Public Officials

Are you a public official with oversight of water? ACE25 will position you to make the best-informed decisions for your utility and community. Join your elected and appointed colleagues from throughout North America and across the globe to explore the trends, shared challenges and transformational technologies that impact water governance today.

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Welcome to ACE!

At the June 10 Public Officials Breakfast & Caucus, share your insights with other public officials while learning from their experiences. New to water leadership? Consider participating in up to 12 hours of training over three days (June 8-10) through the Public Officials Certificate program, earning the Public Officials Certificate.

ACE boasts a long list of professional sessions that are directly relevant to public officials are available throughout the conference. Deepen your expertise in:

Capital project and infrastructure financing
Water resource and utility management
Public engagement and communication
Water policy and regulations

A visit to the exhibit floor – an expanse of more than 1,000 booths – will provide you access to solutions to virtually any water challenge while preparing you for the future. Whether you oversee a water system serving 1,000 people or 1 million, AWWA’s Annual Conference and Exposition (ACE25) can help you be the best leader for your governing body, utility, and community.

Event Highlight

Public Officials Breakfast & Caucus

8:00 – 11:30 a.m. | Tuesday, June 10, Registration Required

Public Officials Breakfast & Caucus: free to elected and appointed public officials attending the conference, this special event will be held on Tuesday, June 10, 2025 from 8:00 – 11:30 a.m. Registration is required, and is open to elected or appointed public officials only. Sign up during the standard registration process and you will be contacted with additional details prior to June.

Public Officials Training at ACE

Public Officials Certificate Courses: ACE offers a targeted program for new and returning public official attendees to help them make informed decisions around utility operations and finances. The three courses are designed for mayors, water and wastewater board commissioners, and council members, and will include information about key water issues and strategies to address them. The courses may be taken individually or together, depending on what topics are most relevant to you.

CRT1 – Introduction to Water and Sewer Operating Environments

Sunday, June 8, 2025 | 1:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Individual Course: $135 Member | $235 Nonmember

Officials completing this course will acquire a basic understanding of the regulatory environment and water supply concerns surrounding public water systems. The course will discuss the regulatory environment that utilities operate in and why, the rule making process and permitting agencies.

*Please note: CRT courses are available at an additional cost to public officials only. You must be registered for the conference itself, in order to add on a CRT course.

CRT2 – Water and Sewer Infrastructure, Operations, and Maintenance

Monday, June 9, 2025 | 1:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Individual Course: $135 Member | $235 Nonmember

This course explores the mission and inner workings of water treatment and piping assets, with a focus on the management of these assets to protect public health and reduce outage risk, including maintenance requirements and utility expenditures.

*Please note: CRT courses are available at an additional cost to public officials only. You must be registered for the conference itself, in order to add on a CRT course.

CRT3 – Leadership in an Era of Workforce, Economic, and Infrastructure Challenges

Tuesday, June 10, 2025 | 1:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Individual Course: $135 Member | $235 Nonmember

Today’s water utility navigates complex, interrelated challenges that require local solutions and informed leaders. This interactive session explores solutions for filling essential jobs, addressing aging systems, and assuring sustainable funding.

*Please note: CRT courses are available at an additional cost to public officials only. You must be registered for the conference itself, in order to add on a CRT course.

CRT4 – All Three Courses

Combined Courses: $350 Member | $650 Nonmember

This option includes all three courses above (CRT1, CRT2, and CRT3). AWWA will award a Certificate of Completion after completing all three courses.

*Please note: CRT courses are available at an additional cost to public officials only. You must be registered for the conference itself, in order to add on a CRT course.

