KYTN AWWA

09/14/2026

Strong customer service is essential to every successful water utility.

Join KY|TN AWWA for the Customer Service Representative Certification Workshop on October 15–16, 2026, at Murfreesboro Water Resources.

Designed for both new and experienced utility employees, this two-day workshop will cover:

💧 Customer service fundamentals
💧 Strategies for working with irate customers and remaining calm
💧 Building a positive and respectful workplace
💧 Understanding different personalities and communication styles
💧 Water treatment and utility operations
💧 What it takes to deliver quality water every day

Watch the video to learn more about the certification course and what participants can expect.

📅 Thursday and Friday, October 15–16, 2026
⏰ Training begins at 8:00 a.m. each day
📍 Murfreesboro Water Resources
316 Robert Rose Drive
Murfreesboro, TN 37128

Registration is available through Kentucky|Tennessee AWWA at https://www.kytnawwa.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=2071376

Registration fees:
• AWWA members: $300
• Nonmembers: $425

Employees of AWWA Utility Members are considered members for this training. Not sure whether your utility is a member or need the membership number to register? Contact Michelle at [email protected] for assistance.

Register today and strengthen the skills that support your customers, your team, and your utility.

08/28/2026

Student Spotlight: Meet Will McCallister

Sometimes finding your place in the water profession starts with discovering just how much technology goes into keeping water systems running.

Will is a third-year Computer Engineering student at the University of Louisville and serves as Student Water Officer for UofL’s joint KY|TN CWP-AWWA and Engineers Without Borders Chapter.

Will was first introduced to the water and wastewater industry through his co-op with ECS Solutions, a systems integrator whose work in the water sector includes SCADA, HMI, remote radio communications, and real-time alarming. Through his co-op, Will had the opportunity to work on water and wastewater projects and visit facilities during commissioning.

That experience inspired him to become more involved with UofL’s student chapter. After noticing that the water side of the joint organization had room to grow, Will ran for Student Water Officer with a goal of creating more opportunities for students to engage with AWWA and the water profession.

And he’s already putting that goal into action.

Will is leading an effort to monitor Pond Creek during nearby construction with support from Kentucky Watershed Watch.

He is also working with committee members Matthew Arnold and Salma Elsherif to organize facility tours for students during the Fall 2026 semester.

Will’s story is a great reminder that the water profession needs expertise from many disciplines, including engineering, technology, automation, communications, operations, science, and more.

As we close out KY|TN AWWA Students Week, we’re grateful for students like Will, George, and Mackenzie who are already finding ways to learn, lead, serve, and strengthen the water community.

To our students: there is a place for you in water.

And to our members, educators, mentors, utilities, and volunteers: thank you for helping students find it.

👏 Help us celebrate Will and all of our student members!

-TN AWWA/CWP Student Committee
Professionals of KY & TN (AWWA / CWP )

08/27/2026

Student Spotlight: Meet Mackenzie Watson

For Mackenzie, a career in water began with a powerful firsthand experience.

During the summer of 2023, she spent two months observing and volunteering at a remote mission hospital in southern Zambia. A few nights spent in a nearby village became what she describes as her “lightbulb moment” for understanding the importance of clean water and ultimately led her to change her course of study to water quality.

Mackenzie went on to study Water Quality Technology at Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville, where she learned water and wastewater treatment processes while working part-time at Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB). She has since graduated and now works full-time at KUB.

Her interest in clean water also took her back to Africa. In Jinja, Uganda, Mackenzie worked with Kibo Group International to learn about Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene efforts and conducted a baseline water-quality survey examining the safety of drinking-water sources in different communities.

She later presented that research during the student poster competition at WPC 2025 and represented the KY|TN Section at ACE 2026. She has also received multiple scholarships through AWWA.

As Mackenzie grows in her career, she hopes to give back to AWWA and support future students pursuing the same goal that inspired her own journey: clean water for our world.

👏 Join us in celebrating Mackenzie and the passion she is already bringing to the water profession!

