Water: Beneath the Surface and Around the Globe
Friday, February 21 – 1- 5pm
The seminar and Saturday’s award ceremony are live-streamed on BerkeleySpringsWV Facebook page.
Times Approximate
Schedule to be determined
Moderator and Water Master
Noted water expert and consultant.
Well known for Nipper’s, his highly successful champagne and caviar club in California, von Wiesenberger added water tastings to his wine-tasting business in the late 1970s. He is a past president of the International Food, Wine, and Travel Writers Association, the American Institute of Wine and Food, and the Society of Wine Educators. His books include Champagne & Caviar, A Pocket Guide to Bottled Water, and The Taste of Water. The original Water Master of the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting, von Wiesenberger has served in all but three festivals through the 33 years. Since 2018 he has been the Executive Producer and host of the award-winning animal rescue television series, AnimalZone. It is on Cox television network and TUBI.Tv. See why Arthur von Wiesenberger was chosen for the 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award.
FEATURED SPEAKERS for 2025
2025 Lifetime Achievement Award
One Drop Foundation
One Drop Foundation will receive the acclaimed Lifetime Achievement Award. Since its founding in 2007, by Guy Laliberté, visionary creator of Cirque du Soleil and Lune Rouge, One Drop Foundation has transformed the lives of nearly 3 million people in Latin America, India, Africa, and among Indigenous communities in Canada. Guided by its vision of a sustainable future with safe water for all, One Drop empowers communities to tackle the water and climate crisis through innovative, sustainable initiatives. Channeling the creative spirit of Cirque du Soleil, One Drop rallies local and international changemakers to raise funds and co-create solutions that drive life-changing projects worldwide.
TOPIC: An Overview of One Drop Foundation Lisa Clowery, Co-Chief Executive Officer of One Drop, will accept this prestigious award via a pre-recorded message and share insights during the seminar. Her virtual presentation will introduce the foundation and include an overview of their work and strategic priorities.
Lisa Clowery, Co-Chief Executive Officer, One Drop Foundation
As Co-Chief Executive Officer of the One Drop Foundation since 2023, Lisa Clowery has been dedicated to advancing their mission of ensuring sustainable access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene for communities facing significant barriers worldwide. Her focus is on strategic partnership building, fundraising, and marketing initiatives to raise both revenue and awareness for the cause. Lisa’s expertise lies in cultivating comprehensive partnerships that align donor social responsibility with One Drop’s philanthropic endeavors, encompassing signature events, major gifts, and campaigns. She prioritizes long-term, sustainable relationships and partnerships, continually seeking innovative ways to create positive social impact.
Before joining One Drop, Lisa was a key member of the leadership team at the Breakfast Club of Canada, where she led business development and managed the national development team. This experience provided her with a deep understanding of non-profit management and fueled her dedication to making a difference. Lisa’s diverse background also includes project management and sales roles in the telecommunications and pharmaceutical industries. She holds a specialization in marketing from Concordia University in Montreal.
Throughout her career, Lisa has maintained a transparent and collaborative leadership style, fostering effective solutions and driving revenue-generating opportunities on both national and international scales. Her passion for social change and commitment to philanthropy guides her efforts to create lasting, positive impacts through strategic partnerships and innovative initiatives.
Topic: Liquid Gold – From Source to Tap: Ryan discusses insights and lessons learned from his years of providing Gold Medal award-winning water to the people of Clearbrook, while maintaining that quality throughout the entire system. From well rehabilitation to an engineered unidirectional flushing program, in-house laboratory testing, and reservoir inspection and cleaning, there are many aspects that are considered, and constantly adjusted and improved upon to ensure that the high-quality water at the source continues as unchanged as possible on its journey to the tap.
Ryan Federau, CWP
WDSO II
Ryan is currently the Water Quality Technician at Clearbrook Waterworks District, located in Abbotsford, BC, Canada. With 19 years of experience in the field, Ryan is a level 2 Water Distribution System Operator, with certifications in Chlorine Handling, Disinfection, and Water Chemistry among others. He has a wealth of knowledge to draw from, and utilizes his experiences to tackle some of the unique challenges encountered with operating a smaller, non-chlorinated water system.
Topic: Water and Sanitation for All. A presentation on the global trends for United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 and opportunities for action.
Kelly Ann Naylor is the co-founder and co-owner of Water and Sanitation Strategy Dynamics LLC, based in Great Cacapon, West Virginia.
Kelly Ann has over 25 years of experience in the water and sanitation sector managing urban and rural development programs in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and North America. She was previously the Global Director for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) for UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund). From October 2020 to September 2022, she served as the Vice Chair of United Nations Water (UN-Water), the coordination mechanism for water and sanitation issues in the United Nations.
Kelly Ann has undergraduate and master’s degrees in civil and environmental engineering from Stanford University and is a registered Professional Civil Engineer.
Topic: Advancing Water Treatment Science, and Fostering Community Involvement.
Ozone-biofiltration is an advanced water treatment technology that has proven to be a more sustainable alternative than membrane-based advanced drinking water treatment, in terms of both energy efficiency and waste production and disposal. Its effectiveness, however, relies on the microbial communities that grow within the system to remove contaminants.
Kara Cunningham will present her graduate research that utilizes cutting-edge tools to analyze 12 months of microbial community data from a full-scale ozone-biofiltration drinking water system. By examining the relationship between operational practices, water quality, and microbial dynamics, this research aims to enhance the performance of biofiltration systems and support the delivery of high-quality, biostable drinking water.
In addition to her research, Kara Cunningham will share her journey as the founder and president of the first American Water Works Association student chapter in West Virginia. She will highlight impactful ways to engage with the local water community and inspire meaningful contributions to the field. Join her to explore her graduate research and advocacy efforts at WVU, focused on advancing water treatment science and fostering community involvement.
Kara Cunningham – PhD Student & Graduate Research Assistant, West Virginia University
Kara Cunningham is a Ph.D. student in Civil and Environmental Engineering at West Virginia University (WVU), where she also earned her bachelor’s degree in 2022. Inspired by her experience living through the 2014 West Virginia water crisis, Kara is passionate about advancing water treatment science and advocating for clean drinking water.
As the founder and president of the American Water Works Association (AWWA) WVU student chapter, she has organized impactful networking events, mentored peers, and driven discussions on critical water industry topics. Her leadership extends to active roles on several AWWA committees, including the Microbiological Contaminants Research Committee and the Biological Treatment Committee.
Kara’s research focuses on studying the microbial communities within ozone-biofiltration drinking water treatment, utilizing advanced techniques like high-throughput sequencing and statistical modeling. She has contributed to the water industry through her work at HDR, Inc., Loudoun Water, and Toyota, and her efforts have been recognized with prestigious awards, including the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Kara is dedicated to driving innovation and ensuring sustainable solutions for global water challenges.
TOPIC: Group Discussion
Henry “Bob” Hidell is the Founder, Chairman & Managing Director of Hidell International providing consulting services to the beverage, drinking water, food and nutrition industries since 1972. His professional expertise spans the spectrum of business, technical, and educational services with specific expertise in the formulation of business strategies, mergers and acquisitions, and turnkey development of beverage bottling facilities. He is a recognized expert in international economic and business development and is the 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient.