Regulatory Update Meghan Klasic, U.S. EPA: Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water

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2 Speaker Highlights Don t miss this exceptional opportunity to network with those shaping the future of environmental certification, hear success stories from programs around the globe and expand your expertise in certification to strengthen your program. Regardless of your technical background, you ll benefit by attending an ABC conference. Here s a glimpse of what you can expect: Dear Colleagues and Friends, On behalf of this year s Conference Committee, it is my honor to cordially invite you to attend ABC s 23rd Annual Conference Certifying the Future. Certification and related industry professionals from across the globe will be converging in Jacksonville for the most comprehensive environmental certification conference of its kind. This event offers a wide range of outstanding presentations, interactive breakout sessions, and networking opportunities. These challenging economic times underscore the professional responsibility each of us carries to ensure that a competent work force remains intact to protect public health and the environment. To that end, the conference program focuses on innovative ideas and methods to help you do your job better, smarter and more efficiently with less resources. As you read through this conference brochure, I hope you ll discover an array of opportunities to encourage your attendance. The Conference Committee has been working hard to make this conference a truly memorable experience for all participants. We hope you will join us next January in the Sunshine State for Certifying the Future! Sincerely, John Solvie 2009 ABC President-Elect Conference Committee Chair Keynote Address Lessons from Recent Waterborne Disease Outbreaks: Implications for Operator Certification & Training Dr. Steve Hrudey, Professor Emeritus: University of Alberta Dr. Steve Hrudey has areas of expertise in drinking water safety, environmental contaminant exposure assessment, approaches for health risk assessment, risk management and risk communication. He served as a member of the Research Advisory Panel to the Walkerton Inquiry, then as Leader of the Protecting Public Health Program for the Canadian Water Network and was appointed to the Science Advisory Council for the National Collaborating Centres of the Public Health Agency of Canada. Special Guest Speakers Overview of Third Party Accreditation through ANSI & NOCA Fae Mellichamp, Senior Psychometrician: Professional Testing Fae Mellichamp s career began with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation where she was responsible for development of a variety of state licensure examinations. She has experience with all phases of examination development and served as the lead editor for CLEAR s revision of: The Americans with Disabilities Act: Information for Credentialing Examinations. Regulatory Update Meghan Klasic, U.S. EPA: Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water Meghan Klasic is National Coordinator of EPA s Operator Certification Program and National Coordinator of EPA s Expense Reimbursement Grant Program, which offers monies to states for the training of drinking water operators. She serves as the Grants Coordinator for EPA Headquarters while personally serving as the Project Officer for four University-based Technical Assistance Centers. She also provides support on the workforce initiative and capacity development programs.

