Updated: November 17, 2005
The Future of Engineering and Water Quality into the Next Century
Biographies and Presentations
Warren Kurtz, P. E. The New York City Water Supply System Dependability Program (PDF)
Mr. Kurtz is the Assistant to the Commissioner for Dependability Planning at the New York City Department of Environmental Protection. He holds a Bachelor and Masters Degree in Civil Engineering from the City College of New York, a Master of Science in Urban Affairs from Hunter College, and a Master of Business Administration from California State University at Northridge.
He has thirty-four years of engineering, planning, and program management experience with New York City at the Mayors Office of Construction, the Legislative Office of Budget Review, and within the Department of Environmental Protection.
Angela Licata NYCDEP & Climate Change / NYCDEP Water Demand and Wastewater Flow Projections (PDF)
Angela Licata is an Assistant Commissioner for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection and the director of the Office of Environmental Planning and Assessment. She has worked at DEP for over 17 years and has held her current position for three years. She is quite skilled at environmental impact assessments, land use and long range planning, as well as hazardous material site assessments. During her tenure at DEP she has performed many complicated environmental reviews and has negotiated complex land use decisions.
She holds a Bachelors Degree in Political Science with a concentration in Environmental Policy Making.
Douglas S. Greeley, PE Aquifer Storage and Recovery (PDF)
Doug Greeley graduated from the Stevens Institute of Technology in 1973 and has been employed by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection since that time.
He was appointed as Deputy Commissioner for the Bureau of Water and Sewer Operations in 1996. Mr. Greeley has responsibility for the treatment and distribution of New York City’s water supply, in addition to the maintenance and repair of the water distribution and wastewater collection infrastructure as well as regulating customer connections to both systems.
Brandon J. Goshi Overview of Southern California’s Water Management Strategy (PDF)
Brandon J. Goshi is the Manager of Water Resources at The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. He is responsible for the integrated water supply planning process for meeting service area water needs, including water supply and demand projections and defining future resource development strategy options.
He joined Metropolitan in 1994, and has a background in Economics. Prior to coming to Metropolitan, he worked for the City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power on water rates structures and water resource issues.
Stephen Estes-Smargiassi We’re Very Much Alike: The Boston Metro Area and NYC (PDF)
Stephen Estes-Smargiassi is Director of Planning at the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. He is a planner and an engineer and in his 18 years at the MWRA, he has led or participated in all drinking water quality and master planning initiatives.
His recent priorities have been developing the briefing materials used by MWRA’s Board of Directors to make the treatment technology decision for the metropolitan Boston water system, and then participating in the successful defense of that decision in federal court as well as producing and distributing MWRA’s annual water quality report to over 800,000 households. He is currently overseeing drinking water quality and public health outcome research to understand and evaluate recent treatment improvements.
He has a Bachelors of Civil Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Masters in City and Regional Planning from Harvard University.
Thomas A. Minwegen, P.E. The Next 100 Years…Dependability through Regional Solutions (PDF)
Thomas A. Minwegen, P.E. Tom Minwegen is the Deputy General Manager of Engineering / Operations for the Las Vegas Valley Water District. He also serves as Chief Engineer of the organization. Tom has been with the District for over 23 years and has served in various positions in the Water District’s Engineering, Construction, and Automated Mapping, Facilities Management, and Geographic Information Systems departments. Prior to his current appointment, Tom served as the District’s Director of Engineering. He is a member of the American Water Works Association, the Colorado River Water Users Association, the WateReuse Association, the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association, the Geospatial Information and Technology Association, and the American Public Works Association. Mr. Minwegen holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Bradley University, in Peoria, Illinois, and is a registered Professional Engineer in the state of Nevada.
Tom Minwegen is the Deputy General Manager of Engineering / Operations for the Las Vegas Valley Water District. He also serves as Chief Engineer of the organization. Tom has been with the District for over 23 years and has served in various positions in the Water District’s Engineering, Construction, and Automated Mapping, Facilities Management, and Geographic Information Systems departments. Prior to his current appointment, Tom served as the District’s Director of Engineering.
He is a member of the American Water Works Association, the Colorado River Water Users Association, the WateReuse Association, the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association, the Geospatial Information and Technology Association, and the American Public Works Association.
Mr. Minwegen holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Bradley University, in Peoria, Illinois, and is a registered Professional Engineer in the state of Nevada.
