The American Water Works Association (AWWA) has announced that the opening keynote at the 2021 Annual Conference and Exposition (ACE21 All Virtual) will feature Jennifer Sara, global director of the World Bank’s Water Global Practice, and AWWA president Melissa Elliott examining a range of current water topics. ACE21 All Virtual will be held June 14 to June17.

ACE21 All Virtual will also feature Radhika Fox, the newly appointed assistant administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Water, as part of a Fireside Chat with EPA. This session will be June 15 at 9:30 a.m. MT and will be moderated by AWWA CEO David LaFrance.

ACE21 All Virtual will feature more than 80 hours of learning through six professional tracks, delivered by the water sector’s most knowledgeable and engaging presenters. ACE21 All Virtual sessions will be available to review on-demand for 30 days after the conference. The six tracks include:

• Water Utility Management and Leadership
• 21st Century Infrastructure
• Water Quality: Challenges and Research
• Sustainable Water Resources
• Utility Resilience
• Innovating the Future of Water

The conference will include special events, including the following:

• Good Day, AWWA! — AWWA CEO David LaFrance will kick off the conference each morning with interviews with John Young, a consultant supporting Flint’s recovery effort; Colby Manwaring, CEO of Innovyze; Marisa Tricas, utility government relations administrator with the City of Roseville; Seth Siegel, author of Troubled Water: What’s Wrong with What We Drink; and Cathy Bernardino Bailey, executive director of the Greater Cincinnati Water Works.
• Virtual Career Fair — A chance for employers and candidates to connect.
• Women, Influencers, Water Workshop – An exciting conversation led by AWWA president Melissa Elliott between influential women in the water sector.
• Best of the Best Water Taste Test – A virtual competition that gives Section Taste Test winners the chance to compete to decide who has the best-tasting water.

Registration for the four-day conference is open.