WRA's 40th Annual
Recognition Dinner
When:
September 21, 2023
6:00 – 9:00 PM
Where:
The Grand Pavilion
640 Waterworks Dr
Philadelphia, PA 19130
Hosted By:
Water Resources Association of the Delaware River Basin
Board of Directors
Menu
September 21, 2023
6:00 – 9:00 PM
The Grand Pavilion
640 Waterworks Dr
Philadelphia, PA 19130
Water Resources Association of the Delaware River Basin
Board of Directors
Welcome to WRA’s 40th Annual Awards Gala! Thank you for being here to celebrate innovation, excellence, and leadership in water resources. Tonight, we honor people, projects and organizations making an indelible mark on the health, sustainability and resilience of our watershed and the communities therein.
The technologies, tools and transformative approaches you will hear about tonight inform and that strengthen our ability to meet critical water resources challenges. Awardees’ encompassments are the result, in part, of teamwork and collaboration across all types of boundaries. For the individuals we are honoring tonight with the Samuel S. Baxter and Lifetime Achievement awards, their legacies have been wrought over decades, leading teams, challenging preconceived notions, thinking of creative solutions, mentoring, and creating relationships that form the foundation for successful endeavors.
Tonight, we celebrate people who work diligently outside the spotlight. This celebration is our opportunity to shine light on the dedication and brilliance that empowers communities to build resiliency to environmental risk, decarbonize power production, drive investment to historically underserved neighborhoods, and create public spaces that both delight and protect us. These are tools, techniques, and models you can bring to your work, and share with your community. Tonight we invite you to applaud these extraordinary Awardees, connect with the WRA community, and be inspired by these successes that are part of the story of our watershed.
Sincerely,
Skelly Holmbeck
Executive Director
The Water Resources Association of the Delaware River Basin’s Board of Directors welcomes you to our 40th Annual Recognition Dinner! This evening, we honor remarkable leadership, innovation and stewardship in water resources, sustainability and resilience by individuals, environmental organizations, government agencies, and companies from across the Basin.
We invite you to enjoy the champagne bar, Cescaphe’s Schuylkill Punch, and a full mixed beverage selection. Greet friends and colleagues as you sample from our dining options including surf & turf, and a full range of delicious vegan and vegetarian dishes as we toast to a year of innovation and collaboration.
A WRA tradition, the Wine Pull starts when the doors open – stop by and try your luck with our version of the lottery. The Silent Auction is a great way to go home with something fun (and maybe even useful) while simultaneously supporting WRA’s mission to advance science based water management.
Thank you for being here tonight to honor our Awardees, and for all you do to support WRA and the communities and ecosystems throughout the Delaware River Basin.
Event Co-Chairs:
Kelly Anderson, Philadelphia Water Department, WRA Board
Dennis Palmer, Landis Sewerage Authority, WRA Board
Silent Auction Co-Chairs:
Andrew Anderson, Philadelphia Water Department, WRA Board
Matthew Marchisello, Aqua America
Melissa Marchisello, ERM
Wine Pull Chairs:
Caitlin Cavanagh and Ben Deatrich, AECOM
Wine Pull Crew:
Abdullah Al-Amin, Temple University
We’re delighted to celebrate with you tonight. Here’s a schedule at-a-glance:
5:00 – 6:00 PM | VIP Reception: for awardees, sponsors, board members and event committee members
6:00-7:30 PM | Dinner (buffet), open bar
7:15 PM | Silent Auction Closes
7:15 – 8:30PM | Awards Ceremony
Welcome: Jennifer Garigliano | WRA Board President
Awards presented by Skelly Holmbeck | Executive Director and Jen Garigliano | Board President. Award descriptions and biographies can be seen below.
Parks and Places Award:
Presented to: City of Newark- Hillside Park
Accepting: Tim Filasky, PE | Director of Public Works and Water Resources, City of Newark, Delaware, Joe Spadafino | City of Newark Parks Director, Ethan Robinson | Deputy Director of Public Works and Water Resources, City of Newark.
