As many of you may know, Joyce Hudson, the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Decentralized Department in Washington, D.C., retired Thursday, Feb. 12, after 39 years of dedicated public service. It was with mixed feelings of joy and disappointment that the board of directors of the National Association of Wastewater Technicians celebrated Joyce’s retirement. She will be sadly missed. The NAWT board wishes her well in her future endeavors and hopes to see her from time to time at conferences and events.

Joyce’s retirement celebration was attended by NAWT’s president Jeff Rachlin, treasurer Ralph Macchio and secretary Tom Ferrero. The celebration was attended by Joyce’s family, friends and business associates. Rachlin read a letter of tribute to Joyce in front of the group.   

Through the years Joyce has shown respect and patience toward our industry, which had not gone unnoticed. Her leadership qualities, fairness and understanding have been invaluable for the advancement of the industry. Before she became the leader of her unit, many NAWT members often felt that no one was listening to their concerns. She helped change all of that and made sure our industry had the resources available to help our members and others become better educated about systems and the implications of not taking care of those systems.

In addition, the partnership she created through the Memorandum of Understanding leaves us all in a better place going forward as she enjoys a hard-earned retirement. This, too, is the mark of a true leader. The MOU partners have given everyone a place where serious discussions can take place about issues and problems within the industry. This will continue to bear fruit in the years ahead.

The NAWT Board of Directors sincerely wants to thank Joyce for her service to the industry. We wish her well in the future and a happy retirement.

2016 NAWT Excellence in Service Award & 2016 NAWT Hapchuk Scholarship

Submissions are being taken for NAWT’s 2016 Excellence in Service Award. All applications for the award must be completed and postmarked by Nov. 2. Any applications received after the deadline will be placed on file for the next calendar year.

Entries for the 2016 NAWT William Hapchuk Memorial Scholarship must be received or postmarked by Jan. 1, 2016, to be considered for the scholarship. For details regarding the assignment for the scholarship, please visit our website (www.nawt.org).

For more details regarding NAWT’s 2016 Excellence in Service Award or Hapchuk Scholarship, please visit the NAWT website. If you have questions about NAWT, feel free to contact us at 800/236-6298 or email at info@nawt.org.