-TN AWWA/CWP Student Committee
Professionals of KY & TN (AWWA / CWP )

08/26/2026

Your water career can start before graduation.

AWWA Student Chapters give students an opportunity to connect what they’re learning in the classroom with the people, ideas, and challenges shaping the water profession every day.

Through a Student Chapter, students can:
💧 Meet water professionals
🤝 Build their professional network
🎤 Participate in educational and industry events
🌱 Develop leadership skills
🔎 Explore internships and career paths
🏆 Get involved with KY|TN AWWA programs and activities

Student Chapters also create a connection between universities and the broader water community, helping students learn firsthand just how many different careers exist within our profession.

Already involved with a Student Chapter? Tag your chapter, classmates, or faculty advisor in the comments!
Interested in becoming more involved?

Connect with the KY|TN AWWA Student Activities Committee to learn more.

-TN AWWA/CWP Student Committee
Professionals of KY & TN (AWWA / CWP )

08/25/2026

Student Spotlight: Meet George Kwabena Fordjour

From Ghana to Tennessee and now Kentucky, George’s path into the water profession has been driven by one question: How can engineering help solve problems that directly affect communities?

George is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering at the University of Kentucky, where his research explores the intersection of water infrastructure, artificial intelligence, and data-driven decision-making. His work includes using AI, graph-based methods, and optimization to improve the placement and management of isolation valves in water distribution systems.

He has also worked with Martin County Water District in Eastern Kentucky, using hydraulic and water-quality modeling to examine real-world challenges including system pressures, water loss, chlorine residuals, and disinfection byproducts. That experience has strengthened his interest in developing practical solutions for small and rural utilities.

George is also helping build the next generation of water professionals. At UK, he has been involved in rebuilding and leading the Water Professionals Student Chapter, creating opportunities for students to learn about the industry, meet professionals, attend conferences, and become more involved with professional organizations.

Through KY|TN AWWA-CWP, George says he has been able to connect with students, utility professionals, consultants, researchers, and others across the water community while learning more about the many career paths available in the profession.

Looking ahead, George hopes to continue developing tools that help utilities make water systems safer, more reliable, and more resilient.

We’re proud to have students like George contributing their ideas, leadership, and talents to the water community.

👏 Help us celebrate George in the comments!

-TN AWWA/CWP Student Committee
Professionals of KY & TN (AWWA / CWP )

08/24/2026

It’s KY|TN AWWA Students Week!

This week, we’re celebrating the students who are exploring careers in water, building connections, and preparing to become the next generation of water professionals.

Throughout the week, we’ll introduce you to several outstanding students, highlight the work of the KY-TN AWWA/CWP Student Committee, and share ways students can get connected through AWWA/CWP Water Professionals University Chapters.

Our joint Student Activities Committee helps create opportunities for students to connect with water professionals, learn more about the industry, build their networks, and discover the many career paths available in water.

Whether you’re a student, educator, utility professional, consultant, or longtime AWWA and/or CWP member, there’s a role for all of us in supporting the future of the water profession.

Follow along this week as we celebrate our students and the people helping them find their place in water!

-TN AWWA/CWP Student Committee
Professionals of KY & TN (AWWA / CWP )

08/24/2026

Congratulations to members Carolyne Mbogo and Fatemeh Ghiasvand for co-authoring this article appearing in the September issue of JournalAWWA.
https://awwa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/awwa.70126
Keep up the amazing work!

Click on the article title to read more.

08/07/2026

We’re still right here on Facebook and Instagram!

Our Facebook and Instagram accounts have not changed, so you can continue following us here for updates, events, resources, member news, and more.

The only change is our LinkedIn presence. KY|TN AWWA has moved to a new LinkedIn page, and we would love for you to connect with us there too.

Follow us on LinkedIn to stay connected with water professionals across Kentucky and Tennessee and keep up with the latest opportunities from your water community:

Search for KY|TN AWWA on LinkedIn and give us a follow!

https://www.linkedin.com/company/ky-tn-awwa