WEF Charlotte Highlights: Something for Everyone!

The WEF/AWWA Young Professionals Summit and the Utility Management Conference brought water professionals to Charlotte for a forward-looking week of connection, learning, and ideas in action—alongside WEF’s Financing the Future of the U.S. Water Sector Summit, the Water Workforce Workshop, and CWE tours showcasing the Circular Water Economy in practice.

Utility Management Conference

Utility Management Conference attendees shared strategies to turn today’s challenges into tomorrow’s resilience: funding and prioritizing capital programs, communicating the value of water to build community support, advancing digital and AI transformation responsibly, strengthening risk management, empowering operators as leaders, and lessons learned from extreme weather response and recovery.

Attending UMC for the first time, London Womack—Mission Director of Plant Operations for Hillsborough County, Florida—said she was excited to learn and experience the conference.

“I’d heard that this is a great conference for utility managers, and this is just a great opportunity to collaborate with your peers and learn some of the tricks of the trade that you just don’t get at other conferences.”

Young Professionals Summit

The YP Summit, “The Next Wave: Navigating Water Sector Currents” set the tone for tours, leadership workshops, and hands-on learning that built technical confidence and career-ready skills. From exploring AI for water to sharpening presentation skills, to hearing what it takes to lead through change, the message was clear: our future depends on a workforce that is prepared, supported, and connected.

First-time attendee Rainesha Williams-Fox, a WEF member representing Great Lakes Water in Detroit, said she came for the connections. “I came to this summit to, number one, meet other young professionals in the water and wastewater industry across the country—and really across the world,” she said. “I met some folks from Ghana, and that was amazing.”

Christine Volkay-Hilditch, a WEF Board of Trustee, spent time with the YPs and left encouraged by what she saw. “There’s so much energy—and a real willingness to jump in,” she said. “More than 60 people helped plan this event, from fundraising to organizing activities. I want to see them stay involved with WEF, because they’re the future leaders of our organizations—utilities, consulting firms, and beyond—and because that spirit of volunteerism matters.”

The Water Workforce Workshop

The YP Summit and UMC came together as a powerful convening focused on the people who make the water sector run, both today and into the future. Across both events, conversations centered on building a strong, adaptable water workforce through leadership development, peer exchange, and practical learning at every career stage.

That commitment was on full display Tuesday afternoon with the “Leading from the Frontline: Empowering Operators for Leadership Success” workshop, which brought frontline operators together for an interactive session focused on transitioning into a leadership/supervisory role, with content focusing on strengthening confidence in performance feedback communications, handling ethical decision making, and influence in utility operations.

Financing the Future of the U.S. Water Sector

Across the country, aging water infrastructure and rising costs are pushing utilities to find new capital—and new ways to pay for the work ahead. To help meet that moment, WEF brought together leading experts for a high-impact summit focused on Financing the Future of U.S. Water Infrastructure. The workshop explored how to leverage federal resources, attract private investment, and build sustainable funding models that support long-term resilience and growth.

Hank Habicht, managing co-founder of the Water Finance Exchange and a workshop moderator, said the time to act is now.

“Water infrastructure is complicated. It’s multifaceted—and financing it is complicated, too,” Habicht said. “That’s why you need an organization like WEF to convene experts to talk through the issues: how we address them, and how we identify who’s been innovative and successful.”

Check out our new insight report that covers investment for resilient water infrastructure and explores the role of private finance and the Circular Water Economy: Financing the Future of the U.S. Water Sector

Circular Water Economy Study Tours

WEF hosted two Circular Water Economy (CWE) study tours, giving attendees a firsthand look at how utilities and industry partners are turning today’s challenges into practical resource-recovery solutions.

• Greenville, SC: Mauldin Road Water Resource Recovery Facility — Attendees toured the site and heard how partners like Mio Tea are advancing sustainability commitments through resource recovery, along with BMW’s water stewardship and circular water strategies in manufacturing.
• Charlotte, NC: Charlotte Water’s McDowell Creek Water Resource Recovery Facility — The tour highlighted how fruit juice waste can be used to enhance biological phosphorus removal, turning a byproduct into a valuable input.
• Charlotte, NC: Irwin Creek Resource Recovery Facility — Participants learned about biosolids management and a beekeeping program that supports environmental stewardship.

From workforce development to utility leadership, financing strategies, and real-world circular water solutions, the week in Charlotte reinforced a simple truth: the water sector’s progress depends on people coming together to share what works and commit to what’s next. As these conversations continue, the opportunity is clear—stay engaged, bring the ideas home, and help turn today’s momentum into lasting resilience for the communities WEF serves.