Rasha is a principal scientist at the CDM Smith Research and Testing Laboratories in Bellevue, where she oversees environmental microbiology and innovative water and wastewater treatment R&D projects. She is also an adjunct professor at the University of Alberta’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. She completed her PhD in Environmental Microbiology at the University of British Columbia and her two MSc degrees at the Harvard School of Public Health and Dalhousie University. She is honored to serve as a Trustee of the Water Environment Federation’s (WEF) Board of Trustees. She lends her expertise to the editorial boards of Science of the Total Environment, Water Practice and Technology, and Data in Brief. Rasha was the recipient of several prestigious water industry awards, including the WEF 2020 Water Heroes Award, the 2023 Western Canada Water Analyst Excellence Award, and the 2020 US Empowering Women in Industry STEM Award. She has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications. When she’s not working, she enjoys travelling and playing Dungeons and Dragons with her family.

Renée Grosselle is the Manager of Environmental Standards for the City of Winnipeg’s Water and Waste Department. Renée is responsible for significant functions of the Water and Waste Department including: regulatory compliance monitoring and reporting; provision of accredited analytical services; industrial wastewater licensing, control and revenues; By-law enforcement; cross connection and backflow programs, and security and emergency preparedness auditing and governance.

Education: Renée holds a B. Sc. with a Major in Environmental Chemistry, an Honours Certificate from the Canadian Institute of Management and a Masters Certificate in Municipal Management from York University – Schulich School of Business.

Work History: Her career started with the City performing laboratory sampling and analysis.  With over 25 years of experience and extensive knowledge in the water and wastewater field, her accomplishments include administering and implementing the Environmental Monitoring and Compliance Reporting programs for the City of Winnipeg.

Membership in Organizations: She is a member of AWWA (American Water Works Association), the WCWWA (Western Canada Water and Wastewater Association), the Canadian Water and Wastewater Association (CWWA).

Rizwan Younis is a Project Manager within Water Services for the City of Guelph. His professional experience is demonstrated by his inclusion in Ontario’s Sunshine List, which publishes the salaries of public sector employees earning over $100,000 annually. Therefore, Rizwan Younis has a professional career in project management with the City of Guelph’s water services. This indicates his involvement in projects related to the City of Guelph’s water infrastructure.

Robert Haller is the executive director of the Canadian Water and Wastewater Association, a role he took on after almost 20 years as a senior municipal administrator – most of those years serving as a CAO for small and medium-sized communities. Robert leads the CWWA as the national voice for water and wastewater in Ottawa and promotes collaboration between all the water organizations across Canada. Robert has served on a number of national roundtables representing the utility sector to the federal government.

Dr. Ryan Sorichetti is a Great Lakes Ecologist and Research Scientist for the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. His work is focused on Great Lakes nearshore water quality and leads special focus projects and scientific reporting on shoreline areas undergoing changes, or with impairments, in water quality. Ryan completed his PhD at Western University in aquatic sciences with a focus on trace metals (iron) limitation on cyanobacterial growth in lakes and has continued research interest in biogeochemical nutrient cycling, algal physiology and taxonomy, lake physical processes and climate change science.

Stephen Braun has over 30 years of water resources experience in stormwater quality, urban drainage, riverine flooding, stream restoration, civil design, environmental assessment, and multi-disciplinary studies. Stephen is a senior water resources engineer at Matrix Solutions Inc. and is currently President of the Canadian Water Resources Association. He is also a founding partner of CB Shield Inc. and co-inventor of several commercially available stormwater treatment devices.

Tara joined the SOI Foundation in 2016 as the Program Team Lead for the Canada C3 expedition that travelled the length of Canada’s coastline from the Great Lakes to Victoria via the Northwest Passage. Inspired by its legacy, she spearheaded Blue Futures Pathways, an initiative to engage diverse youth and young adults in Canada’s emerging Sustainable Blue Economy. As Director of Programs, in 2023 and 2024, Tara led two life-changing journeys from the Arctic to Newfoundland, focused on providing young adults with opportunities to test their skills on the land and water. Tara was one of the first Canadians to receive a Sustainable Blue Economy Professional designation (SBEP), and in 2024, she was honoured as one of a hundred Canadians selected by Governor General Mary Simon to receive a King Charles III Coronation Medal in recognition of her work to support pathways for youth in environmental careers. Tara has a background in education, capacity development and international humanitarian aid. She has a BA Honours degree from the University of Leeds, UK and is currently studying for a bilingual Executive MBA at McGill-HEC Montreal.

