Making a Splash

Chandler Mancusco, CWT

Omya, Inc. Cincinnati, Ohio

What prompted you to start volunteering with AWT?

When I started in the industry, I wanted to gain more exposure to the major trends and evolutions within the industry as well as meet people who had a more established presence. With most of my career dedicated specifically to wastewater treatment, Angela Pike suggested the Wastewater Subcommittee as a good opportunity to serve.

What has been the most rewarding thing about volunteering?

Making contributions that others can benefit from. When I reflect on all the helpful resources I use on a daily basis that other people spent time and effort creating, I feel like I am partially returning the favor by creating some resources for the industry myself.

How has volunteering improved your professional career?

By working more closely with others in the industry, I began to learn who had particularly strong expertise or connections in certain areas, which allowed me to broaden my resources within the industry. It also allowed me to showcase my strengths and become a resource to others in the community where I may be able to offer support.

Why would you encourage others to become a volunteer?

It is always hard to find time for tasks outside of our job responsibilities, but the routine and accountability associated with being part of a committee make it easier to allocate the time necessary to make meaningful contributions to the industry, and having the support of the organization and fellow committee members amplifies the efforts you put in.

Tell us about a current project you or your committee are working on?

One of the goals of the wastewater subcommittee was to increase the presence of wastewater-related articles in the Analyst. With my background in technical writing, I felt comfortable running with this initiative and have since submitted multiple articles for publication.

I’ve also recently been appointed to be AWT’s RTO liaison to the Water Environment Federation (WEF). The organization primarily consists of members in the North American municipal wastewater treatment market, but they show clear signs of wanting to continue to strengthen their presence in industrial wastewater as well as expand into other topics, including ones that overlap with AWT. On the contrary, AWT has a primary focus on heating and cooling but desires a strengthened position as a resource in industrial wastewater treatment as well. The expanding scopes of both AWT and WEF are leading to more overlap between the two organizations than ever before, creating a quality opportunity to collaborate, particularly in the industrial wastewater space. The goals of this partnership are to unify efforts and resources surrounding industrial wastewater, increase AWT’s transparency into policy developments affecting the wastewater treatment industry, and foster increased awareness and engagement among the members of both organizations.

What is a past project that your committee produced that you feel has had the greatest impact on AWT and why?

I think the development of the wastewater treatment calculations tab in the AWT Calculations app has proven to be a great resource for improving the accuracy and efficiency of jar testing activities. I also think the updates to the Wastewater Treatment section of the Technical Reference and Training Manual more properly reflect the current status of the wastewater treatment industry and allow for its continued utility as an excellent resource for wastewater treatment information.