People
in the News
AWARDS
The Alliance for Water Efficiency presented
Amy Vickers with its annual Water Star
Award, an award that recognizes individual
excellence in water efficiency. Vickers was
honored for her more than 25 years of
achievements in the water efficiency field.
She is a nationally recognized water conser-
vation and efficiency expert, engineer, and
author of the Handbook of Water Use and
Conservation. She is also recognized as hav-
ing spearheaded the inclusion of plumbing
standards in the 1992 US Energy Policy Act.
In addition to her book, Vickers has written
more than 75 professional papers, articles,
op-eds, and essays.
Issam Najm was awarded the Dr. Pankaj
Parekh Research Innovation Award by the
Water Research Foundation in recognition
of his significant contributions to advancing
the science of water. Najm is president of
Water Quality & Treatment Solutions Inc.,
an environmental engineering and science
consulting company located in Los Angeles,
Calif. He is a nationally recognized expert
on the evaluation and application of innova-
tive technologies for drinking water treat-
ment, and has led numerous research proj-
ects funded by the Water Research
Foundation. Najm has been a member of the
professional drinking water community for
24 years and is an active member of AWWA.
American Water announced that two of its
American Water Resources (AWR) subsid-
iary employeesJoanne Kahl, claims spe-
cialist, and Carrie Boner, customer service
specialistreceived Customer Excellence
Awards from the Professional Association
for Customer Engagement (PACE). Kahl
was named Representative of the Year. She
joined AWR in 2008 and has since received
the companys top Quality Assurance honor
and the Regal Award for Quality for four
consistent years. She has completed AWRs
Emerging Leaders Mentoring Program.
Boner received the Customer Service
Representative Award, which is given to
individuals who consistently create excep-
tional experiences for their customers. She
joined AWR in 2012 and is enrolled in the
Emerging Leaders Mentoring Program.
2014 American Water Works Association
TRANSITIONS
Burns & McDonnell appointed Paul Fischer,
president and general manager of the Regional
Office Group, to its board of directors. Fischer
joined Burns & McDonnell in 1988 after
graduating from Colorado State University
with a degree in civil engineering. After work-
ing in both the Energy and Infrastructure
groups at Burns & McDonnells world head- Vickers
quarters in Kansas City, Mo., Fischer relocated
to the Denver, Colo., office to serve as project
engineer and project manager.
The Desert Research Institute (DRI) named
Nathan Allen as the new executive director of
the Nevada Water Center of Excellence
(COE). He leads the Las Vegas-based COE,
which drives the Governors Office of
Economic Development innovation initia-
tives and provides the nexus for public- and
private-sector collaboration in water-focused
technologies. Allen joins DRI with experience
in environmental sustainability, business
development and research, construction,
public outreach, and advocacy. Prior to join- Najm
ing DRI, he served as chief executive officer
and principal of TerraSwell, which he found-
ed as a response to environmental science
and sustainability challenges encountered in
the field. Allens experience in applied science
includes previous positions as a research sci-
entist and also as a coordinator of sustain-
ability for the University of Arizona
Biosphere 2, under which the Model City
Research Program was launched. Allen is a
former solar technician for Arizona start-up
Technicians for Sustainability.
Dewberry, a privately held professional
services firm, hired William Grubbs as a
senior project manager in the firms
Baltimore, Md., office. In his new role,
Grubbs is responsible for project
management for planning, design, and
construction of water treatment facilities
throughout the US mid-Atlantic region. Grubbs
With more than 20 years of experience
managing both medium- and large-capacity
water treatment facilities, he previously
served as the principal engineer and project
manager for the largest designbuild
operate surface water treatment plant in
Arizona, with a total capacity of 360 mgd.
JO U R NA L AWWA | D EC EM B ER 2014 27
 Patrick Natale will join Hatch Mott
MacDonald (HMM) as vice-president of
business strategies in January 2015. In this
position, he will support HMMs
marketing and business development
initiatives and its employee recruitment
and retention programs. Natale brings 44
years of engineering, management, and
Natale
business experience to HMM. He served as
the executive director of the American
Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) from
2002 to 2014. Prior to joining ASCE,
Natale served in the same role at the
National Society of Professional Engineers
(NSPE) and held numerous top-level
management positions with the Public
Service Electric and Gas Company
(PSE&G) of New Jersey. During his
28-year career at PSE&G, he was
responsible for managing sales, marketing,
strategic planning, and customer service.
Pure Technologies recently appointed David
Burke as vice-president for its southeast
region. With more than 27 years of experi-
ence at the Washington Suburban Sanitary
Commission (WSSC), Burke brings to Pure a
knowledge of how large municipal utilities
operate. In his most recent position, he was
the group leader of WSSCs Technical
Burke
Services Group. Based in Pures Columbia,
Md., office, Burke manages business develop-
ment efforts in the southeast region and
works with existing clients to develop pipe-
line management strategies.
GZA GeoEnvironmental Inc. announced that
Paul Davis of Hatfield, Mass., was promoted
to principal. Davis has 28 years of industry
experience. In addition to his consulting
work for GZA, he is the corporate technical
practice lead for Natural Resources and
Permitting and core lead for the Ecological
Services marketing sector. He also co-founded
Davis
and serves on the Environmental Regulatory
Committee of the Massachusetts Association
of Municipal Airports.
SJE-Rhombus appointed Lenny Newman to its
board of directors. Newman has more than
30 years of experience in finance, currently
serving as the chief financial officer of East
View Information Services. He began his
career in 1982 as an accountant with Arthur
Andersen & Company. He is a board advisor
Newman for multiple companies.
