YP Summit Goes Virtual
August 3rd – Virtual Event!
The AWWA/WEF Young Professionals (YP) Summit is the premier water and wastewater industry workshop for young professionals. Join other future leaders by exploring your role in water and discussing how you can best serve your organization and community.
This year’s presenters include:
Cathy Bernardino Bailey
Executive Director, Greater Cincinnati Water Works
Cathy Bernardino Bailey is the Executive Director of Greater Cincinnati Water Works (GCWW) for the City of Cincinnati. Ms. Bailey is the first woman and African-American woman to lead the utility since its formation 200 years ago. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of Cincinnati and has been with GCWW her entire 30-year career. Cathy leads a team that ensures safe drinking water for a regional population of more than 1.1 million citizens; supervises a team of 600 full-time employees; and oversees a $110 million operating budget and a $450 million capital budget. Cathy is a strong champion and key visionary behind the Greater Cincinnati Water Works award-winning Lead Service Line Replacement Program. Cathy annually speaks and participates on panels at the American Water Works Association (AWWA), the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA), and the Engaging Local Government Leaders (ELGL) conferences, as well as other water summits, sharing knowledge on strategic planning, employee engagement, workforce diversity, and continuous improvement.
Cathy has distinguished herself as a leader throughout her career, focusing on communications, strategic thinking, innovation, technical excellence, outreach, and teamwork. Cathy received the 2018 Greater Cincinnati YWCA’s Career Women of Achievement Award and is one of Cincinnati Venue Magazine’s 2018 Women of Influence. In 2019, she was named one of seven African American leaders in Cincinnati that residents should get to know and understand their impact in the region. Cathy is also a 2021 recipient of the American Water Works Association’s Diversity & Inclusion Individual Award.
Locally, Cathy serves the Greater Cincinnati community with pride in various capacities. She serves as the Vice President of the Woman’s City Club of Greater Cincinnati, the Chamber of Commerce Leadership Cincinnati Steering Committee, the YWCA Career Women of Achievement Steering Committee, and the Women of Cincinnati Board. She serves on the national Engaging Local Government Leaders Board of Directors and is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Outside of work, Cathy enjoys baking, sewing, volunteering, and traveling with family and friends.
Carla A. Reid
General Manager/CEO, WSSC Water
Carla A. Reid 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 102-year-strong water utility, the largest in Maryland, in all aspects of business. On a daily basis, she provides oversight for an operating budget of $852 million and a capital budget of $701 million for fiscal responsibility and efficiency.
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. While at Howard University, she pledged Zeta Phi Beta Sorority. Reid serves as a board member of the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, Prince George’s County Workforce Development Board and the Prince George’s Chamber of Commerce and is an active member in the community. A true champion of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) education, Reid also advocates for programming that increases the number of girls and other under-represented groups in these disciplines. In recognition of her professional achievements, community leadership and mentoring, Reid was named one of The Daily Record’s 2019 Maryland’s Top 100 Women.
Mike Hiskey
IT Director, American Water Works Association
Mike Hiskey is the Director of Information Technology for the American Water Works Association (AWWA) where he oversees website and application development, operations and infrastructure support, information security, and project management. His career spans 30 years in retail, higher education, and non-profit IT and budget administration.
Mike’s passion is for connecting people with effective technology. He helped over 100 retail stores modernize cash and inventory control systems, installed the first university student housing ethernet network in Colorado, and led the adoption of cloud-based collaboration tools for a community of 16,000. He contributes his technical skills to assist churches and small non-profits leverage technology to fulfill their mission.
Mike served as the stage and technology manager for the Denver March for Science in 2017 and 2018 – supporting the organization’s advocacy for science-based legislative action. Mike holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and Marketing from the University of Missouri and a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership, Strategic Innovation and Change from the University of Denver. He believes IT must take a servant leadership role in the organization to promote the adoption of effective technology. His CliftonStrengths are Adaptability, Connectedness, Intellection, Maximizer, and Ideation.
Sarah Engel
Gallup-Certified CliftonStrengths Coach, Sarah Engel Coaching
Sarah Engel is a strengths-oriented employee performance strategist and team engagement expert; an insightful coach; and an empowering leadership specialist. With a Master of Arts degree in leadership development and nearly two decades of experience in non-profit higher education, she uses her dominant influencing themes to help cultivate ambitious, strengths-based teams, achieving higher levels of employee productivity, engagement, and wellbeing. Her primary areas of influence include creative production, enterprise control, influence through language and ideas, and leading people through change.
A Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach since 2015, Sarah has coached executives, mid-level managers, and organizations/teams in both public and private sector. She provides a safe place for learners to explore natural talents, embrace themes, and build self-awareness. Her coaching accentuates strategic thinking, relationship building, influencing, and executing on goals. As a Maximizer, she helps her clients mine their raw talent, dig a little deeper, and uncover the power of strengths to enhance performance. Her style of coaching encourages individuals to polish their strengths so that they will shine and be seen, not blend in.
When not coaching, Sarah loves reading, flower gardening, and hanging out with her husband and daughter watching Marvel movies or hiking in the Rockies.
Original Post: https://www.awwa.org/Events-Education/Young-Professionals-Summit#680257-program