Vice President of Content Strategy for the water and energy groups Bob Crossen and AWWA President Brent Tippey discuss the organization's priorities for the coming year, the growing role of artificial intelligence in the water sector, and the challenges utilities face as they navigate an increasingly complex operating environment. Tippey reflects on inheriting ongoing AWWA initiatives while identifying opportunities to build on the association’s long history of technical expertise, standards development and knowledge sharing. He highlights AI as a major area of focus, both as a tool for improving utility operations and as a way to make AWWA’s extensive library of resources more accessible to members. 

The conversation also examines the mounting pressures facing utilities, including affordability, infrastructure investment, emerging contaminants, workforce development, cybersecurity risks and the growing demands associated with data centers. Tippey emphasizes that affordability remains the central challenge, as utilities work to address competing priorities while maintaining reasonable costs for customers. 

Looking ahead, Tippey outlines his goals for strengthening member engagement, advancing understanding of AI across the industry and increasing AWWA’s visibility in regulatory and policy discussions. He stresses the importance of communicating the true value of water and ensuring utilities are equipped to respond proactively to future challenges. 

Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction

00:33 – Key initiatives and priorities for his term as AWWA president

01:05 – How AI could transform knowledge sharing and utility operations

02:40 – The biggest challenges facing utilities today

03:32 – Why affordability is becoming the defining industry issue

04:21 – Emerging threats, cybersecurity and prioritizing utility investments

05:25 – Goals for AWWA and the industry over the next year