J. Christopher Nielson Maintaining Redundancy In An Aging Infrastructure (PDF)
Chris Nielson has been the Commissioner of the Cleveland Division of Water since August 2004. In this capacity he serves as the Utility’s chief executive, responsible for water treatment, pumping, transmission, storage and distribution of high quality water to 1.5 million consumers in the 70 communities served by Cleveland Water. Since 1991 he has worked in Cleveland as the Assistant Commissioner for Engineering at Cleveland Water; the City Engineer for the City of Cleveland; and the Deputy Director at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, where he managed a $1 billion capital expansion, including a new runway.
Mr. Nielson holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Northwestern University and a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University.
Robert C. Renner, P.E. A Strategic Assessment of the Future of Water Utilities (PDF)
Robert C. Renner, P.E., is the Executive Director of the American Water Works Association Research Foundation (AWWARF)
Mr. Renner joined AwwaRF as Executive Director in August 2005. As AwwaRF’s CEO he is directing the foundation’s research agenda in the water supply sector. He joined AwwaRF after serving as ISA’s Executive Director where he led the company’s efforts at supporting automation activities throughout process and discrete industry including the water and wastewater utility sector. Prior to joining ISA, he served as Deputy Executive Director of the American Water Works Association a 57,000 member association dedicated to safe drinking water, where he directed the association staff and lead initiatives aimed at optimizing water utility management and operations.
Mr. Renner is an alumnus of South Dakota State University with a B.S. in Civil Engineering and a M.S. in Sanitary Engineering. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in both Colorado and Minnesota.
John M. Dunn, P.E.
Jack Dunn is the Acting Director for the Bureau of Water Supply Protection within the New York State Department of Health. He has been with the Department of Health for 27 years. His previous responsibilities have included: Assistant Bureau Director, supervision of the Design and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Section and the New York City Watershed Section.
He is a graduate of Union College with a B.S. in Civil Engineering and is also a licensed professional engineer in New York State.
Michael A. Principe, Ph.D. Past & Future Water Quality Challenges for New York City (PDF)
Michael A. Principe has worked for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection for twenty-three years. He currently holds the position of Deputy Commissioner and Director of the Bureau of Water Supply, where he oversees a staff of over 1000 people in 12 divisions, and manages all programs associated with the maintenance, operation and protection of the City’s Water Supply.
He holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Natural Resources from Cornell University, a Master’s of Science in Environmental Science specializing in water resources from the SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry in Syracuse, N.Y. and a Ph.D. in Biology from the CUNY Graduate School and University Center.
Dr. Principe received the New York Water Environmental Association’s, Environmental Science Award in 2002 and the Alfred P. Sloan Public Service Award in 2003.
Andrew DeGraca San Francisco’s Chloramine Conversion Experience (PDF)
Andrew DeGraca has worked at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission for 19 years, the past 11 as the Water Quality Bureau Manager. He is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley. He is a registered Professional Chemical Engineer and Grade 5 Water Distribution System Operator in the State of California. Andrew is the current AWWA Water Quality & Technology Division Chair and member of the Technical & Education Council. He is a member of the AwwaRF Research Advisory Council and the Unsolicited Proposal Review Committee Chair.
Lawrence K. Wang Ultraviolet Disinfection and Other New Water Treatment Technologies (PDF)
Lawrence K. Wang received his Ph.D from Rutgers Univ., and is a licensed PE, a certified NYSDOH Laboratory Director, a NYS certified Water Operator, and licensed HAZWOPER Trainer. Currently Dr. Wang is the Water Facilities Manager, City of Albany, NY. Previously he held 3 positions at the same time from 1981 to 2002: (a) the Director of the Lenox Institute of Water Technology, (b) Assistant to the President of Krofta Engineering Corporation, and ( c) VP of Zorex Corporation, all in Massachusetts. Through many BOT project arrangements, Dr. Wang developed, marketed, designed, constructed, operated and maintained over 8 municipal WTP & WWTP and over 50 industrial plants. He is the author of 12+ books, and 600+ engineering reports/papers, and has 24 US patents and 5 foreign patents in the fields of civil, chemical, and environmental engineering.
Rich Giani DC Water and Sewer Authority Update (PDF)
Rich Giani is aWater Quality Manager for the Washington, DC Water & Sewer Authority. He has spent 15 years as a research scientist for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: 8 years working on drinking water research with the main focus on corrosion control treatment and 7 years in wastewater research with a heavy emphasis on biosolids. For the past two years he has been overseeing the Water Quality Division for DC, which encompasses compliance and security monitoring, complaints, emergency response, research, unidirectional flushing, cross connection and conservation.
