Shana has been with SPIN since 2016. However, her passion for education and advocacy for youth spans her 20+ years in the field. Shana was born and raised in SE Seattle where she continues to mentor and inspire African American youth. Whether it's building makerspaces in elementary schools or starting all- girls robotics teams; Shana excels at providing exceptional educational opportunities for young people. She is a graduate of the University of Washington (Bachelor in English) and American University in Washington, DC (Master of Teaching). Her favorite things in life are science fiction books, action movies, and her nephews.

Libby Bakke leads Consor’s Strategic Planning & Communications group and has over 24 years of experience in water communications. Libby’s specialties are working with elected officials, interest groups, and the public to build long-term support for infrastructure projects. From developing strategic communications strategies to facilitating advisory committees, she supports clients' goals to complete projects in alignment with community values and priorities. Currently, she is the communication consultant team lead for Oregon’s Willamette Water Supply Program, a $1.6 billion project that includes a 60 million gallon-a-day water treatment plant, 30 miles of pipeline, and a reservoir. Along with large, complex infrastructure projects, she is working with smaller communities facing the need to replace aging wastewater and drinking water facilities—at unprecedented costs to ratepayers.

Our Ongoing Journey and How Change Can Become Part of the Plan

Kimberly has 28 years of experience as an engineer with the past 22 years of her career spent working as a consultant to deliver some of the most challenging water projects and programs in the region. She earned her BSE in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan in 1995 and her MS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington in 2001, focusing on Design for Environment. Prior to her consulting career, Kimberly worked in manufacturing and product development for General Motors, Thermo King (transport refrigeration), and Applied Precision (semiconductor). During her consulting career, Kimberly has worked with Brown and Caldwell, CH2M (now Jacobs), and TYLin. She has served in numerous roles, including Project Engineer, Project Manager, Group Lead, Wastewater Practice Leader, Project Management Office Leader, Client Account Manager, and now, Water Sector Manager. Outside of work. Kimberly’s passions include spending time with her three (almost completely grown) children, traveling, and being outside as much as possible, doing anything from hiking and skiing to yardwork.

Our Ongoing Journey and How Change Can Become Part of the Plan

Karly is a freshman at the University of Washington College of Engineering. She graduated from Liberty High School (Issaquah) last June where, in addition to her academics, she excelled as an athlete and DECA competitor. She spent last summer working as a technician for Schnabel Engineering and previously worked for Qdoba and Target. Her passions outside of school include fitness (power lifting), hiking, and snowboarding.

Expanding equitable access to safe drinking water through user-centered technology design and deployment

Dr. Cherukumilli is an environmental engineer who studies the prevalence of natural and anthropogenic chemical contaminants in drinking water supplies to assess risk exposure and mitigate the associated disease burden. She is interested in designing and deploying water quality monitoring and treatment technologies that are equitable, affordable, usable, and scalable. Cherukumilli's research leverages fieldwork, experimental lab work, human centered design, data visualization, and participatory research methods. Before joining HCDE as an assistant professor in September 2023, she was a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering and the Blum Center for Developing Economies at UC Berkeley. Prior to this position, she worked at the University of Washington Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering as a lecturer and a commercialization postdoctoral fellow. Cherukumilli also leads Global Water Labs, a nonprofit organization aiming to advance access to safe drinking water through innovation and technology transfer. She is dedicated to conducting actionable and impactful research, promoting environmental justice and sustainability, and amplifying underrepresented voices through her scholarship, teaching, mentorship, and service activities.

Seattle's Green New Deal

Sara’s work as Climate Justice Advisor focuses on Seattle’s Green New Deal which includes - collaborating with the Green New Deal Oversight Board, stewarding Green New Deal municipal investments, and working to advance the goals of the Green New Deal with multiple city departments. Sara re-joined the Office of Sustainability and Environment after 4 years at Seattle Public Utilities where she focused on embedding equity in drainage and wastewater Infrastructure planning. She led the Visioning Phase of Shape Our Water, a long-range infrastructure plan for Seattle’s Water Resilience. Prior to Seattle Public Utilities, she was the Equity & Environment Program Coordinator at Office of Sustainability & Environment and supported the creation of the Equity & Environment Agenda. Her work at the city has focused on co-creating with communities who have been historically underrepresented especially in environmental investments and decision making. Sara also sits on the Board of Community Roots Housing, a local affordable housing developer.

Emerging Leaders Venturi-style: A case study for professional development

With more than 23 years of experience, Erika focuses on water and wastewater infrastructure, from the planning and preliminary design stage of projects through bidding and construction administration management. As Consor’s Puget Sound Regional Business Development Manager, Erika enjoys solving engineering projects using the technical, creative, and interpersonal parts of her brain, making the fast-paced work environment perfect for keeping her on her toes.

Emerging Leaders Venturi-style: A case study for professional development

Nichole has over 13 years of experience in the municipal water and wastewater industry. She has experience managing design, planning, and on-call contracts, working with clients throughout all project phases to mobilize resources and facilitate successful delivery of projects. Her experience includes leading teams for an array of project types, including water, sewer, and utility design projects. Her varied experience has made her an adaptable team member who excels in communication and multi-disciplinary coordination.

