The American Water Works Association (AWWA) recognized the five recipients of its 5 Under 35 – Outstanding Young Professional Award at its recent ACE24 event in Anaheim. The award, which debuted in 2021, recognizes and honors AWWA members under the age of 35 who have demonstrated outstanding service to their Sections or the Association through leadership and active participation in young professional (YP) programs.
The 2024 award winners are:
Jessica Agsalda, Hawaii Section
Project Manager, The Limtiaco Consulting Group, Honolulu County, Hawaii
2020 recipient, Outstanding Section Member
Past Section At-Large Trustee
Past Section YP Chair, Vice Chair and Secretary
Past Section Chair, Youth Education Committee
Section Chair, Newsletter Committee
Member, Section Water Conference Committee
Past Chair, Section YP, Community Service Committee
M.S. and B.S., Civil Engineering, University of Hawaii at Manoa
Lillian Meighan, Virginia Section
Communications Specialist, Western Virginia Water Authority, Roanoke
Past YP Trustee, Section Board
Past Chair, Section Water Awareness & Outreach Committee
Co-creator, award-winning educational video series for City of Lynchburg’s Water Resources Department
B.S., Natural Resources & Conservation, Virginia Tech; M.S., Agricultural & Environmental Education, University of Georgia
Lily Lopez, California-Nevada Section
External Affairs & Sustainability Director, Walnut Valley Water District, California
2023 Graduate, Transformative Leadership Water Academy
2023 Young Professional of the Year (Section)
Vice Chair, Section Inclusion & Diversity Committee
Member, Section YP Committee
Founder, Young Professionals Development Program for regional water agencies
Board Member, Water Education Foundation
B.A., Political Science, University of California, Santa Barbara
Lindsay Anderson, Atlantic Canada Section
Research Engineer and Post-Doctoral Fellow, Centre for Water Resources Studies, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Section Board, Technical Director
Past Section Board, Member Involvement Director
Past Section Chair, YP Committee
B. Engineering, MASc. and Ph.D., Civil Engineering, Dalhousie University
Pooja Chari, New England Section
Water Infrastructure Engineer, Woodward & Curran, Canton, Massachusetts
Member, AWWA YP Committee (YPC) and Co-Chair, YP Leader Training
Past Chair, YPC Student Outreach Subcommittee
Past Chair, Vice Chair, YP Summit Programming
Past Chair, Vice Chair, YP Summit Planning
YP Liaison, International Council; Past YP Liaison, Technical and Educational Council
Member, New England YP Committee
Past Ohio Section Chair, YP and Communications Committees
B.S., Chemical Engineering, Institute of Chemical Technology; M.S., Environmental Engineering, University of Cincinnati
“AWWA is lucky to have such incredible talent and passion in our Young Professionals community,” said AWWA President Cheryl Porter. “The future of water hinges on their dedication, innovation and leadership, and we’re proud to recognize their achievements and support them as they blossom into the next generation of water leaders.”
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Established in 1881, the American Water Works Association is the largest nonprofit, scientific and educational association dedicated to managing and treating water, the world’s most vital resource. With approximately 50,000 members, AWWA provides solutions to improve public health, protect the environment, strengthen the economy and enhance our quality of life.
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