WEF’s InFLOW Program Attracts Innovative Future Leaders to a Growing Water Sector

Launched in 2018, WEF’s Introducing Future Leaders to Opportunities in Water (or, simply: InFLOW) program is an industry response that recognizes not only the need to attract and invest in future leaders to the sector, but also the need to bring new and diverse perspectives to the world’s water challenges.

As a scholarship program, InFLOW engages participants in WEF programs and events, including WEFTEC, the association’s annual conference and trade show, where participants gain their first exposure to the sector.

Leading up to each year’s program, WEF works with universities and colleges throughout the United States to identify student scholars. Program participants include students ranging from sophomore year to Ph.D candidates, with different STEM concentrations and a varying range of knowledge about the water industry. WEF also partners with community-based organizations to expose scholars in job readiness programs to the variety of rewarding career possibilities in water quality.

Learn more about the program at wef.org/inflow

XPV Water Partners is thrilled to support WEF’s InFLOW program and this year’s cohort as a Game Changer partner. We spoke with a few of the program’s alum to learn more about how InFLOW has helped shape their career paths.

Sigmund A. Skinner | InFLOW 2018

Sigmund A. Skinner participated in the first InFLOW cohort in 2018. “I took away many valuable insights from my experience,” he says. “My main takeaway from WEFTEC was the wealth of connections I was able to make with water professionals and industry experts in just five days.”

Skinner chose to move forward with a career in the water sector to build resilience and improve quality of life in communities that are at risk to social, environmental, and economic hazards. “The profession of water engineering affords me the opportunity to partner with various planners, management consultants, and key stakeholders, in an interdisciplinary effort to achieve this purpose,” he says.

Since participating in InFLOW, Skinner now serves as a full-time Water Resources Engineer at Arcadis Resilience Business Line, working on government grant applications for Resilient Infrastructure plans, GIS Technical Support, Construction Administrative Assistance on Pump-Station Rehabilitation projects, and more. “In the next five years, I hope to gain experience in developing risk and vulnerability assessments, hazard mitigation and post-disaster recovery plans, and green urban infrastructure designs,” he adds.

Autumn McNeill | InFLOW 2019

While a student at Howard University, Autumn McNeill participated in the 2019 InFLOW cohort, which revealed to her the sheer size of the water industry and diversity of opportunities. “As one of the few non-engineering students in the program, I wasn’t sure I’d find a purpose for attending, but that wasn’t the case at all,” she says.

McNeill learned how her backgrounds in sociology and environmental studies could open new career options in the sector. “It was an eye-opening and fun experience,” she says.

McNeill has pursued a career in water to honour the resource and our dependence on it. “We need water to survive,” she says. “I knew I could make a difference through community engagement and education for communities with poor water quality. This space allows me to connect communities with the science that can allow them to advocate for themselves when it comes to protecting their drinking water.”

Since participating in InFLOW, McNeill earned her Master of Public Health degree at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health and started a career at CDM Smith, where she is an Environmental Planner working on several Lead Service Line Replacement programs across the United States. In the next five years, she hopes to stay in the water sector and explore more options to address environmental justice and educational issues for communities in need.

Aria Harris | InFLOW 2021

Aria Harris, a chemical engineer by training, applied for the InFLOW 2021 cohort when she was looking for answers about her career path. “A friend from a previous cohort encouraged me to apply,” she says. “I did – and it was the best decision!”

As that year’s WEFTEC, Harris met her fellow program participants and immediately made lasting connections. She also felt welcomed by the people she met on the trade show floor: “I could start to see my purpose and path,” she says. “All of the signs were there.”

Harris went on to intern at the Reservoir Center in Washington, D.C., working on water policy issues. “The work was so engaging,” she says. “I learned so much about how water impacts the daily lives of Americans.”

Now an Applications Engineer in Xylem’s Engineering Leadership Development Program, Harris has the chance to rotate departments every eight months. She is enjoying the early days of her career in water and intends to further explore how her work intersects with environmental justice.