The water sector’s future depends on the people who power it. At WEFTEC 2026, a new destination on the exhibition floor will create even more opportunities for water operations professionals to learn, connect, build skills, and grow their careers.
The new Workforce Hub, sponsored by Raftelis and Jacobs, brings together professional development, practical learning, career support, networking, and hands-on experiences for operations personnel across the water workforce. Located next to Operations Challenge on the exhibit floor, the Hub complements WEFTEC’s signature skills competition while creating a dedicated space to explore the people, skills, and talent shaping the future of the sector.
As Laura Herman, WEF Senior Director of Workforce Development, explains:
“WEF has been a workforce organization since it was established 99 years ago, and yet WEFTEC 2026 brings a key opportunity to feature additional programming and networking content curated specifically for operations personnel, providing professional development and career support and further complementing the skills competition happening next door at Operations Challenge.”
Practical Learning for Every Stage of a Water Career
The Workforce Hub is designed to give attendees ideas, information, and skills they can put to work in their careers and organizations.
Throughout Monday and Tuesday, theater sessions will explore topics ranging from workforce strategy and leadership development to artificial intelligence, operator recruitment, training, and career advancement. On Wednesday the program shifts to focus on building community, hosting the Operations Challenge and Plant Operations & Maintenance community meetings.
Attendees can hear how HR strategy connects to utility field work, explore the use of AI agents in wastewater operations, learn about opportunities through WEF’s Water Leadership Institute, and dig into technical topics like breakpoint chlorination. Other sessions focus on developing people within water organizations, preparing professionals for leadership, strengthening recruitment, and creating clearer pathways into and through water careers.
The Hub also creates opportunities to learn by doing. Hands-On Roundtables will offer smaller, interactive experiences covering cybersecurity, laboratory instruments, communication and leadership skills, resume building, LinkedIn, storytelling, and operator scholarship opportunities.
Programming for students and emerging professionals is part of the mix as well, including InFLOW High School and InFLOW CareerTech sessions designed to connect participants with local water quality professionals.
And because workforce development is also about who you meet, the Hub will provide plenty of opportunities to connect. Coffee and snacks will be available Monday and Tuesday at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., and Wednesday at 10 a.m., creating natural opportunities to meet other water professionals and continue the conversation between sessions.
See Operational Excellence in Action
Just next door, Operations Challenge brings the skills of the water workforce to life.
Operations Challenge is WEFTEC’s fast-paced showcase of wastewater operations expertise. Teams compete in five timed events that put real-world skills to the test, spanning collection systems, laboratory work, equipment maintenance, process control, and safety.
Competitors bring technical knowledge, problem-solving, precision, teamwork, and plenty of competitive energy to the show floor. But the competition is about more than winning. Operations Challenge also creates opportunities for professional development, camaraderie, and sharing best practices among water professionals.
On Monday and Tuesday, attendees can watch teams put their skills to the test throughout the competition. Monday includes the Fastest Pipe Cut Competition and Reception from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday at 1:00 pm attendees can watch five of the fastest teams go head-to head in the inaugural Collections Drag Race, bringing even more energy to the Workforce Hub and Operations Challenge area.
Together, Operations Challenge and the new Workforce Hub create a destination centered on one of the most important parts of the water sector: its people. Attendees can develop a new skill, explore career opportunities, hear how organizations are approaching workforce challenges, connect with peers, and see operational expertise in action, all within the same area of the WEFTEC exhibition.
As Herman puts it:
“WEFTEC is and always has been the place for operations professionals in the water and wastewater sector, and that’s emphasized this year with the new Workforce Hub.”
Plan Your Visit: Workforce Hub Schedule
The Workforce Hub will feature Theater programming and Hands-On Roundtables Monday and Tuesday, followed by community meetings on Wednesday.
Coffee and snacks will be available in the Hub Monday and Tuesday at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., and Wednesday at 10 a.m.
