DENVER, Jan. 24, 2005 (U.S. Newswire) -- The American Water Works Association (AWWA) has announced the election of North Carolina water utility veteran Terry Rolan as its next president-elect.
Rolan, director of the Department of Water Management for the city of Durham, N.C., will assume the AWWA presidency in June of 2006, following the one-year term of Andrew Richardson. Richardson succeeds current president Kathryn L. McCain in June 2005 at the AWWA Annual Conference and Exposition in San Francisco, California.
"I am thrilled and excited to be selected to lead the AWWA," said Rolan, who was elected at the Board of Directors' recent meeting in San Diego. "My service will allow me to give back some of what AWWA has given me in experience, training and information. My goals for the organization include improving service delivery to our 57,000-plus individual members and working with our 4,700 utility members on new opportunities to improve revenues and reduce costs of service, while making continuous improvements in service delivery to our customers. I also want to provide partnership opportunities with member sections throughout North America and continue to use technology to expedite and expand communication throughout the organization."
Established in 1881, AWWA is the oldest and largest nonprofit scientific and educational organization dedicated to safe water.
"Terry has one of the top water utility minds anywhere, and he understands the issues facing the water community," said AWWA Executive Director Jack W. Hoffbuhr. "He will bring a great deal of depth and experience to the job, and AWWA will continue to thrive under his leadership."
A graduate of Berry College in his native Georgia, Rolan received his Masters in Public Health from the School of Public Health, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in 1974. He began his employment with the City of Durham as a Sanitary Engineer in 1973. After obtaining both a Grade IV NC Wastewater Operator's Certificate and a Grade A NC Water Operator's Certificate, he moved up in the organization to his present position.
Throughout his 30-year career with Durham, Rolan has been involved with several volunteer organizations at the state, regional and national level. He served in all leadership levels of the North Carolina Section of American Water Works Association/North Carolina Water Environment Association and has served on the AWWA Board as both a Director and a Vice President. In the past, Rolan has served on the Boards of the AWWA Research Foundation and the Water Environment Federation. He currently serves on the steering committee for the Drinking Water Research Center at UNC-CH and the Research Advisory Committee for the University of North Carolina Water Resources Research Institute.
For his service to the water and wastewater industry, Rolan has received numerous awards, including the George Warren Fuller Award (AWWA), the Arthur Sidney Bedell Award (Water Environment Federation), and the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, UNC-CH School of Public Health. He was named as an Honorary Member of AWWA in 2000 and was awarded Life Membership in AWWA in 2002. Rolan has a wife, Linda -- also an active AWWA volunteer -- and the couple have four sons and seven grandchildren.
Other AWWA leadership elected by the Board of Directors and set to take office June 2005 as Vice-Presidents include:
-- Steven Burns, president of B.M. Ross Consulting Engineers in Goderich, Ontario
-- Mari Garza-Bird, principal engineer with CDM in San Antonio, Texas
-- Nilaksh Kothari, general manager of public utilities for Manitowoc, Wisconsin
-- Mike Leonard, client technical services manager for Brown & Caldwell in Atlanta
-- Janice Skadsen, water quality manager for Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The Association's director-at-large position will be filled by Bryan Jordan. Christopher Jarrett was elected Manufacturers'/Associates' director-at-large.
AWWA (www.awwa.org) is one of the most authoritative resource for knowledge, information and advocacy to improve the quality and supply of drinking water in North America and beyond. It's the largest organization of water professionals in the world, advancing public health, safety and welfare by uniting the efforts of the full spectrum of the drinking water community.
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