28 DE CE MBE R 2 0 1 4 | J O U R N A L AW WA
2014 American Water Works Association
GHD recently named Blair Shackleton as
market leaderWater for Western
Australia. Blair is a chartered chemist with
more than 33 years experience in the
water and power industries, including
plant design, process monitoring, trouble-
shooting, operations support, and project
management roles. He has led the design of
municipal potable supplies, industrial and
power station water systems, and large
desalination plants.
MWH Global announced that Dick Talley is
assuming the role of the Oregon area man-
ager for MWH in the Americas. Talley
joined MWH in 2013 and brings more than
25 years of professional experience in the
water and wastewater consulting industry.
He is based in the MWH Portland office. In
his new role, Talley is responsible for client
service, project delivery, and management of
MWH wet infrastructure services through-
out Oregon. Talley has extensive experience
as a project manager, civil engineer, and con-
struction manager in developing water infra-
structure in rural and urban environments.
Delta Systems Engineering Inc. (DeltaSE)
announced the appointment of Peter Beaulieu
as director of engineering, based in the firms
Las Vegas, Nev., office. In his new role, he is
responsible for DeltaSEs overall engineering
efforts. He manages all local operations in
Las Vegas. Beaulieu joined DeltaSE in 2003
as an engineering project manager.
In addition, Angela Downing has joined
DeltaSE as its chief financial officer/vice-
president of administration. Based in Phoenix,
Ariz., she is responsible for the financial man-
agement of the company. Downings career
spans more than 15 years, with experience as
the vice-president of a small corporation; she
also has extensive experience with business
management, marketing, business develop-
ment, accounting, and human resources.
DeltaSE also announced that Sonja Scriven
has joined the company as its senior project
manager of California. She is responsible for
DeltaSEs integration projects and local oper-
ations. Scriven has more than 20 years of
experience in water, wastewater, and supervi-
sory control and data acquisition integration.
Scriven previously served as president of
WaterHammer Inc.
Walter Lynch, president and chief operat-
OBITUARIES
ing officer of regulated operations at
American Water, was appointed president Joseph L. Gerit, Omaha, Neb.; Life Member
of the National Association of Water Award, 1989; Fuller Award, 1983
Companies (NAWC) for a one-year term.
Lynch has served as an NAWC board Buck Greenway, Princeville, Hawaii
member since 2008. In addition, Julee
Womack of American Water Military John F. Kubala, honorary member, Bedford,
Services Group was selected to receive the Texas
NAWC Living Water Award for her efforts
in building strong relationships between David O. Powell, Pasadena, Calif.; Life
Hill Air Force Base and American Water. Member Award, 1995
The NAWC Living Water Awards program
John W. Premo, Saginaw, Mich.
celebrates exemplaryprivate water indus-
try professionals who are living water Charles T. Riggs, Marcellus, Mich.
through their commitment to quality, ser-
vice, and community. Bruce E. Sitzman, Alden, N.Y.

In Memoriam
Austin Francis McCormack Jr., a pioneer in mem-
brane technologies, died Oct. 16, 2014, at the age of 90.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1924, McCormack
boxed for his high school, edited the school newspa-
per, and appeared in stage productions, graduat-
ing in 1941.
He enrolled at the Stevens Institute of
Technology in Hoboken, N.J., and
worked odd jobs to pay tuition until he
enlisted in the US Navy in 1942.
McCormack then began his career
before he was out of school, becoming
an engine tester for Wright
Aeronautical, which included running
experimental tests on a cyclone engine
used in the B-29 bomber.
He graduated from Stevens in 1945 with a
degree in mechanical engineering and was dis-
charged from active duty in 1946, after serving on the
USS Vicksburg out of Long Beach, Calif.
McCormack then went to work for the Permutit
Co., a supplier of industrial water treatment equip-
ment. In 1947, Permutit sent him to Rochester, N.Y.,
to serve Eastman Kodak. While there, he implement-
ed a new method to remove microscopic particles
from industrial process water. The technology was
later employed by the semiconductor industry.
While he was living in Rochester, McCormack met
June Doyle, who loved dancing as much as he did.
They were married in 1949 and had six children.
Appointed district engineer for Permutits Dallas,
Texas, office in 1961, McCormack became a regis-
tered professional engineer in Texas and Oklahoma.
Three years later, he left Permutit to establish his own
company, the McCormack Corp., which sup-
plied ultrapure water systems for the semi-
conductor, defense, and power industries.
In the decades that followed, he received
three patents and wrote numerous
technical papers. McCormack was a
co-author of an article in the March 1964
Journal AWWA focused on the limits of
water quality testing to quantify
impurities in water at levels less than
1 mg/L and the treatment to meet the
ultrapure water required at the time for
semiconductor manufacturing. The article
presaged the development of more sensitive tests
and instruments. He was a life member of AWWA and
active in the American Membrane Technology
Association, which has an interview with him in its
online Chats With Pioneers.
In addition, McCormack and his wife June wel-
comed emigrating families from Cuba and Vietnam,
hosted international dignitaries, and traveled exten-
sively throughout North and South America, Europe,
Asia, and Africa.
He is survived by five children, 18 grandchildren,
and a great granddaughter. June and his son William
preceded him in death.

2014 American Water Works Association JO U R NA L AWWA | D EC EM B ER 2014 29