President's Message
Fellow SETAWWA members,
I am honored to serve as the 2011 president of the Southeast Chapter of TAWWA and am humbled by the duty to continue the success this chapter has enjoyed under the leadership of the past several chapter presidents. Our organization is in a great position to continue offering great value to the water professional community in Southeast Texas, and that is due to the vitality of our membership and the continued support we get from our sponsors and event attendees. Here are some highlights for 2011:
Programs and Volunteer Activities
- Annual February half-day seminar which this year is a joint venture with SETAWWA and WEAT Section 9 – we are excited to continue to bring a panel of dynamic speakers to discuss the issues that our profession and community face moving forward in the 21stcentury
- August evening event – SETAWWA seeks to provide an annual banquet-style event featuring community leaders discussing the decisions being made for the future of water in Southeast Texas. This is a great networking event and provides sponsorship opportunities that help us fund many programs implemented by the chapter
- Regular bi-monthly chapter meetings – between our larger events, the chapter seeks to bring programs that enrich the water community, and will continue to make these events free or at reduced cost for students and government employees
- Young Professional (YP) events – SETAWWA is continually planning events geared towards young professionals to provide professional development opportunities and networking opportunities outside of the regular chapter events
- Participation in Houston Engineer Week – SETWAWA honors a YP Engineer of the Year at the annual E-Week YP Awards banquet
- 2010 Science and Engineering Fair of Houston(SEFH) – along with WEAT, SETAWWA continues to support the SEFH to reward future engineers for their projects in the water field
- “Beer for Us, Water For People” - the chapter supports the annual Water For People fundraiser at the St. Arnold Brewery in November
- TAWWA’s Scholarship Fund – SETAWWA contributed $2000 in 2010 and will contribute $2000 in 2011 to the scholarship fund administered by the TAWWA Scholarship Committee. SETAWWA also contributed $3000 locally to applicants from our chapter area that did not receive a state scholarship and will seek to reward local applicants in 2011 as well.
- Student Paper Contest – at the annual half-day seminar in February, the chapter hosts a student paper contest for college students in the chapter area to present research they are involved in for the betterment of the industry. First prize in the contest receives a paid registration with travel and lodging for the annual Texas Water conference, which is in Fort Worth in 2011. Second and third prize is a $200 reimbursement for text books.
- Ops competition sponsorship – SETAWWA is starting a new effort to support local operators that participate in the various operator competitions at Texas Water, providing a scholarship to help cover expenses and fees associated with attending the conference and representing their utility and community.
- Joint TAWWA/WEAT Social – in conjunction with the local WEAT chapter, SETAWWA is planning to start another new tradition to have a summer social event to get members to come together and network in a more relaxed and social environment, at the St. Arnold Brewery
The 2011 Executive Committee (EC) members give of their time and expertise to provide quality programs relevant to today's water professionals. It is a joy to participate with them on so many programs and volunteer activities. I hope everybody in the water professional community in Southeast Texas has a rewarding and fruitful year. If you have any suggestions or comments on the work we do for your TAWWA chapter, don’t hesitate to contact me.
Respectfully,
Christopher Varnon, P.E.
