Committees & Task Forces
To join a committee or task force, contact the chair.
Committees & Task Forces 2024
NOWRA's committees are the working groups of the organization. They exist over time to shape the direction of the organization. NOWRA welcomes and encourages its members to become involved with its committees and task forces. For information on joining a committee or task force, please contact the NOWRA office at info@nowra.org.
Conference Planning Committee
Danna Revis, Chair
Josh Gunia, Vice-chair
Role: Serve as the lead committee for the NOWRA Annual Conference by providing an effective committee structure and knowledge of regional industry issues. Works closely with local organizational support team.
Responsibilities: Works with the Executive Director to implement annual conference program activities, identifying and support obtaining keynote speakers and entertainment and conference program social activities; and, provide regional input to the Education Committee on programs forums that benefit NOWRA members and the onsite industry. Responsibility of organizing volunteers for the event and providing training to volunteers for their duties.
Corporate Members Committee
Ed Schloss, Chair
Brenda Faz, Chair
Role: Serve as communication conduit between the NOWRA leadership and Corporate Members to identify needs and input into the organization.
Responsibilities: In partnership with the Executive Director update Corporate Program to help meet the needs of members and grow the organization. Recruit new members.
Education Committee
Gary Hawkins, Chair
Andrew Lazur, Vice-chair
Role: Advance member education through the NOWRA annual conference, state programs, Installer Academy classroom, and other venues or specialty programs. Provide opportunities for essential dialogue on innovative technologies and management through effective forums and maintain approval of Continuing Education Units (CEU’s) for all NOWRA courses.
Responsibilities: Develop the education program for the Annual Conference and Installer Academy; disseminate training programs to industry practitioners; coordinate with other organizations and states’ groups in the development and delivery of training programs.
Emerging Professionals Committee
Jonathan Kaiser, Chair
Jilian Maxcy-Brown, Vice-chair
Cory Yarrington, External Collaborations Manager
Ashley Donnelly, Social Outreach
Robert Bair, Scholarship Manager
Role: NOWRA's Emerging Professionals Committee is dedicated to workforce development, recruitment, and advocacy on behalf of young and early career professionals in the onsite wastewater treatment sector.
Responsibilities: To be developed.
Executive Committee
Allison Blodig, Chris LeClair, Sara Heger, and Jim King
Role: Provide supervision and control of the business and affairs of NOWRA. The president and vice president/president elect are ex-officio members of all committees.
Responsibilities: Hires and directs executive director, serves as official custodian of the corporate records and have charge and custody of and be responsible for all funds and securities of the corporation. Currently serves as the nomination committee.
Government Relations Committee
Carl Thompson, Chair
Roxanne Groover, Vice-chair
Role: Establish and facilitate effective communication and monitoring strategies with local, state legislative and federal regulatory officials.
Responsibilities: Develop legislative strategies, organize, and prepare constituent groups and coalitions to advance and achieve acceptance of the NOWRA framework, performance code, and other defined needs of the Association including contractor certification.
Marketing and Communications Committee
Donna Fiorentino, Chair
Cynthia Castro, Vice-chair
Chris Chapman
Role: Develop effective communications and promotional strategies with external partners and other interests that achieves greater public awareness of NOWRA's programs and work on behalf of the onsite industry. Develop strategies for membership growth and retention at the national level and to provide support to affiliate organizations. Oversee the NOWRA website and social media.
Responsibilities: Work with the Executive Director to implement identified strategies that showcase the achievements of NOWRA’s, its members, and its national leadership in water quality protection through production of the Associations publications, website, and homeowner education materials.
Online Education Committee
Sara Heger, Chair
Brenda Faz, Vice-chair
Role: Develop and publish course content for NOWRA's Online Education Platform. Train state affiliates on how to use online education platform and assist in developing and publishing content for state-level continuing education courses. Develop policies on pricing, access to the platform, and revenue sharing. Assist state affiliates with local approval of CEU and work to get courses approved in states without affiliates and other organizations.
Onsite Journal
Editor: Anish Jantrania
Role: Guide development of the Onsite Journal in partnership with the Executive Director with input from the Technical Practices Committee.
Technical Practices Committee
Marcia Degen, Co-chair
Robert Sweeney, Co-chair
Role: Promote sound and appropriate technical practices in the application of onsite wastewater treatment system design, operation, and management.
Responsibilities: Develop technical materials on the design, installation, operation, and management of onsite wastewater treatment systems with focus on practices that ensure effective, safe onsite systems and provide water quality protection.
Task Forces
Task groups are appointed by the President for a specific purpose. Once their "task" is accomplished they either cease to exist and are disbanded, go inactive or can become a committee. The Task Forces that are currently in use at NOWRA are:
Research Needs Task Force
Bryan Brooks, Chair
Sara Heger, Vice-chair
Role: Work to identify critical area of needed research in decentralized industry.
Responsibilities: Working with partner develop process to gather and publish a research needs document.
Future Conferences Task Force
Sara Heger, Chair
Role: Work with Executive Director and Conference Committee Chair to set schedule for annual conference 3 years into the future.
For information on joining a committee or task force, please contact the NOWRA office at info@nowra.org.