Theater
Monday, September 28
10:00–10:30 a.m. | Opening Remarks
10:30–10:45 a.m. | Welcome Remarks from the US Environmental Protection Agency
Peggy Browne, EPA
11:00–11:30 a.m. | People First, Operations Strong: Connecting HR Strategy to Utility Field Work
Patricia Butler, Great Lakes Water Authority; Carolyn Ross and Paula Holmes, Charlotte Water
11:45 a.m.–12:15 p.m. | From the Control Room to the Field: AI Agents for Wastewater Operations
Jeff Sparks, Hampton Roads Sanitation District
12:15–1:15 p.m. | No programming during lunch hour
1:15–1:45 p.m. | The Value of WEF’s Water Leadership Institute (WLI) for Operations Professionals
Lynn Kohlhaas, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago; Roy Bradley, City of Bend, Oregon
2:00–2:30 p.m. | The Breakpoint Chlorination Curve – by The Wastewater Enthusiast
Shawn Powell, Wastewater Process and Training Solutions, LLC
2:45–3:15 p.m. | Operations Challenge: Building Excellence Beyond the Competition
Lauren Schmidt, J-U-B Engineers, Inc.
3:30–4:00 p.m. | WPI Professional Operator Pinning Ceremony
Paul Bishop, Water Professionals International
4:00–5:00 p.m. | Operations Challenge – Fastest Pipe Cut Competition and Reception
Tuesday, September 29
9:00–9:30 a.m. | Operators Without Borders
Rhonda Harris, Operational Technical Services
9:45–10:15 a.m. | WEF/AWWA WorkforWater.org and AWWA Workforce Activities
Veronica Cavera, AWWA
10:30–11:00 a.m. | InFLOW High School: Meet Your Local Water Quality Professionals
TBA; local professionals representing the water/wastewater industry
11:15–11:45 a.m. | InFLOW CareerTech: Meet Your Local Water Quality Professionals
TBA; local professionals representing the water/wastewater industry
12:15–1:15 p.m. | No programming during lunch hour
12:45–1:15 p.m. | Beyond the Basics: Developing People, Not Just Positions
Kristan VandenHeuvel and Courtney Lee, The Water Tower
1:30–2:00 p.m. | Skills That Move You Up: From AI to Operational Excellence to Leadership
Celia Bellange, Watura
2:15–2:45 p.m. | NJWEA Roadmap for Improvement: Analysis and Recommendations for Improvement on the Public Wastewater Operator S Licensing Exam Low Passing Rate
Robert C. Fischer, PS&S, Chairman, NJWEA Long Range Planning Committee
3:00–3:30 p.m. | Operations Challenge Process Control Event Changes & Preview for 2027
Christen Wood, Jacobs; Paul Dombrowski, Woodard & Curran
3:45–4:15 p.m. | WEF Utility Operator Recruitment Toolkit
Supported by the WEF House of Delegates Workforce Work Group
Mike Welke, City of Warren Pollution Control
Wednesday, September 30
8:30–9:45 a.m. | Operations Challenge Community Meeting – Executive Session
Participation by invitation only
9:45–11:00 a.m. | Operations Challenge Community Meeting
Current and new members invited to participate
11:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m. | Plant Operations and Maintenance Community Meeting
Current and new members invited to participate
Hands-On Roundtables
Monday, September 28
10:15–10:45 a.m. | Human–AI Teaming for Cybersecurity in Critical Water Infrastructure I
Kevin Leach, Vanderbilt University
11:00–11:30 a.m. | Human–AI Teaming for Cybersecurity in Critical Water Infrastructure II
Kevin Leach, Vanderbilt University
11:45 a.m.–12:15 p.m. | Human–AI Teaming for Cybersecurity in Critical Water Infrastructure III
Kevin Leach, Vanderbilt University
12:15–1:15 p.m. | No programming during lunch hour
1:15–1:45 p.m. | Tools for Difficult Conversations
Brandon Scurto, Northern Moraine Waste Reclamation District
2:00–2:30 p.m. | Building a Better Resume
Miguel Miranda, DC Water
2:45–3:15 p.m. | Creating a LinkedIn Profile
Brian Persing, Brown & Caldwell
Tuesday, September 29
9:00–9:30 a.m. | Drop in Laboratory Instruments Experience I
HACH, IDEXX, Xylem/YSI
9:45–10:15 a.m. | Drop in Laboratory Instruments Experience II
HACH, IDEXX, Xylem/YSI
12:15–1:15 p.m. | No programming during lunch hour
1:30–2:00 p.m. | Storytelling – 5-Minute Story Harvesting
Katie Zheng, Lochner & Public Communications and Outreach Community
2:15–2:45 p.m. | Storytelling – Pop-up Media Lab
Katie Zheng, Lochner & Public Communications and Outreach Community
3:00–3:30 p.m. | Tips for Applying to the Operator Scholarship
Emily Zidanic, New Jersey American Water