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This annual event will be open to all STEM majors, and it will provide them with an opportunity to learn about water industry organizations and network with alumni. Companies may meet and directly recruit talented, ambitious undergraduates.
Ann Davidson is a marketing and communications professional with more than 20 years of experience supporting organizations and associations. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Loyola University Chicago and a master’s degree in Communications from Northwestern University. Ann is an active member of the International Association of Business Communicators and the Public Relations Society of America and is passionate about lifelong learning and professional development.
Matt McGregor serves as Plant Manager of the Egan Water Reclamation Plant for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, where he has worked for more than 19 years in treatment operations, maintenance, and energy management. He holds degrees from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Illinois Institute of Technology and is a licensed Professional Engineer, Certified Energy Manager, and Illinois Class 1 wastewater operator. Matt has served as Corporate Secretary on the IWEA Executive Board since 2022 and was inducted into the Illinois Select Society of Sanitary Sludge Shovelers in 2025.
Ryan Christopher has more than 18 years of experience in water and wastewater planning, design, and construction. He serves as an Associate Vice President and Design Center Manager for the TYLin Water Sector, leading projects involving water and wastewater treatment infrastructure across the country. Throughout his career, Ryan has served in both project management and engineering leadership roles.
Kam Law is an Associate at Greeley and Hansen with more than 24 years of experience in wastewater treatment and utility infrastructure. A registered Professional Engineer in Illinois and Wisconsin, she serves on several IWEA and WEF committees, including the Plant Operations, Nutrient Removal and Recovery, and Research & Innovation Committees. Kam holds degrees from the University of Kansas, Northwestern University, and the University of Nevada, Reno, where she earned a doctorate in Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Nathan (Nate) Davis is a Water Resources Project Manager and Engineer with Crawford, Murphy & Tilly in Springfield, Illinois. An active IWEA member since 2008, Nate previously chaired the Government Affairs Committee, where he helped grow the organization’s Government Affairs Seminar, and currently serves on the Collection Facilities Committee. He completed WEF’s Water Leadership Institute and regularly contributes to IWEA through committee leadership, conference planning, and industry advocacy.
Jerry Ruth is a Senior Project Manager with Trotter and Associates and has worked in the water sector since earning a civil engineering degree from Purdue University in 2008. His experience includes planning, design, and construction of wastewater collection systems, lift stations, biological treatment improvements, digesters, and biosolids facilities. Jerry serves as Vice Chair of the Manufacturer Advisory Committee and has been a longtime member and volunteer within IWEA.
Lou Storino is the Managing Civil Engineer for the Collection Facilities/TARP Section of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRDGC). During his more than 26 years with MWRDGC, he has worked on projects involving sewer rehabilitation, tunnel and reservoir design, sidestream deammonification, combined heat and power systems, energy neutrality planning, and stormwater management. Lou is a licensed Professional Engineer, a Board Certified Environmental Engineer, and an active volunteer in both IWEA and his community.
Lynn Kohlhaas is a licensed Professional Engineer with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRDGC), where she serves as Operations Manager of the O’Brien Water Reclamation Plant. During her more than 20 years with the District, she has held leadership roles in operations, watershed management, and major facility modernization efforts. Lynn previously chaired the IWEA Plant Operations Committee and is a recipient of both the WEF Arthur Sidney Bedell Award and the IWEA Kenneth C. Merideth Award. She is also a proud member of the Illinois Select Society of Sanitary Sludge Shovelers.
Keith Richard manages the Dr. W.D. Hatfield Laboratory at the Sanitary District of Decatur and has worked with the District since 2015. He served as Chair of the IWEA Laboratory Committee and is committed to advancing laboratory education and best practices within the industry.
Dr. Karoline Qasem is the Assistant Regional Manager – Water at Horner & Shifrin, where she partners with municipalities across Illinois on water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure. Her work focuses on regulatory compliance, NPDES permitting, water quality, and helping communities navigate emerging environmental requirements. Karoline also serves as an adjunct faculty member at the Illinois Institute of Technology, where she brings practical municipal engineering and infrastructure planning experience into the classroom.
Dan Small is a board-certified environmental engineer with Strand Associates, Inc., where he leads the firm’s wastewater group in Joliet, Illinois. He earned degrees in civil/environmental and environmental engineering from Bradley University and the University of Colorado and has extensive experience leading wastewater infrastructure and utility projects throughout the region.
Jane Schipma serves as a Treatment Plant Operator III at the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago’s Hanover Park Water Reclamation Plant, where she supervises facility operations. She began her career with MWRDGC in 2007 as a Laboratory Assistant and earned a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Trinity Western University. Jane is pursuing a master’s degree in civil and environmental engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and served as Chair of the IWEA Research & Innovation Committee. She also participates on the Nutrient Removal and Recovery and Plant Operations Committees and completed WEF’s Water Leadership Institute in 2021.
