  • Lila Rabinovich, University of Southern California  

10:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. 
BREAK

10:45 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. 
TRACK A2 - State Perspectives on Water Conservation, Drought, & Climate Change

  • Jason Duff, Massachusetts Office of Water Resources 
  • Shaili Pfeiffer, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources 
  • John Riggins, Arizona Department of Water Resources 

TRACK B2 - Toilet Talk: Indoor Water Use, Leaks, & Equitable Programs

  • Joseph Baquerizo, Long Beach Utilities 
  • Toby Bickmore, Southern Nevada Water Authority 
  • Karly Stelzer, Houston Public Works 
  • Amy Weinfurter, WaterNow Alliance 

11:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 
NETWORKING

12:30 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. 
LUNCH

1:45 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. 
TRACK A3 - The Many Sides of Multi-Family: Digging into the Data & Meeting Resident Needs

  • Alyson Byrne, Orlando Utilities Commission 
  • Abby Francisco, Elevate 
  • Matthew Dickens, Santa Clarita Valley Water 
  • Jonah Schein, EPA WaterSense 

TRACK B3 - Future Visions for Conservation Programs, New Development, & Long-Term Planning

  • Daniel Abrams, University of Illinois  
  • Victor Garcia, City of Dallas 
  • Rennie Jordan and Pablo Pina, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology 
  • Kelsey Pudlock, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning  
  • Scott Winter, Colorado Springs Utilities 
  • Peter Mayer, WaterDM 
  • Joe Fazio and Sarah Musiker, Flume  

2:45 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
BREAK

3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. 
TRACK A4 - Data to Empower Customers, Enhance Targeting & Amp Up Impact

  • JC Davis, Las Vegas Valley Water District 
  • Laura Elwell, Itineris  
  • Cassidy Harding, California Water Service 
  • Leticia Zavala Jones, Georgetown Utilities (TX) 
  • Todd Schultz, Yoppify
  • Zach Vernon, Maddaus Water Management  
  • Steve Villatoro, Austin Water 

TRACK B4 - Moving Towards Community Co-Creation: Stakeholder Engagement

4:00 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.
BREAK

4:15 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. 
CONSERVATION CONVERSATIONS

TBD/TBA
AWARDS RECEPTION

THURSDAY, AUGUST 3 (Day 2)

8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. 
LIGHT BREAKFAST
OPTIONAL SESSION Rise & Shine: Reaching & Engaging CII Customers

  • Annikki Chamberlain, Mimir Water 
  • Bill Hoffman, HW (Bill) Hoffman & Associates, LLC 

9:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. 
THE TALENT PIPELINE: Exploring Perspectives & Strategies to Tackle Today's Workforce Challenge

9:45 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. 
TRACK A5 - Outdoor Water Use & Landscapes: Explore the Programs & Strategies

  • Stephanie Duer, Salt Lake City Public Utilities  
  • Jack Karlin, Turfgrass Water Conservation Alliance 
  • John Lansden, Moulton Niguel Water District 
  • Catherine Moravec, Colorado Springs Utilities 
  • Carrie Pollard, Marin Water 

TRACK B5 - Data to Advance Organizational Performance, Decision-Making, & Transparency

  • Chris Garcia, Inland Empire Utilities Agency 
  • Cassidy Harding, California Water Service 
  • Rick Maloy, Central Utah Water Conservancy District  
  • Zane Marshall, Southern Nevada Water Authority   

10:45 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
BREAK

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. 
TRACK A6 - Easy Button: All Access Pass to Hacks to Make Your Life Easier

  • Nate Adams, Santa Margarita Water District 
  • Amy Talbot, Regional Water Authority 

TRACK B6 - Water Loss Control Programs: Taking the Next Step

  • Drew Blackwell, Cavanaugh  
  • Sarah Hudson, Indiana Finance Authority 
  • Kyle Johnson, Village of Buffalo Grove, IL 
  • Jennifer Walker, National Wildlife Federation 

12:00 p.m. - 1:15 p.m.
LUNCH

1:15 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. 
WATER EFFICIENCY: Exploring Equitable & Effective Solutions to Address Affordability

  • Contributors include staff from the Pacific Institute, UCLA, US Water Alliance, Elevate, and more 

2:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. 
BREAK

2:15 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. 
BREAKOUT CONVERSATIONS Exploring Equitable & Effective Solutions

3:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. 
CLOSING SESSION Final Reflections & Takeaways

Core Program Topics 

In a recent survey, AWE members ranked the following primary topics as the topics they are most interested in exploring at the Symposium. 

  • Behavior Change 
  • Commercial, Industrial, and Institutional Water Use 
  • Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, Affordability 
  • Drought and Water Shortages 
  • Landscapes and Irrigation 
  • Climate Change, Water/Energy/Climate Nexus, and Weather Extremes  
  • Water Efficiency in Water-Rich Regions 
  • Data and Analytics​
  • Water Loss
  • Measurement and Evaluation of Water Saving Strategies
  • Codes, Standards, and New Development Strategies

Pre-Symposium Workshop

AWE Member Tools and Resources Training: Bring your laptop for this hands-on workshop, where you’ll learn about all the Alliance for Water Efficiency member resources. The main focus will be on the AWE Conservation Tracking Tool, what is possible with this tool, and a discussion of metrics. You’ll also get exposure to the rest of the AWE core resources and member-only offerings and participate in a conversation to inform which tools and resources AWE should invest in next.