3 Technical Program Advancing Certification Standards: Development of Canadian Best Practices and ABC s Best Practices Legal Issues Development and Implementation of Jordan s Operator Certification Program Innovative Approaches to Training and Compliance Assistance Consistency with Contact Hours & Work Experience Operator Continuing Education Achieving its Intended Purpose Verifying High School Diplomas Road Map to Implementing a Successful Training and Certification Program for Plant Maintenance Technologists Multi Utility Certification The Process for Implementing a New Certification for Operators Water Conservation Certification Program Scenario-based Training Customizing Operator Training Materials and Examinations Bridging the Gap between Experienced & Non-experienced Operators The Greening of the Water Industry: Jobs, Money & the New Economy Development of an Online Certificate to Help Advance Operators Utilizing the Internet for Operator Certification Alternate Presentations Reciprocity Agreements: Lessons Learned Pandemic Flu Preparedness for Operators A Certifier s Perspective Specific Steps You Can Do to Ensure an Adequate Number of Future Operators Breakout Sessions Performance Measures in the Certification World Jenny Chambers and Shelley Nolan, Montana Department of Environmental Quality During this interactive breakout session, attendees can explore continual improvement, hear program performance measure success stories and gather ideas on certification program evaluation. This session will also include a facilitated group presentation and activities, and provide an opportunity for networking and coordination with other attendees. Creating an ABC Examination:The Other Side of the Exam Process* Jess Jones, Operator Training Community of Ohio Margaret Doss, Columbia County Waterworks, Georgia Suzanne De la Cruz, Association of Boards of Certification Ever want to go behind the scenes of ABC exam development? This comprehensive and interactive breakout session features detailed information and expanded examples from those closely involved in the process. Attendees can gain a view of ABC examination development from A to Z. *Space is limited; concurrent sessions are offered. Conference attendees can sign up for this session during registration. Networking Opportunities ABC s conference provides an atmosphere for professionals to share ideas and discuss important certification issues through networking opportunities: Conference Welcome Dinner Reception Tuesday, January 26 New Attendee Welcome Breakfast Wednesday, January 27 Evening Networking Reception (sponsored in part by AMP) Wednesday, January 27 Conference Meals and Breaks ABC: The Early Years Harris Seidel, ABC Co-Founder After recognizing the need for an organization to foster operator certification, Harris Seidel, along with other water and wastewater industry leaders, established the Association of Boards of Certification in Today, ABC includes international membership from almost 100 certifying authorities, while remaining focused on its mission to advance water quality and integrity through certification. Harris will offer attendees a historical perspective of ABC during his informal luncheon presentation. Distance Education Association of Boards of Certification Learn more about ABC s newest member benefit designed to save your program time and resources. This session will explore the Distance Education project and answer attendee questions. For a complete technical program schedule, visit: CertifyingtheFuture.asp ABC Member Savings ABC Regulatory, Voluntary or Associate members are entitled to conference registration discounts. Early bird registration discounts are also available. Regulatory/Voluntary Program Member: $400* $450 Associate Member: $500* $550 Non-member: $630* $680 *ABC early bird discount offer valid only for ABC Annual Conference registrations completed on or before December 16, ABC Membership ABC serves its membership as a connection to certification, a voice for international certification issues and a tool to build lifelong, professional relationships.

4 General Information Registration Please detach and return the registration form with appropriate fees. Registration forms must be postmarked or faxed by December 16, 2009 to qualify for early bird discounts. Meals Registration fee includes Tuesday reception with dinner buffet, breakfast Wednesday-Friday and lunch on Wednesday and Thursday. If special services or food are required, please contact Ann Hall at ABC Reservations For hotel reservations, please call Crowne Plaza in house reservations at (904) , ext and identify the site as Crowne Plaza Jacksonville Riverfront, your dates, and Group Code ABC. ABC room rates are $110 per night plus 13% tax. A valid credit card is required to hold the reservation. ABC s room block will be released on December 29, To guarantee availability and rates, reserve your rooms early at the Crowne Plaza: Crowne Plaza Jacksonville Riverfront 1201 Riverplace Boulevard Jacksonville, Florida Phone (904) , Ext Ground Transportation Express Shuttle is available between the airport and hotel for $34. Current ground transportation details are available on the conference webpage. ABC s Cancellation Policy Conference registration cancellations must be submitted in writing. Cancellations received after January 13, 2010 will be refunded less 25% of the registration fee. Hotel reservations are the responsibility of the individual and must be cancelled directly with the hotel 72 hours prior to arrival. Name Conference Registration Name displayed on name tag Organization Affiliation for name tag Mailing Address City Postal/Zip Code Telephone Register me for ABC s 2010 Annual Conference! I am a first-time attendee Contact me about including a guest for meals Payment of $ enclosed Payment of $ is being processed Send me an invoice in the amount of $ Note any invoicing instructions. ABC cannot accept credit cards. Province/ State Fax How did you hear about the 2010 ABC Annual Conference? (Check all that apply.) I have attended a previous conference Postal mail Colleague Article in industry publication ABC Website/e-newsletter The Certifier Submit completed application form and payment to: Association of Boards of Certification 208 5th Street, Suite 201 Ames, IA Phone: (515) Fax: (515) conference@abccert.org The Crowne Plaza Jacksonville Riverfront Hotel, located on St. Johns River (pictured above), is the site of ABC s 23rd Annual Conference. Photo Credit: Ken McCray

5 Register Today! Send in your registration materials on or before December 16, 2009 to receive the conference early bird discount. Details inside. Major conference sponsorship provided by Applied Measurement Professionals Advancing Water Quality & Integrity 208 5th Street, Suite 201 Ames, IA Phone (515) Fax (515)