06/27/2020
From the Executive Committee of NYWEA:
The New York Water Environment Association is an organization that considers all members of the water workforce our fellow colleagues. This role we hold in the water sector gives us the unique opportunity to share our commitment to equality with our membership and, in turn, influence the organizations and companies they are associated with. The leaders of NYWEA recognize that there is a historic issue of inequity in the water sector that continues to persist. We can see it through the attendees at our meetings and the students we meet who are pursuing water-related careers.
Recognizing it is not enough.
At NYWEA, we acknowledge the systemic barriers and discrimination that perpetuates racism and inequality needs to be dismantled in New York and across the country. We know it will be challenging. Its roots are much deeper than what we can see in our industry. Knowing this, we stand in support of those who are peacefully protesting the senseless killings of Eric Garner, Amadou Diallo, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and many others, in addition to protesting the inequities that continue to persist in the communities we serve as clean water professionals.
Acknowledging it is not enough.
Knowing that our membership is not reflective of the communities we serve, last year NYWEA created a Diversity & Inclusion Task Force to foster an environment of belonging in the organization, among other guiding principles. Through that task force and other initiatives, we are working to encourage water careers for students from minority and underserved high schools through the Rise High program. We have also sought to engage college students through the INFLOW program.
Initiatives are not enough.
We will continue to work with our membership to advance our vision and create a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community of water professionals. We challenge and encourage all NYWEA members to pause, examine, and implement actions to remove barriers that divide us. As dedicated members of NYWEA and our communities, we cannot stop trying to make a difference until all of our current and future members of the water workforce feel a sense of belonging in the water sector and NYWEA.
Only then will our actions prove to be enough.
William J. Nylic, III, President
Lauren M. Livermore, President-Elect
Khristopher Dodson ,Vice President
Donna Bee, Vice President-Elect
Robert E. Wither, Immediate Past President
Oluwole McFoy, WEF House of Delegates
Anthony Della Valle, Treasurer
Timothy Taber, Assistant Treasurer
Patricia Cerro-Reehil, Executive Director
