Conference 2002

Bill Allan
Friends University

Opening Session, Keynote Address
8:30 a.m., Wednesday, 3/27

PEOPLE Make The Difference!

Bill Allan began his professional career as a teacher in public schools, and then moved into ministry for 16 years serving as a pastor, campus minister, youth minister and counselor. A college professor at Friends University in Wichita for the past 21 years in the field of Psychology and Marriage and Family Therapy, Bill Allan is an expert in explaining how items from the "family strengths" research speak to how to have or how to develop strong families. Many of these same elements are extremely applicable to people in the workforce and especially those who work with people to become more customer friendly, more efficient and better workers.

Bill Allan is convinced that people do make the difference when it comes to affecting or changing someone's life or their community. His keynote address to the 2002 KRWA conference will be motivational and inspirational but delivered in a way that is very real and even humorous as Bill shares illustrations from his life and perhaps gets all of us to where we can laugh at ourselves just a little bit.
 

Jamie Clover Adams
Secretary, KS Dept. of Agriculture

Jamie Clover Adams was appointed Secretary of the KS Dept. of Agriculture in August 1999.

Adams brings a career's worth of experience in agriculture policy and advocacy to the Governor's Cabinet. She served for three years on the Governor's staff as Legislative Liaison. Prior to that service, she was Vice-President of Government Affairs for the KS Grain & Feed Association and the KS Fertilizer & Chemical Association. She also worked in Washington as Director of Environmental & Labor Affairs of the American Feed Industry and also analyst at the US Chamber of Commerce.

The Dept. of Agriculture is charged with ensuring safety of meat, milk and egg supply, responsible use of pesticides and nutrients, integrity of weighing and measuring and that the waters of the state are put to beneficial use.

Secretary Clover Adams will address the Wednesday luncheon.
 

Dennis Schwartz
President, National Rural Water Association

Dennis Schwartz has been a member of the KRWA board of directors since 1977. In 2000, he was elected President of the National Rural Water Association. Both in Kansas and with NRWA, Schwartz has provided
critical leadership to advance the needs and interests of public water and wastewater utilities. Recently he has been involved in EPA's Arsenic Cost Reduction Work Group. He is a member of the prestigious National
Drinking Water Advisory Council. In addition to these national challenges, Dennis is the manager of Shawnee Rural Water District No. 8 and chairs the management committee of Tri-District Facility at Clinton Reservoir.

Dennis will address the banquet Wednesday evening.
 

Jim Gulliford
Administrator, Region 7, US EPA

Jim Gulliford was appointed Regional Administrator for EPA Region 7 on September 13, 2001.

Gulliford has 25 years of professional experience administering environmental programs in the agricultural and mining areas. He earned his bachelor degree in Forestry Management and M.S. in Forestry Economics and Marketing from Iowa State University. He has worked at both Iowa State University and Southern Illinois University in mine reclamation and environmental protection programs. In 1982 he became the Director of the Dept. of Soil Conservation for the State of Iowa. He held that position until government reorganization merged that department into the Dept. of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.

Since then, Gulliford has directed the Division of Soil Conservation, which is responsible for the state leadership in the protection of soil, water and mining resources. The Division works closely with Iowa's 100 soil and water conservation districts, USDA Natural Resources and other agencies.

Jim will address the Thursday noon luncheon.