Presenter Bios
REGISTER | SCHEDULE | PRESENTERS | RESOURCES
REGISTER | SCHEDULE | PRESENTERS | RESOURCES
Chris Allen obtained his Ph.D. in environmental engineering from Montana State University (MSU) in 2016, investigating nitrogen transformations and removal in treatment wetlands. Since 2009, he has been researching and working on wetland treatment systems that provide both primary and secondary treatment for wastewater, and natural systems designed for nitrate abatement. He is currently a researcher and instructor at MSU, the faculty advisor for the MSU chapter of Engineers Without Borders, and a senior scientist with the WGM Group.
Peter Boettcher has worked as a technical assistance specialist in Wastewater at DEQ for the last six years. He has taught Operator Certification Review, worked with lagoon treatment systems to optimize treatment in those systems and worked with mechanical systems to optimize those systems with minimal expenditures. Pete has worked for 10 years as a compliance inspector. As a compliance inspector he has inspected sites that hold individual MPDES permits, including wastewater treatment plants, water treatment plants, industrial and private sites, groundwater discharge sites. He also inspects General Permit authorizations for general sewage treatment lagoons, stormwater construction sites, CAFOs, fish farms and industrial sites. Pete has 40 years of experience in municipal wastewater. He has worked in six different wastewater treatment plants. He has been an assistant superintendent, operator, laboratory technician, industrial pretreatment supervisor, laboratory supervisor and plant superintendent. Through the California State University system, he has taught the Sacramento Wastewater Treatment Class for volumes 1, 2 and 3, and taken the Pretreatment Facility Inspection class.
David Carlson is the operations manager of the AE2S Billings location and has served large and small communities throughout the region to address their water challenges for over a decade.
Amy Deitchler serves as Great West’s Municipal Practice Group Leader, ensuring the high-quality standards that Great West strives for are achieved. Located in the Helena office, she has over 19 years of experience and is a leader in municipal engineering.
Autumn Coleman is the Resource Development Bureau Chief with the Montana DNRC. In this capacity, she works with the staff of the Resource Development Bureau to provide grants and loans to communities and private citizens to reclaim, conserve and develop Montana’s natural resources. Autumn and her colleagues created and now manage the ARPA Water and Sewer Grant programs. These programs will distribute almost half a billion dollars in necessary water and sewer infrastructure investments across the State of Montana. Autumn has nearly 20 years of experience in natural resource management, primarily in mine reclamation. Her resume includes private sector consulting, MDEQ and the U.S. Forest Service. She has a master’s in engineering project management and a bachelor’s in soil science from Montana State University.
Amy Deitchler serves as Great West’s Municipal Practice Group Leader, ensuring the high-quality standards that Great West strives for are achieved. Located in the Helena office, she has over 19 years of experience and is a leader in municipal engineering.
John Donahue is the recently retired CEO of the North Park Public Water District in Machesney Park, Illinois. He began his career as a small system operator and still holds operator certifications in water and wastewater treatment in Illinois. John’s career has spanned over 40 years, during which he was actively involved in AWWA at the section and association level in many capacities, including the president of AWWA in 2014. Although he is retired, John remains very active in the water industry as legislative chair of the AWWA Water Utility Council and chair of the ISAWWA WUC. In addition, John has twice testified before the U.S. Congress on drinking water issues.
Joe Frohlich serves as a cyber state coordinator (CSC) for Montana, Region 8 (UT, CO, MT, WY, ND, SD) of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in the Department of Homeland Security. He is based in Helena. CISA works with public and private partners to defend against today’s threats and build more secure and resilient infrastructure for the future. The CISA Cybersecurity Advisor program promotes cyber resilience through various engagements and performs risk and resilience-based assessments.
Ross Hanson is the I&C Regional Manager for Montana at AE2S, where he has worked for the past 14 years. His experience includes instrumentation and controls and project management. He is also a licensed MT water and wastewater operator.
Libby Henrikson is the Technical and Operators Certification Section Supervisor in the Public Water Supply Bureau for the Montana Department of Environmental Quality.
Shannon Holmes has been the Public Works Director for the City of Livingston for the last 10 years. Prior to his position with the city, Shannon was a construction manager for TD&H Engineering.
Kyla Jacobsen is the recently retired Utility Director from the City of Elgin, Illinois. She has been in the water industry for over 35 years. She started as a bench chemist in the water quality laboratory, worked as the chief chemist in charge of water quality and eventually became the utility director in charge of drinking water, sewer collection and conveyance and stormwater. Kyla fulfilled many roles during her career at the utility and as a volunteer for the American Water Works Association (AWWA). She served as the chair of the Illinois section of AWWA, as a director on the board for the AWWA in Denver and has chaired many committees at the state level (outreach, water utility council, diversity and inclusion) as well as committees at the national level. In addition, she has served as a trainer for the Illinois section of AWWA for water operators for over 15 years. Kyla received her bachelor’s in chemistry from Southern Illinois University, a master’s in biochemistry from Northern Illinois University, and a master’s in Environmental Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology.