More Events

Monday, June 9	2:00 – 3:30 p.m.	Advances in Asset Management Processes \| ECD 13 Advancing the Water Sector through Artificial Intelligence \| ECD 6 Anchor Institutions in Communities: The Role of Water Utilities Funding and Management Strategies for Building Resilient Small Systems \| SSD 6
	3:30 – 5:00 p.m.	Lead Hot Topics \| WQTD 6 Building Financial Resiliency in Water Utilities: A Path to 2050 \| Water 2050 3 Drinking Water Utility Preparedness for Wild and Urban Interface Fires \| Curated 12
Tuesday, June 10	8:30 – 10:00 a.m.	The Financial and Legal Issues of Cybersecurity Impacting Water Utilties Empowering the Next Generation: Growing and Sustaining the Water Workforce \| YPC 1
	8:30 – 11:00 a.m.	Fresh Approaches to Water Rate Development and Affordability \| MLD 1 – 3 HOUR
	10:00 – 11:30 a.m.	Utility Financial Trends and Federal Funding Options 2025 Financing Options for Resilient Watersheds and Water Infrastructure \| WRSD 5 Regional Approaches to Building Strong Partnerships and Solidifying Successful lnteragency Reuse Projects \| Curated 5 Building a Culture of Communication: Strategies for Transparency and Engagement \| PAC 4
	1:30 – 3:00 p.m.	Future-Ready Water: Collaborate, Innovate, Transform \| Water 2050 4 Strategies For A Resilient Colorado River
	1:30 – 4:00 p.m.	Lead Service Line Inventory Experiences \| WQTD 5 – 3 HOUR Securing the Longevity of Small Water Systems: Strategies for Sustainability and Resilience \| SSD 3 – 3 HOUR
	3:00 – 4:30 p.m.	Creative Solutions in Sustainable Infrastructure \| ECD 19 Community Engagement & Empowerment: A Path to 2050 \| Water 2050 5 Climate Change in the Water Sector and Its Impact on Financial Resilience, Insurability, and Credit-Investment Quality Preserving Programs to Elevate Underrepresented Voices in Water \| MLD 4
Wednesday, June 11	8:30 – 11:30 a.m.	Engaging with Communities to Discuss Forever Chemicals \| MLD 3 Education & Workforce Topic TBD 2 \| Curated 9
	8:30 – 11:30 a.m.	Prioritizing Water Investments using Decision-making Tools and Procedures \| WRSD 2 – 3 HOUR
	10:00 – 11:30 a.m.	Net-Zero Carbon Strategies and Why These Matter to Water Utilities The Long View of Strategic Planning in Three Utilities \| MLD 7 Bridging Water Education and Community Development \| MLD 3.5
	1:30 -3:00 p.m.	Rising Above: Elevating Infrastructure Planning with Asset Management to Create a Master Plan \| ECD 15 The Perspectives of the Ratings Agencies on the Water Sector Power up your impact: Connecting Through Creativity and Storytelling \| PAC 1 Navigating Current Workforce Challenges \| MLD 8
	3:00 – 4:30 p.m.	Understanding Risk Communication and PFAS: What We Know and What Remains Unexplored \| PAC 2 Imagining the Future of Water Utilities: The View From the C Suite

Workshops & Tours

ACE has a variety of workshops and facility tours in and around Denver scheduled as well. You may register for pre-conference tours and workshops along with your registration to ACE. If you would like to add a workshop or tour to your existing registration, please email your request to services@awwa.org. A complete list of our offerings can be found at the link below.

Learn More

Track Spotlights

Build your dream agenda and see how you’ll elevate with us at ACE!

Explore All Tracks

A Focus on PFAS

Growing concern about the presence of highly fluorinated chemicals (PFAS) in drinking water has brought increased recognition of broader emerging contaminants issues. Understanding the science, including the formation and transformation in the environment, is an important step toward remediation and prevention. Join experts as they discuss the detection and treatment of PFAS and how to communicate to stakeholders about this contaminant.

Intelligent Water

Intelligent water refers to the integration of smart technologies and data-driven solutions in the management and utilization of water resources. Through the deployment of sensors, automation, and real-time data analytics, intelligent water systems enable more efficient monitoring of water quality, distribution, and usage. Models and digital twins leverage this information to generate unlimited predictive scenarios, enabling water utilities to operate effectively and achieve treatment goals. These tools play a crucial role in determining the range of possibilities and are essential for informed decision-making in water management.

Capital Improvement Projects: Design, Construction, and Delivery

Water systems are a vital, yet costly, component of every community and every penny spent is scrutinized by policy makers and rate payers. Capital imporvement projects encompass the comprehensive process of designing, constructing, and delivering essential water infrastructure enhancements. This session explores the journey of a capital imprvement project from innovative and sustainable designs, new building techniques and materials, to the latest in project delivery strategies.