Conference Agenda

To thine own self be true

Leaders develop when adversity is turned into learning opportunities. Knowing yourself is essential: what is your passion; what are your goals; what are your guiding principles?

Many leaders in operations and maintenance positions have achieved leadership roles due to sheer perseverance and an ability to turn adversity into opportunity. They have relied on educational experiences that come in the form of hard knocks, setbacks, and exhaustive overachievement. It is these experiences, when viewed as opportunities, that provide for growth. Norman Lear once said, “Everywhere you trip is where the treasure lies” (Bennis 149). This is the focus of the panel discussion.

The discussion will focus on those trips and how to turn them into treasure. How the trips may provide for personal growth and eventually leadership recognition whether formal or informal. Warren Bennis stated, “More leaders have been made by accident, circumstance, sheer grit, or will than have been made by all the leadership courses put together" (Bennis 42).

The panel will offer suggestions to help anyone struggling with adversity, to persevere with optimism, and progress toward career goals. Finding a support team that can offer different perspectives and insight into our blind spots is beneficial. The point is that the better we know ourselves, “To thine own self be true”, (Shakespeare, Hamlet 1.3), increases the opportunities we are presented.

Living your passion, demonstrating integrity and consistency, being curious and doing the right thing, especially when no one is looking, are an important foundational qualities that can be relied upon as you move forward toward achieving your goals.

While education builds skill, life builds character, it behooves us to nurture both.

Citations

Bennis, Warren G. On Becoming a Leader. Basic Books, a Member of the Perseus Books Group, 2021.

Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Dover Publications, 1992.

The topic will be presented by a diverse panel of four individuals from various cities, roles, and perspectives, who have worked their way up the career ladder to positions in leadership. Primary contributor of the abstract is Pamela Randolph. Current panelist are Pamela Randolph, Caitlin Dwyer, and Heather Earnheart.

The water and wastewater industries in Oregon are experiencing a shortage in treatment plant and distribution/conveyance operators. According to the EPA, this shortage is anticipated to only worsen in the next ten years, as approximately one-third of drinking water and wastewater operators will be eligible for retirement. This issue is compounded by fewer and fewer young people entering the field.

The recent closure of an Oregon Community College Water/Wastewater Training Program will intensify this issue in the Pacific Northwest, and the fact that several new water treatment plants will be coming online in the coming years will only increase the need for experienced water/wastewater sector staff. This prompted a number of local utilities, consultants, and an Oregon community college to create a working group to focus on solutions to this shortage with the ultimate goal of creating a more robust water workforce in the Pacific Northwest.

The Drinking water Regional Internship Program (DRIP) is currently focused on implementing or exploring the following strategies:

• Outreach to increase awareness of water industry careers and boosting recruitment. A website was created through Regional Water Providers to highlight water operator careers: https://www.regionalh2o.org/work-in-water.
• Non-credit or other new course opportunities through other community colleges.
• Developing remote training opportunities around the state through an Oregon Community College.
• Additional grant proposal to create the paid internship program to those currently following the water works career path or for those who just might be interested in a career in water envisioned in DRIP.
• Developing a state-approved apprenticeship program.
• Monitoring grants related to any of the opportunities.
• Overall group updates/coordination.

The presentation will discuss the actions to date, partnerships formed, grants applied for, and the group’s plan moving forward. The lessons learned and other accomplishments of the group may encourage the regional wastewater industry to join the DRIP group and creating a water/wastewater industry collaboration for a workforce pipeline!