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S Pinellas County high school students soar the skies to analyze water quality. https://youtu. be/q4i4DmBBuWE S Training Videos - American Water Works

Association (awwa.org)

Sources

• Steve Seibert, Florida Humanities, Executive

Director. • Sic Conditions for Successful Career

Academies. https://kappanonline.org/successful-careeracademies-career-preparation-lanfordmaruco/. • Career Academies UK. https://www. careeracademies.org.uk/pages/employers.html. • How Do the Career Academies in Yadkin

Valley Engage Partners. https://libraryofcareer. com/faq/how-do-the-career-academies-inyadkin-valley-engage-partners/.

Steve Soltau is owner/operator of H2OKnowledgePro providing workforce development and process control troubleshooting. He is a 26-year member of FSAWWA, happily serving in many roles as a volunteer. S Woodard & Curran has hired Laura Kennedy as its new business development leader for the private sector. With nearly 22 years in environmental consulting, she brings to this new role a breadth of experience in people leadership, client service, operations and finance, and corporate governance.

She has served in a variety of roles, from project scientist to project manager, client service manager, technical expert, group manager, practice leader, chief operating officer, and board chair, with a proven track record for improving profitability and operational efficiency, while delivering exceptional client service and employee engagement and development.

“What I have enjoyed most in my career is partnering with clients to

understand their needs and tailoring solutions based on their expertise,” said Kennedy. “I am excited about the depth of expertise Woodard & Curran can bring to our clients and what that means for strategies we can develop in partnership with them.” Kennedy holds a bachelor’s degree Laura Kennedy in chemistry from Dartmouth, a master’s degree in toxicology from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and completed the Kellogg Executive Education Corporate Governance program. Her most recent role focused on clients in the food and beverage industry and transportation sector. Prior to that, she served as a chief operating officer for an industrial business, responsible for project delivery, resource management, business development, client service, technology and innovation, and quality. In a span of three years, she increased the profitability of that business from 6 to 18 percent.

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Said Alyson Watson, Woodard & Curran chief executive officer, “In addition to her technical and operational expertise, Laura’s grasp of the environmental challenges facing the private sector is unmatched. She brings a unique ability to establish successful and creative partnerships with key industrial accounts that will benefit from our integrated services, from concept to operations.”

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Santa Rosa County has been awarded $499,000 through the U.S. EPA Gulf of Mexico Division. The funding will be used to construct green stormwater infrastructure at the county’s administrative complex, which will be used to demonstrate practices aimed to address and improve impaired waters within the Pensacola Bay Watershed.

This project seeks to demonstrate the effective design, implementation, and maintenance of green infrastructure, including vegetated bioswales, tree boxes, and permeable surface at the county’s administrative complex in Milton.

Currently, the 8.6-acre site has 90 percent impervious surfaces, per the grant application. The project will add 20 tree boxes and bioswales within existing medians and replace asphalt with around 24,000 square feet of permeable pavement. Additionally, the project will provide 6,000 square feet of rain gardens in a courtyard area and at an existing retention pond.

This effort is in partnership with the University of Florida’s Milton Watershed Lab, and the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) will provide an outreach and education component, with a goal to educate visitors, employees, the building industry, and community leaders about the benefits of green infrastructure practices.

The county’s environmental staff and UF/IFAS extension agents will lead tours for the local community and businesses to learn more about green infrastructure potential. Additionally incentives of free plant vouchers for homeowners will be provided.

“It’s anticipated that as community members observe the changes to the grounds they will gain knowledge about the project, request additional information, and work to incorporate green infrastructure in future county development projects and on homeowner properties,” said Naisy Dolar, county grants manager.

The UF/IFAS will also monitor and collect data on the ability of these projects to reduce pollutant loads entering the Blackwater River.

The project will last three years, from Sept. 1, 2022, to Aug. 31, 2025. S