FWRJ READER PROFILE
Elisa ‘Elsa’ Williams
Seminole County Board of County Commissioners, Sanford Work title and years of service. I have been the interim utilities operations division manager for two years, water operations manager for five years, and chief–regulatory compliance, water operations for three years.
Water operations manager (overview): S Direct oversight of the daily operations, supervision, maintenance, and operational budget of the five water treatment plants and six consecutive systems that Seminole County owns and operates. S Prepare, review, and submit operational and compliance reports to the regulatory agencies. S Make recommendations regarding hiring, discipline, and promotion of subordinates; authorize leaves of absence and overtime; and review employees’ performance What education and training have you had? I have a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Cebu City, Philippines, and a bachelor of science degree in environmental management from the University of Florida in Gainesville. I was a licensed civil engineer in the Philippines and immigrated to Minnesota in 1995. The sad part is that I was not part of the
What does your job entail? Interim utilities operations division manager (overview): S Direct oversight of overall accountability for the daily operations of the water, wastewater, surface water, and reuse systems. S D evelop annual budget requests for all operational needs and monitor the budget over the fiscal year, as well as develop written plans and procedures for emergency response, regulatory reporting, and public notifications. S O versee investigations of all utility-related customer inquiries and complaints and initiate corrective action as appropriate. S M ake recommendations regarding hiring, discipline, and promotion of subordinates; authorize leaves of absence and overtime; and review employees’ performance.
Island hopping and trekking on one of the islands in El Nido, Palawan, Philippines.
34 March 2022 • Florida Water Resources Journal
regular workforce until 2003, so I had to reset my work mindset to catch up and get current. I stumbled into utility work as a meter reader when I moved to Florida in 2003. The water and wastewater industry fascinated me at that time, so I decided to continue to start from the ground up to capture all the different sections and aspect of the water, wastewater, and reclaim utility industry. I received my second degree in environmental management at 50 years old while working full time. After 19 years of working in the water and wastewater field, the industry still fascinates me with all the new technology and new efficient ways to conserve limited water resources, and treat and reclaim wastewater. What do you like best about your job? My water and utilities operations team. I also like the day-to-day challenges that, for some reason, always present themselves. What professional organizations do you belong to? I belong to FSAWWA, FWPCOA, FWEA, and Florida Rural Water Association (FRWA). How have the organizations helped your career? The FSAWWA was the first organization I signed up for as a volunteer for work-related events. My first awareness of FSAWWA was when I started working for Seminole County Environmental Services–Utilities Operations as the chief for regulatory compliance. I needed some last-minute additional continuing education credits for the water operations staff, so I was looking for quick classes. I came upon the FSAWWA website, started reading the site At the AWWA State Drinking Water Taste Test Contest. The Best Tasting Drinking Water title for Region III was won by Seminole County!
Swimming with the whale sharks in Oslob, Cebu, Philippines.
