Pauli Undesser, MWS, CAE
Chief Executive Officer
Pauli Undesser is a well-known industry influencer and impactful thought leader with nearly 20 years of experience across a variety of domestic and international regions. Renowned for her comprehensive knowledge of water treatment technologies, standards, codes and regulations and for forging alliances across multiple water-affiliated industries, Undesser is a skilled thought leadership contributor, media interviewee, author, podcast guest, and public speaker that is passionate about driving positive change for the water treatment industry in addition to aspiring to present on a TED or TEDx stage to further expand her influence.
Undesser serves as CEO of both the Water Quality Association and the Water Quality Research Foundation, where she is known for her ability to foster innovation and cultivate cultures of excellence. Her strategic leadership has propelled business growth, improved operational efficiencies, and reduced risk, all while keeping mission integrity at the forefront.
Throughout her career, Undesser has championed efforts to protect and advance the water treatment industry. Her initiatives include launching impactful collaborations, overseeing capital campaigns, advancing Board governance, and leading negotiations on regulatory and legislative issues—ranging from eliminating trade barriers to promoting cutting-edge products. Strategy, growth, risk management, and executive decision-making are hallmarks of her leadership style, and her success is built on a foundation of integrity, an exemplary work ethic, and unwavering character.
Undesser holds the Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation through the American Society of Association Executives, which she earned in 2016. That same year, she was recognized with the “40 Under 40” Award for her leadership potential and dedication to association management. Her commitment to staff engagement and organizational culture led to her selection as the 2018 Inspiring Leader Award recipient by the Association Forum.
Since 2020, Undesser has served on the board of directors of the Association Forum, representing over 44,000 association professionals from nearly 1,600 Chicago-area organizations. She holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a master’s degree in biochemistry from Northern Illinois University.
Tom Bruursema, MS
Chief Operating Officer
Tom Bruursema directs the overall administration, leadership and cross-functional strategy execution for WQA’s Product Certification, Laboratory, Technical Affairs and Quality departments. He joined WQA in 2018, serving as Associate Executive Director of Member & Public Engagement until 2022.
Bruursema has a rich background in the water treatment industry and in marketing and business operations. He spent 30 years at NSF International, where for a time he was General Manager of Drinking Water Treatment Units and Environmental and Research Services. He holds a Master of Science degree in Biology from Eastern Michigan University.
Kyle Jones
Chief Financial Officer
Kyle Jones is responsible for assuring WQA and WQRF’s accounting policies, procedures and practices are in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and result in accurate and timely financial reports, as well as adhering to the investment and fiscal policies set by the WQA and WQRF Boards and Finance Committees.
Jones came to WQA and WQRF with experience in managing nonprofit finance, audits, strategic planning, operations and systems implementation. He holds a bachelor’s degree and PBCA from Indiana University and has a solid understanding of GAAP, finance, IT, operations and nonprofit organizations.
Mike Sennett
Chief Legal Officer
Mike Sennett serves as the Water Quality Association’s Chief Legal Officer following many years as an antitrust and competition law partner with the global law firm Jones Day. Sennett is very familiar with the association, its operations and industry leadership, its Gold Seal Certification Program and laboratory services, and its members, their needs and their products and services, having served as outside legal counsel to WQA for more than 25 years. He also is an adjunct faculty member at Loyola University of Chicago School of Law, serves on the board of the Institute for Consumer Antitrust Studies and is a longstanding trustee of Children’s Home & Aid, an Illinois social services agency assisting families and children in Illinois where the need is greatest.
Sennett holds an A.B. with honors in philosophy and English from Quincy University and a J.D, cum laude, from Loyola University Chicago, in addition to doing graduate work in jurisprudence and economics at Northwestern University
Jonathan Adams, MBA, CAE
Vice President for Innovation
Jonathan Adams serves as WQA’s Vice President of Innovation. In his role, Jonathan is responsible for the leadership and developing cross-functional strategies for the IT, Events, and Marketing & Communications departments. Jonathan also supports initiatives that enhance collaboration, productivity, and member value across all organizational areas.
Adams has served on the Association Forum’s Welcoming Environment committee since 2020 and served as chair of the committee in 2023. He is a 2022-2024 Diverse Executive Leadership Program scholar through the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) and was also honored as a 2022 “40 Under 40” recipient by Association Forum.
In addition to being a Certified Association Executive (CAE), Jonathan holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Management Information Systems from Eastern Illinois University and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Kathleen Burbidge, CAE
Vice President of External Affairs
Kathleen Burbidge serves as Vice President of External Affairs at the Water Quality Association, with 10 years at the association. In her role, Burbidge is responsible for the leadership and cross-functional strategy development for Membership, Professional Training and Certification, and Government Affairs. She also supports the association’s efforts on stakeholder engagement across members, clients, learners and other organizations to position the association for continued growth.
Burbidge earned her Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation through the American Society of Association Executives and she was named to Association Forum’s “Forty Under 40” list in 2020. She has served as Chairperson to the Association Forum’s Young Professionals Special Interest Group (SIG) in 2021 and Public Policy Advisory Council (PPAC) in 2022 and 2023.
Kelli Fleischmann
Vice President of Global Services
Kelli Fleischmann has a strong background within the drinking water industry in project management, business development and international experience.
