SFBS President's Message

SFBS Presidents Message

By: Nick Steiner, Delta Diablo
November 18, 2024

Hello San Francisco Bay Members!

As we get ready to turn the page on 2024, it has been my pleasure to serve as your President. I hope that the SFBS was able to provide you with a number of events, creating an opportunity to learn more about our industry and the amazing work of our colleagues, build upon your knowledge base, provide the opportunity to network with like-minded individuals, and giving you an appreciation for the work we do as an industry to protect the environment and public around us. Without the hard work of our board members and committee volunteers, none of this would have been possible. So, if you get a chance, let them know how the SFBS has impacted you and your career and consider joining a committee to help build upon the strong foundation of networking and training in the SFBS.

Looking prospectively, the SFBS is working to bring more benefit to the membership, and as one of the most active sections of CWEA with over 1,200 dues paying members, we are implementing two exciting changes to build upon our strong membership.

Firstly, our current Vice President, Claire O’Brien, is spearheading an ad hoc committee focused on dinner meetings and how to improve the experience for our members and increase participation. If you are interested in being part of this short-term committee focused on shaping the future of the SFBS dinner meetings, please reach out to Claire.

Secondly, the SFBS offers a variety of educational, training, and networking activities on a wide variety of topics related to the wastewater industry, but to continue delivering the high-quality events our members enjoy, we are actively seeking sponsors. This support will help us maintain affordable event pricing despite rising venue and food costs in the Bay Area while providing an opportunity for those within the industry to get their name out there and grow their business. So, if you are interested in sponsoring the SFBS or want to learn more, please fill out the form found below and submit it to Claire O’Brien. The sponsorship is for a one-year period, starting in January through December. http://www.cwea.org/sfbs/sponsors

Volunteering:

At our October dinner meeting, we received two nominations for the Secretary board seat. Nominations are now closed, and elections will begin in December, with the new board member being sworn in on February 7th at our Annual Award Banquet. Below is a brief bio about your two board nominees, Treasurer and Communications Director (who are running uncontested), so you can learn more about your volunteers and decide who you think is best to propel the SFBS into the future.

Voting for the two nominees will begin on December 2nd and close on December 16th. Each active dues paying member will receive an email to cast their vote for the next CWEA SFBS board member.

If you have any questions, recommendations, comments, or concerns, feel free to reach out to me or any SFBS Board members directly. The San Francisco Bay Section is your section, and we want your voice to be heard!

Max Armenta (Secretary)

Hello SFBS!
It would be an honor to serve you and the California Water Environment Association (CWEA) in this capacity. I’ve been an active member for the past 5 years, and a leader of the Students and Young Professionals Committee for the past 3+ years. I’ve also had the pleasure of serving as the American Society of Civil Engineers’ San Francisco Younger Member Forum Philanthropy Chair and President for the past four years. I plan to leverage those leadership experiences to add value to the CWEA SFBS, and serve you, the SFBS members.

In my professional career, I am a wastewater engineer at EBMUD. I’ve been an active member of the clean water community through my time as a graduate researcher and consultant over the past seven years. I’m passionate about all things related to wastewater. I enjoy working with the individuals that protect our environment and communities.

Travis Bohan (Secretary)

Travis brings 18 years of extensive experience in land surveying services, successfully managing all phases of surveys in support of transportation, pipeline and treatment plant infrastructure projects. His portfolio includes survey support for various critical infrastructure developments, including sewer, gas line replacements, bridge widening and replacements, interchanges, and streetscape improvements.

Travis has also been instrumental in leading the right of way engineering efforts for infrastructure projects and has coordinated numerous GPS and conventional control surveys.

Currently, Travis serves as the General Director of the California Land Surveyors Association Education Foundation and a Council Member of the Fresno State Geomatics Engineering Advisory Committee. His academic contributions include his tenure as a part-time Geomatics Engineering Lecturer at California State University, Fresno from 2009 to 2013. He frequents the Nor Cal Pipeline Users Group meetings and has been a member of CWEA since 2020, where he has assisted in organizing the SFBS Golf Tournament for the last three years.

Amanda Roa (Treasurer)

Amanda Roa has over 27 years of experience in the water resource recovery industry (formerly Delta Diablo and soon to be Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District). Amanda has a B.S. in Civil & Environmental Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley and has a wide breadth of experience in the public sector. She has been responsible for all forms of environmental regulation and permitting including wastewater, recycled water, air, and hazardous materials and waste and managed the operation of a regional household hazardous waste collection program with several municipal partners. She has taken the lead in many bench and pilot scale studies involving innovative technology and manages various resource recovery projects and partnerships with an emphasis on energy and sustainability.

Amanda was appointed as Treasurer of the SFBS because of an unexpected vacancy and now that she has the hang of things, is looking forward to supporting the SFBS for a full term as Treasurer.

Nick Hansen (Communication)

With over 16 years of experience as a Grade 5 Senior Plant Operator, Nick Hansen runs various aspects of the treatment plant, including water treatment and solids incineration. Nick earned his BA in Communication from the University of the Pacific, where he played a key role in launching the student newspaper online. After a brief period in the private sector, he joined CentralSan to develop training materials for the Plant Operations Department before transitioning to a full-time operator role.

Nick captured world wide public attention with his blog, RecycledH2O, which focused on the statewide Recycled Water Fill Station phenomenon during the California Drought of 2015. For nearly a decade, he has been an active member of the CWEA San Francisco Bay Section, serving as the Communication Committee Chair. He contributed to the CWEA Rebranding project and the subsequent website relaunch. Nick currently serves on CWEA’s “Clean Water Magazine” editorial advisory group. Recently, the SFBS Bylaws were updated to include the Communication Director as a board position. Nick is responsible for maintaining the CWEA SFBS website & social media, sending email blasts, and managing elections. Given this highly technical nature of the volunteer role, he would like to continue for another term.

Upcoming SF Bay Section Events:
SFBS Student and Young Professionals 2024 Fall Leadership Book Club – November 9-16
SYP Career Fair – December 3
Annual Awards Banquet – February 7