Also on stage: The Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson, Inc (JMT) Designers: Christopher Brendza, PE | Project Manager and Andrew Mears, PLA | Sr. Landscape Architect
Business and Industry Award:
Presented to: Vicinity Energy
Accepting: Jeannie Morris | Senior Director of Governmental Affairs, Bill DiCroce | CEO/President and Board Chair, and Jessica Hartley | EHS and Green Solutions
Special Recognition Award:
Presented to: The Academy of Natural Sciences
Accepting: Alexis Schulman, PHD | Assistant Research Professor, Department of Biodiversity, Earth and Environmental Science, Winn Costantini | Environmental Planning and Policy Scientist at the Academy of Natural Sciences, and Lin Perez | Environmental Data Science Section Leader
Government Award:
Presented to: The Philadelphia Water Department
Accepting: Kelly Anderson | Director Office of Watersheds and Julia Rockwell | Climate Change Adaptation Program Manager
Lifetime Achievement Award:
Presented to: Gary W. Snyder
Presented by: Jane Rowan | Board Member and Past President and Suzanne Newman, Board Member and Co-Chair of WRA’s Young Leaders
Innovation and Collaboration Award – Government Agency:
Presented to: The City of Camden, New Jersey, Camden County and the Camden County Municipal Utilities Athority
Accepting: Maggie McCann Johns | Director, Department of Parks, Camden County, and Oleg Zonis | Deputy Executive Director and Chief Engineer with CCMUA
Remarks by: Steve Tambini | Executive Director DRBC
Innovation and Collaboration Award – Research:
Presented to: Dr. Franco Montalto | Director of Drexel University’s Sustainable Water Resource Engineering
Dr. Ruth Patrick Excellence in Education Award:
Presented to: The Nurture Nature Center
Accepting: Rachel Hogan Carr | Executive Director
Samuel S. Baxter Memorial Award:
Presented to: Russell J. Furnari | Vice Chair at-large WRA Executive Committee
8:15 – 9:00 PM | Coffee & Dessert
Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center will be open 5pm-7pm
The Water Resources Association of the Delaware River Basin’s 40th Recognition Dinner honors individuals and organizations that have made an indelible mark on the Delaware River Basin and beyond through their vision, innovation and leadership.
PARKS AND PLACES AWARD
City of Newark – Hillside Park
For exemplifying a resilient, community-based approach to overcoming the challenges of water quality and flooding by improving headwater conditions of Silver Brook, a tributary to the upper Christina River.
BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY AWARD
Vicinity Energy
For designing and implementing an innovative solution for a more sustainable water supply to critical components within the district energy system, providing a continuous, reliable, and low-carbon energy source and playing a significant role in fulfilling the City of Philadelphia’s commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD
The Academy of Natural Sciences
For their continued contributions to the Delaware River Basin with an innovative environmental justice mapping tool developed by scientists from the Academy’s Patrick Center for Environmental Research (PCER) to prioritize green stormwater infrastructure investment within underserved Philadelphia neighborhoods.
Government Award
The Philadelphia Water Department
In recognition of PWD’s highly innovative and forward-looking Climate Change Adaptation Program (CCAP) providing a roadmap for Philadelphia and others to develop an actionable risk-based approach to planning, design, operations, and management of drinking water, stormwater management, and wastewater treatment.
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Gary W. Snyder
For a career dedicated to improving water resources in the Greater Philadelphia area through technical expertise, leadership, mentoring and an unflagging commitment to finding solutions through collaboration across sectors, municipalities, and technical disciplines.
DR. RUTH PATRICK EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION AWARD
The Nurture Nature Center
For outstanding leadership in engaging, educating and empowering communities to prepare for and mitigate climate related risks and promote resilience throughout the Delaware River Basin.
INNOVATION AND COLLABORATION AWARD – Government Agency
The City of Camden, New Jersey, Camden County and the Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority
For their transformational commitment to clean, accessible and sustainable water resources while building an economically thriving and dynamic waterfront and nurturing a spirit of community to address ongoing water quality and water equity challenges.
