Special Guests

Texas Water Welcomes AWWA President

Melissa Elliott, president of the American Water Works Association, will represent AWWA at Texas WaterTM 2021 - Virtual. Elliott will provide comments during the Virtual Opening Session at 11 a.m. Monday, March 29.

Elliott’s career is focused on helping water and wastewater utilities tell their stories. She is the Director of Strategic Communication Services at Raftelis where she consults with utilities to provide communication planning, stakeholder engagement and risk communications.

Prior to joining Raftelis, Elliott directed public relations departments at two large Colorado utilities—Denver Water and Aurora Water. All that utility experience means she’s worked with the public on issues as diverse as drought, water quality, potable reuse, affordability, rate structure change, massive infrastructure projects, and customer assistance programs.

Being AWWA President has given Elliott a new avenue to elevate the conversation about the value of the services utilities provide. As a public relations practitioner working in the highly technical water industry, Elliott makes it her mission to push those around her to stop being so humble about the essential work we do. She says if we want others to understand our challenges, we need to build relationships with the people and communities we serve and talk about the value we provide.

When she’s not working with utilities, Elliott makes her home in Denver where she enjoys cooking for friends, planning future travel adventures and spending time in the Colorado sunshine with her husband.

WEF Past President Joins Texas Water

WEF Past President Jackie Jarrell will represent the Water Environment Federation at Texas WaterTM 2021 - Virtual. Jarrell will provide comments during the Virtual Opening Session at 11 a.m. Monday, March 29.

Jarrell is the immediate past president of WEF and has been with Charlotte Water for more than 29 years. As wastewater operations chief she has been responsible for wastewater operations with total permitted capacity of 123 million gallons per day, with the largest plant permitted at 64MGD, the related residuals program producing more than 90,000 wet tons/year, oversight of regulatory functions, process control, and continuous improvement programs within the operations areas. Recently, Jarrell was appointed as an interim deputy director for Charlotte Water. This has expanded her role to oversee customer service, communications, industrial pretreatment, laboratory services, and the Industrial Pretreatment Program, with more than 60 significant industrial users.

As a WEF member, Jarrell has held multiple leadership and committee roles, including serving as the chair of the Utility Management Program Symposia and the first vice chair of the Utility Management Committee. Also an active member of the North Carolina Water Environment Association, Jarrell served as the MA chair in 2013. At that time, she lead the MA in developing NCWEA’s strategic plan in 2013. Over many years volunteering for NCWEA, she chaired several committees including the Nominating Committee, the Public Education Committee, the Annual Conference Committee, and the Program Committee. She also worked on several committees such as Water for People, the Wastewater Schools Committee, the Endowment Committee, and the Plant Operations Committee. She is actively involved with the North Carolina Water Quality Association, a regulatory advocacy organization of utilities in North Carolina, and is a past chair and a current board member.

Jarrell is a registered professional engineer in the state of North Carolina and holds a Biological Wastewater Grade II OIT. She received a B.S. in engineering from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. She is a member of the NC 5S. Jarrell is the 2014 recipient of the Arthur Sidney Bedell Award. In 2015, Jarrell, along with her colleagues, was awarded the Gascoigne Wastewater Treatment Plant Operational Improvement Medal.