Emerging Leaders Venturi-style: A case study for professional development

Alex Orozco, a senior marketing coordinator at Consor, brings nine years of experience as a marketing specialist in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. Since joining Consor in 2019, she has applied her marketing degree to manage a busy conference schedule and take proposal strategy to the next level. Born in Colombia, Alex has lived in cities along the east and west coastlines, which has sparked her passion for cultivating diverse teams with equitable professional development opportunities. Understanding of the power of intentional actions in fostering employee growth, Alex is dedicated to supporting future generations through leadership, professional empowerment, and inclusive workplace cultures.

UW through the eyes of its students (Campus Tour)

Jasper is an Environmental Engineering Master's Student in UW's CEWA program. They interned with the King County Wastewater Treatment Division this past summer and hope to get a position with them upon graduation. They have a passion for the water and wastewater industry and want to be able to directly benefit their community through their work.

Exploring Changes to Conventional Wastewater Treatment that can Reduce the Impacts of the Puget Sound General Permit

Dr. Anne Conklin is an environmental engineer with Carollo Engineers. She is an established expert in the evaluation and optimization of secondary and tertiary treatment processes, a position gained through work at wastewater treatment facilities that have, or are planning for, some of the strictest nutrient removal requirements in the nation. Over the past several years, Anne leads Carollo’s process modeling and analyses for planning and improvements projects in the western United States.

Leadership in Water – A junior engineer’s perspective

Geneva Schlepp is a graduate student at the University of Washington pursuing a M.S. in Civil Engineering with an emphasis in wastewater treatment. At the UW, her thesis work has involved optimizing a novel technology to remove arsenic from landfill gas condensate. Prior to her graduate studies, Geneva earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Washington State University and interned with Jacobs' wastewater treatment team. She is excited to graduate this March and start her first full-time position at HDR supporting innovative solutions to today's many water challenges.

Leadership in Water – A junior engineer’s perspective

Anu is a recent Environmental Engineering master's graduate from the University of Washington. She previously worked as an intern at Osborn Consulting in the Water Resources team and will be joining the water team at TYLin as a full time employee. Outside work, Anu loves to hike, play racquet sports, and spend time with friends/family.

Leadership in Water – A junior engineer’s perspective

Kripa is originally from Atlanta, Ga where she completed her Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering (Georgia Tech). After the studies, she worked in the Bay Area for a couple of years before starting her Master’s at UW in Hydrology and Hydrodynamics. She has a passion for hiking, trying out new recipes, and reading.

Megan has over 30 years of leadership experience in watershed planning, stormwater management, integrated floodplain management, salmon recovery, water quality regulatory compliance, and comprehensive planning. Megan Smith is currently the Water Quality and Environmental Policy Manager for the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks (DNRP) where she works with county leadership to align policies and investments to achieve the best outcomes for clean water and healthy habitat. She has served in a wide range of leadership roles in county government in both the Executive and Legislative branches, serving as Deputy Director for the Water and Land Resources Division (WLRD), Environment Policy advisor to King County Executive Dow Constantine, Lead Staff for the Metropolitan-King County Council’s Growth Management and Utilities Committees, and leading floodplain management, salmon recovery, open space conservation, and climate change programs in DNRP. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Grinnell College and a lifelong interest in Salish Sea and watershed ecology. She has extensive life experience navigating work-life balance while raising twin boys and being an active member of the “sandwich generation”.

Ordinary People, Extraordinary Results - Empowering others as a Key to Success

Jenny has 23 years of experience as a consulting engineer and utility owner in the Pacific Northwest. She holds a Bachelors and Masters in Civil/Environmental Engineering from Duke University, and University of California, Davis, respectively, and she is a licensed PE in Oregon, Washington and California. Her career journey includes Carollo Engineers, Kennedy/Jenks, City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services, and currently Chief Engineer and Public Works Director for the City of Sandy, one of the fastest growing communities in Oregon. Currently Jenny runs an extraordinary team which are completing a historic 50 year investment in the drinking water and sewer utility. She also runs the Street, Stormwater, Capital Improvement, Development Engineering, and Emergency response of the City of Sandy. Jenny's leadership roles include PNCWA 2018 Technical Program Chair, PNCWA Executive Board Member (Treasurer) 2019-2022, and she currently serves as Chair of the Water Managers Advisory Board to the Portland Water Bureau.

Symposium Welcome and Closing

Lara Kammereck is a Senior Vice President at Carollo Engineers. She is a civil engineer with more than 30 years of experience focused on water and wastewater master planning for public utility systems. Ms. Kammereck specializes in master planning and demographic analysis for water distribution, collection system, and wastewater conveyance systems.

Ms. Kammereck is a Past President (2023) for the Pacific Northwest Clean Water Association (PNCWA), has been a Board Member since 2018, including serving as Conference Chair for the annual conference. Ms. Kammereck has also served on both the PNCWA Women of Water (WoW) Committee and the PNWS AWWA Women In Leadership (WIL) Symposium planning committee for more than 10 years.