Terry Rees had been the Executive Director of the Federation of Ontario Cottagers’ Associations (FOCA) since 2004. FOCA is the largest waterfront landowner organization in Canada, representing 50,000 member families in 525 community associations. Ontario’s waterfront residential property owners collectively spend $11.44 billion annually, supporting 157,000 jobs and contribute over $700 million to local property taxes across rural and northern Ontario.

Terry is a member of many regional and provincial committees focussed on biodiversity, water and water management, rural economic development and more.

Terry has been regular attendee at the Water Canada Summit and has been a featured speaker at dozens of other conferences and events across Canada. He has a degree in economics from Western University, and a certificate in environmental management from Ryerson University. Terry was honoured with a Waters Next Award in 2012.
Terry currently lives in Peterborough, Ontario.

Thomas is a practiced people leader with extensive experience in strategic planning facilitation and developing high performance team cultures. His aim is to facilitate the development of authentic personal and organizational character, as this character is what underpins the success of people-oriented organizations and communities. Thomas has taken the knowledge gained through researching leadership and organizational performance and applied it through coaching and mentoring leaders who are seeking innovative ways to navigate career opportunities.

Thomas continues to lead municipal infrastructure revitalization and improvement programs, with a drive towards improved infrastructure investment planning. Thomas makes data driven decisions using spatial analytics and collaborative engagement to ensure organizational performance metrics are met responsibly and sustainably. He has led and facilitated many advancement projects ranging from climate change action planning to community education to 100-year infrastructure investment modelling.

Thomas is the past Industry Chair of the Seneca Polytechnic Civil Engineering Technology Program Advisory Committee and past Chair of the Municipal Alliance for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles in Ontario. Thomas holds diplomas and degrees from Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Thomas is known for his raw energy, light-hearted personality, and work ethic.

With over four decades of leadership across five continents, Valerie Jenkinson has made an extraordinary global impact on the water sector. As Founder and Chair of Operators Without Borders, she leads emergency deployments and technical training programs that support disaster recovery and capacity building in vulnerable regions. Valerie is also the CEO of World Water and Wastewater Solutions Ltd., one of Canada’s largest water-sector training firms, providing over 70 accredited courses and certification preparation to professionals across the country. Her earlier work as President of Nova Quality Research influenced provincial training standards, and her 25-year tenure as an instructor at BCIT cemented her expertise in adult education. Her dedication extends to numerous advisory and governance roles, including with Wastewater Education and the UN’s Global Wastewater Initiative. Valerie’s career is defined by her commitment to knowledge-sharing, international collaboration, and building operational resilience in water systems worldwide.

Victoria Fernandez holds a master’s degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Rutgers University, under the Fulbright Program. She has over 17 years of experience in Civil Engineering and for the last 15 years. Ms. Fernandez has been involved in a wide range of projects related to stormwater management, flooding risks, climate change adaptation, coastal protection and water quality in Canada, Venezuela and the United States. Her experience includes stormwater infrastructure detail design, flooding studies, low flow assessments and water and stormwater infrastructure assessment. Ms. Fernandez has accrued comprehensive experience in computer modelling of complex systems involving hydrodynamic processes, freshwater discharge, stormwater runoff, infiltration, wave action and sediment transport. Her experience also includes detailed design and construction services of stormwater and coastal protection infrastructure.

William is the Director of Water Treatment and Supply with the City of Toronto. He is responsible for the 4 water treatment plants, many reservoirs, pumping stations, elevated tanks, and all the water supply mains between them.

He has over 40 years of experience in Operations and Capital in both water and wastewater treatment.

As Vice President, Professional Services & ESG at ECO Canada, Yogendra oversees the development and delivery of professional services to support the rapidly growing network of the Canadian environment and sustainability workforce. He provides strategic insight and technical support for environment and sustainability programs and works closely with a diverse range of stakeholders including government, industry, Indigenous partners, and the environment & sustainability professionals.

For over 25 years of his career in the Environment and Sustainability sector, Yogi has delivered projects in over 20 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America. Yogi holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Science and an MBA from the University of Alberta. He also supports a number of Canadian and international academic institutions, standard-setting organizations, and industry associations in various professional capacities.

Yogi leads ECO Canada’s Accreditation Program, Technical and Professional Services, ESG initiatives, and ECO Canada’s Indigenous programs focused on Indigenous training and employment.

Yogi’s areas of expertise and interests that can help or assist Carleton University students include; ESG, Sustainability, and the Environment.