Before joining WQA, she most recently served as Business Development Manager for Ahlstrom-Munksjö in Mount Holly Springs, PA where she was responsible for commercial development and new market penetration. She spent several years with NSF International, serving in a variety of positions including General Manager of Global Water Systems and the Drinking Water Treatment Unit.
Angie Silberhorn, CMP
Events Director
Angie Silberhorn is WQA’s Events Director, responsible for developing the strategic and operational plan to manage the Association’s conventions and key meetings along with other key customer and member events. She came to WQA after eight years with the Warehousing Education and Research Council, most recently as its Director of Events and Strategy. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality and Tourism Management from Roosevelt University and is a Certified Meeting Professional.
The Greater Midwest Chapter of the Professional Convention Management Association honored Silberhorn with the 2020 Robert J. Donovan Award, presented to an outstanding meeting professional who leads by example, inspires volunteerism and is committed to the growth of the industry.
Eric Yeggy
Technical Affairs Director
Eric Yeggy plans and coordinates the activities of the Technical Affairs department. This department tracks water quality issues and treatment needs and advances the Water Quality Association’s presence as a recognized resource and leader in the water quality sector. Additionally, Eric facilitates the activities of WQA’s Water Sciences Think Tank, which fosters collaborative discussions, knowledge sharing, and innovation in the drinking water treatment industry. WQA members, government agencies, and other non-profit organizations can contact Eric to request the help of the Think Tank.
Eric has been part of the WQA team since 2009 and has led the development of new industry standards for Sustainability, Safety and Performance of water treatment products. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from the University of Northern Iowa and began his career in the environmental testing industry. As an analytical chemist in the testing industry, he brings a wealth of knowledge to WQA, including gas chromatography, mass spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma analysis, and numerous other techniques used to test wastewater, soil, drinking water, consumer products, and industrial materials.
Jeremy Pollack
Government Affairs Director
Jeremy Pollack joined WQA in December of 2021. He is responsible for developing and guiding the association’s U.S. domestic federal legislative and regulatory agenda, in addition to managing international, regional, and state level affairs.
Prior to joining WQA, he was the chief liaison for the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) on issues related to resiliency, water, energy, sustainability, and COVID-19 guidance. He is based in Washington, D.C.
Tambra Thomas
Quality Director
With a strong background in quality systems management and a commitment to quality operations best practices, Tambra Thomas was promoted to Quality Director in 2023 after 10 years with WQA. She is responsible for ensuring all departments comply with Association-related accreditations, regulations and policies surrounding audits, document control and initiatives supporting WQA’s Strategic Operating Plan and business objectives.
Thomas became WQA Quality Manager in 2013 after a dozen years at Suburban Laboratories and Abbott Laboratories. She holds a B.S. in Chemistry from Loyola University Chicago and a master’s degree in management and organizational behavior from Benedictine University.
Tanya Lubner, PhD
Professional Certification & Training Director
Dr. Tanya Lubner has served as WQA’s director of Professional Certification & Training since 2005. In this role, she oversees the development of new program areas, creation of educational materials and examinations.
Prior to joining WQA, Lubner was a sales engineer for a manufacturer of optical spectroscopy instrumentation. She holds a doctorate in inorganic chemistry from the University of Wyoming.
Zac Gleason
Laboratory Director
Zac Gleason comes to WQA from the manufacturing and technology development sector where he oversaw contract and grant-based efforts as well as field testing, internal quality assurance, development experimentation and third-party verification/certification.
He brings more than 15 years’ experience in water, sanitation and hygiene and 10 years of laboratory oversight experience along with hands-on knowledge of more than 85 different water treatment technologies and counting. After working with government agencies and regulatory bodies from around the world, NGOs and non-profits, as well as the manufacturing and for-profit sector, he has gained a diverse and unique perspective on the challenges associated with providing clean water to people from all walks of life.
Gleason holds a bachelor’s degree in Microbiology from the University of Washington (Seattle).
HS Choi
Country Manager – South Korea, Taiwan and Japan
HS (HeungSoon) Choi serves as an independent contractor for WQA in South Korea, Taiwan and Japan. Based out of Seoul, Choi performs factory inspections on behalf of WQA’s Gold Seal Product Certification Program and also works to increase awareness of WQA Membership, Product Certification and Professional Certification.
Prior to representing WQA, Choi worked as a business development manager for Underwriters Laboratories (UL Korea) in South Korea. HS holds a bachelor’s degree from HanYang University College of Engineering in Seoul.
Vaneet Gupta
Country Manager – India
Vaneet Gupta serves as an independent contractor for WQA in India. He performs factory inspections on behalf of WQA’s Gold Seal Product Certification Program and also works to increase awareness of WQA Membership, Product Certification and Professional Certification.
Gupta has an extensive water and water treatment industry background. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Dr. Harisingh Sagar University, MP, India, as well as a Masters of Business Administration from the Centre for Management Development, Modinagar, UP, India.
Julia Zhu
Asia Pacific Operations Manager
Julia Zhu, based in Shanghai, serves as the Operations Manager representing WQA in China. Julia is responsible for the overall operations of WQA in China, including increasing WQA brand awareness and developing public and government relationships.
Zhu has a water-related product certification background with rich experience in operations, project management, customer services and business development. Before joining WQA, she was in charge of multiple business lines for NSF, including Water Programs in China. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Psychology from East China Normal University and is studying for her MBA at Fudan University.