INNOVATION AND COLLABORATION AWARD – Research
Dr. Franco Montalto, Director of Drexel University’s Sustainable Water Resource Engineering
For dedicated leadership to advance cutting edge science and innovative technologies to protect communities from climate related flood risk and to enable historically disadvantaged communities to proactively partner with Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority to improve their neighborhoods.
SAMUEL S BAXTER MEMORIAL AWARD
Russell J. Furnari
In recognition of his significant contributions advancing sustainability through his expertise, leadership, and remarkable ability to forge partnerships and promote collaborative solutions to challenges in the water and energy sectors in the Delaware River Basin.
Samuel S. Baxter Memorial Award
Marc E. Gold, Esq.
In recognition of his exemplary legal career that focused on comprehensive water resources management and his significant contributions in advancing clean water initiatives in the Delaware River Basin.
Dr. Ruth Patrick Excellent in Education Award
The Center for Aquatic Sciences
For outstanding leadership in aquatic sciences education through innovative programs that connect students with the Delaware River, and provide a pathway to the sciences for a diverse population.
Achievement Award
Wissahickon Trails for the Wissahickon Creek Headwaters Stream and Riparian Restoration Project
This project, vital to the health of the 24-mile Wissahickon Creek, addresses significant problems caused by excessive stormwater runoff, such as stream bank erosion, degraded habitat and impaired water quality.
This public private partnership with PECO, Merck and Upper Gwynedd Township turned a highly eroded stretch of the Creek and riparian zone into a fully functioning floodplain.
Special Recognition Award
Pam Bush, Esq.
For her significant contributions to public policy, providing wise and judicious counsel that enabled the Delaware River Basin Commission to better manage, protect and improve the water resources of the Delaware River Basin, and for her commitment to improving connections between people and the environment.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Dr. Peter J Kolesar
For pioneering work to develop, refine and implement the Flexible Flow Management Program (FFMP), a fundamental component to the sustainable allocation of Delaware River water resources. This work enhanced the aquatic environment of the upper Delaware River to better support its wild trout fishery without negatively impacting the reliability of water supply to New York City, or the interests of other Delaware River stakeholders throughout the Basin.
Innovation & Collaboration Award-Government Agency
The Delaware River Basin Commission
For innovative science, planning, and policy, working in close coordination with stakeholders and in partnership with federal and state regulators, utilizing complex modeling of tidal dynamics and water quality to develop the Stage 1 PCB TMDLs, and overseeing the implementation of the TMDLs through Pollutant Minimization Plans and other practical control measures based on adaptive management principles that have resulted in significant and measurable reductions of PCB loads to the Delaware River Estuary.
Innovation & Collaboration Award-Business & Industry
Manko, Gold, Katcher & Fox, LLP
For regulated community leadership, as counsel to and on behalf of the Delaware Estuary TMDL Coalition, and collaborative engagement with representatives of the Delaware River Basin Commission, federal and state regulators and other stakeholders that resulted in the innovative Stage 1 PCB TMDLs that are being successfully implemented through Pollutant Minimization Plans and other practical control measures based on adaptive management principles that have resulted in significant and measurable reductions of PCB loads to the Delaware River Estuary.
Be sure to tag @WRADRB to share your moments and memories
Check back after the event for photography from the evening, captured by Noelle Andrews
WRA promotes the science-based management of water resources within the Delaware River Basin to protect all water dependent uses and enhance the long-term sustainability and resiliency of the river system.
WRA serves as a critical resource to its members—water professionals, water purveyors, and commercial, industrial, and maritime river users—as they collaborate with other stakeholders to maintain the Delaware River as a working river and promote principles of sustainability and resiliency. WRA’s efforts have become even more important recognizing the fiscal challenges faced by regulatory agencies in the region, and the acute need to respond to climate related impacts in a manner that will maintain and expand the multi-dimensional values of the Delaware River watershed.