Changes Announced to WQA's Boards
A number of important changes to the Water Quality Association's top volunteer leadership were implemented during the Association's 2016 Convention & Exposition in Nashville, Tennessee. During the official business meeting on March 15, eight industry professionals were elected to three-year terms on WQA's Board of Directors. Three of the eight - Michael R. Long, MWS, and Kelly Johnson, CWS - will be serving their first terms on the board. The entire slate of elected board members is as follows:
| Director's Name |
Membership Class |
Company |
| Pete Chermak |
Manufacturer/Supplier |
Clack Corporation (Windsor, Wisconsin) |
| Toby Thomas |
Manufacturer/Supplier |
Kinetico Incorporated (Newbury, Ohio) |
| Chris Wilker |
Manufacturer/Supplier |
EcoWater Systems LLC (Woodbury, Minnesota) |
| Knut Sauerbier |
Retail |
Brita GmbH (Taunusstein, Germany) |
| Michael R, Long, MWS |
International |
ELKEN Sdn Bhd (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) |
| Jeffrey B. Hill, MWS |
Dealer |
Robert B. Hill Co. (Minneapolis, Minnesota) |
| Kelly Johnson, CWS |
Dealer |
Quality Water Services (Ponca City, Oklahoma)
|
| Michael Kinney, MWS |
Dealer |
Portasoft of Morris County (Kenvil, New Jersey) |
WQA's 2015-2016 President Bret P. Tangley passed the gavel to incoming president Donald K. McGhee. Robert Maisner, Stephen Ver Strat, and Chris Wilker will assume the roles of vice-president, secretary, and treasurer, respectively. Sam Karge of Pentair Residential Filtration in Milwuakee, Wiscosin, retired from WQA's board of governors. Scott Clawson of Culligan International Company in Rosemont, Illinois, will join the board as a governor-at-large.
The WQA Board of Governors includes the following members:
| President |
Donald K. McGhee, MWS |
Hydro Systems, Inc. (Harlingen, TX) |
| Vice-President |
Robert Maisner |
Paragon Water Systems (Tampa, FL) |
| Secretary |
Stephen Ver Strat |
Amway |
| Treasurer |
Chris Wilker |
EcoWater Systems LLC (Woodbury, MN) |
| Immediate Past President |
Bret P. Tangley, MWS |
Sterling Water, Inc. dba Culligan of West
Central WI (Eau Claire, WI) |
| Governor-at-Large |
Scott Clawson |
Culligan International Company (Rosemont, IL) |
| Governor-at-Large |
Cindy Gresham, CWS |
Thermax Inc. (Hedgesville, WV) |
| Governor-at-Large |
Tom Harrington |
DS Services of America, Inc. (Atlanta, GA) |
John Packard of the Culligan Soft Water Service Company in Minnetonka, Minnesota, also announced that he will be stepping down after 13 years as president of the Water Quality Research Foundation (WQRF). Edward P. "Ned" Jones III of Gordon Brothers Inc. in Salem, Ohio, will assume the reins as WQRF president.