Paige Jewell is a process design engineer in training for AE2S in Billings with experience in process design, risk assessments (AWIA) and construction of drinking water system improvements for communities across the state of Montana.
Nilaksh Kothari Nilaksh Kothari is the CEO of Preferred Consulting, LLC, which provides leadership, management, and technical services to utilities. Nilaksh has served as CEO & general manager of Manitowoc Public Utilities (MPU) and managing director of Great Lakes Utilities (GLU) since August 2000 and has more than 35 years of leadership experience in the electric and water sector. MPU is the largest municipally owned electric utility and the sixth-largest water utility in Wisconsin. Nilaksh reported to a seven-member board of directors (commission members). GLU is the second-largest municipal electric company in Wisconsin, focusing on providing reliable and low-cost power to its 12 member communities. Nilaksh is the past president of the American Water Works Association (2007 to 2008). He holds a master’s degree in sanitary engineering from South Dakota State University in Brooking. He has served on boards for the American Public Power Association and the Water Research Foundation, and currently serves on AWWA’s International Council. Nilaksh is a registered professional engineer and a certified operator in Wisconsin.
Ashley Kroon is a Civil Engineer at USDA Rural Development. She was previously the Section Supervisor for Public Water and Subdivisions for the Montana Department of Environmental Quality.
Michael Kropp has an industrial engineering degree, and has worked for an engineering firm, construction firm and has been self-employed. For the last 22 years, he has worked for the Montana DEQ Public Water Supply Bureau. He primarily performed sanitary surveys, technical assistance visits, and level 2 assessments from the Kalispell office until beginning his new duties as the Capacity Development Coordinator and Technical Assistance Specialist for Montana DEQ Public Water Supply Bureau. Mike firmly believes that the bureau should work to help water systems optimize their operations and not just regulate without insight.
Rika Lashley is an environmental engineer who works in Morrison-Maierle’s Helena office. Her experience includes the planning, design and construction of water and wastewater conveyance and treatment systems. She specialized in wastewater process design for biological nutrient removal and lagoon systems. In addition, Rika has extensive experience with MPDES permitting, including data requirements, calculation of reasonable potential and permit limits. She is actively involved in recent efforts of the Nutrient Work Group, which is working with DEQ in revamping effluent permitting for nutrients. Rika is also well-versed in federal 40 CFR 503 regulations for land application and other disposal methods for biosolids.
Ted D. Meckes, P.E. has served the water industry for 34 years. He started his career fresh out of college as an engineer for City Water, Light and Power (CWLP) in Springfield, Illinois. He served as the Superintendent of Water Treatment for CWLP until November of 2012, when he became CWLP’s Water Division Manager. He retired in August 2020. Ted graduated with a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Ted has been a member of the American Water Works Association (ISAWWA) since 1986. He is a past chair of ISAWWA, a registered professional engineer and a Class A water operator in the State of Illinois. Ted received the 2010 Illinois Public Water Supply Operators Association (IPWSOA) Surface Water Operator of the Year Award, the 2018 Water Professional of the Year for the ISAWWA and the George Fuller Award from the ISAWWA in 2019.
Randy Middlebrook currently serves as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Protective Security Advisor (PSA) for Infrastructure Protection in Federal Region VIII’s Montana district which covers the entire state of Montana. Mr. Middlebrook supports homeland security efforts, serving as a federal liaison and advisor to the Governor’s Homeland Security Advisor on infrastructure protection matters. He contributes to the development of the national risk picture by assisting with identifying, assessing, monitoring and minimizing risk to critical assets, soft targets and public gatherings at the local level. Randy has earned the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) Professional Designation (CPD) through the National Institute of Crime Prevention. Before becoming a PSA, Randy served as the Critical Infrastructure Protection Program Manager with the Montana Department of Justice in the Montana Analysis and Technical Information Center. At that time, he was, and still is, a member of the Montana Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF). Before working for the state and federal governments, Mr. Middlebrook served on active duty for 21 years with the U.S. Air Force.
Diane Monahan has been in the water and wastewater industry for over 30 years. She attended Northern Michigan University before moving to Gillette, Wyoming where she has lived with her family for over 40 years. Her career has included positions as a wastewater plant operator, a private sector wastewater and water operator for small systems, and a technical advisor with Midwest Assistance Program (RCAP), providing expertise to small systems in IA, NE, SD, MT and WY. Diane then formed her own company, Water Connections, and co-founded another (RATES), contracting with Region VIII EPA to complete sanitary surveys and provide technical expertise within the Rocky Mountain Region. In 2006, she accepted the Water Services Manager position for the City of Gillette, Wyoming. She remained in the position until her retirement in January 2020. She maintains four WY DEQ operator licenses for water, distribution, wastewater and collection. Diane most recently served as a board member for the Rocky Mountain Section of the American Water Works Association. In addition, she has been an instructor supporting operator training conferences for 30 years.
Jarrett Moran is a Project Manager for HDR in Bozeman, Montana. Before joining HDR, Jarrett was the Engineering Manager for the Department of Public Utilities at the City of Suffolk, Virginia.
Nick Pericich graduated from Montana State University with a degree in chemical engineering. Shortly after graduation, he joined the Bozeman Water and Sewer Division as an operator. He now serves as assistant superintendent, responsible for operating and maintaining the water distribution and wastewater collection systems. He has 20 years of operations experience in various positions with the City of Bozeman’s Water and Sewer Division. Most of his expertise lies in the area between the two treatment plants, from making taps to planning daily routines using asset management.
James Sletten is an I&C technician with a decade’s worth of control system experience in water and wastewater. He specializes in integrating valves, pumps, and sensors with PLCs and SCADA systems used to control various water and wastewater processes.
Mike Tate is a licensed engineer who worked at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) in various capacities for over 30 years, retiring in 2015 as the director of KDHE’s Bureau of Water. He started a second career with EPA’s Region 7 Office after retirement. He enjoyed working across multiple water programs – drinking water, wastewater, nonpoint source, etc. Mike spent nearly six years with EPA before retiring at the beginning of 2022. Mike was active in the Association of Clean Water Administrators (ACWA) for over 15 years. He co-chaired the organization’s Nutrients Policy Committee and helped initiate the Nutrient Working Group with ACWA and EPA. Mike also represented ACWA in numerous workgroups and taskforces dealing with water quality issues, including three National Academy of Science panels and multiple workgroups sponsored by EPA, the Water Environment Federation (WEF), the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), the Johnson Foundation, and others. He is a member of the Water Environment Federation and the American Water Works Association and a graduate of Oklahoma State University with a bachelor’s in civil engineering and a master’s in bioenvironmental engineering.
Mike Uthe is the current Northwest Area Manager for water management solutions at Mueller Water Products. He has spent the last 7 years working in municipal water as a technical resource for utilities and engineers. His expertise includes asset management, control valves and non-revenue water. He has a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering from Montana Tech and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Montana State University.
Kurt Vause is co-founder of StreamlineAM, LLC, an Alaskan and Montana-based consulting service dedicated to utility management, asset management and engineering for the water sector. From 1998 - 2017, he was engineering division director of Anchorage Water Wastewater Utility (AWWU), then special projects director for strategic utility initiatives. During his tenure at AWWU, he was responsible for AWWU’s capital construction program, its Grants and Loans section, and the Strategic Asset Services and Planning sections of the utility. Kurt chaired the American Water Works Association (AWWA) Asset Management Committee from Fall 2016 to July 2020 and served as chair of AWWA’s Water Utility Council from 2016 to 2019. He also served on the 2012 International Water Association (IWA) - Water Supply Association of Australia (WSAA) Asset Management Best Practices Benchmarking Project Steering Committee. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil and environmental engineering and a master’s degree in civil engineering.
Grant Weaver is a licensed wastewater operator and professional engineer. For the last 22 years, Grant has taught wastewater nutrient optimization classes for the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and applied his expertise to treatment facilities across the state.
Dave Weihrauch is the principal of H2O Compliance Strategies, LLC and has been certified as an Ohio EPA Class II Water Distribution System Operator, Ohio Class IV Water Treatment Plant Operator, and Arkansas Class IV Water Treatment Plant Operator. He has 37 years of experience in the municipal service industry, including construction, operation and maintenance of stormwater, wastewater collection, and water distribution systems. He retired as the Water Treatment Plant Manager for the City of Oxford, Ohio, where he served for 26 years. H2O Compliance Strategies, LLC is primarily involved in asset management program development for community water systems. The company is currently engaged in developing and implementing a comprehensive enterprise asset management program for Beaver Water District, serving one of seven Arkansas residents with potable water. H2O Compliance Strategies, LLC has previously supported Parsons Corporation as a team member in developing regulatory compliance strategies within a water utility asset evaluation report for the Ohio Department of Transportation. In addition, he has held many volunteer positions with the Ohio Section of the American Water Works Association (AWWA), Chairman of the AWWA Ohio Section Water Utility Council and Legislative Chairman of the AWWA Water Utility Council. David is the recipient of the Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana Regional Council of Governments “In Motion” Award, Ohio Section AWWA Operator Meritorious Award and the 2015 AWWA Volunteer of the Year Award.
Craig Woolard is a professor and head of the Department of Civil Engineering at Montana State University and the Montana Water and Wastewater Operators Initiative director. Before returning to MSU, Craig served as the director of public works for the City of Bozeman. Craig has served as the treatment operations director and then general manager of the Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility in Anchorage, Alaska. Craig has been active in professional associations throughout his career and served as the national president for the American Water Works Association in 2008. Craig grew up in Kalispell, Montana, and earned a bachelor’s in civil engineering from Montana State University and a Ph.D. in civil engineering from the University of Notre Dame. He is a registered professional engineer in Alaska and Montana.