Curious about career opportunities in the water sector? Join our insightful panel discussion, “Career Paths for Water Professionals: Academia, Industry & Public/Private Sectors” to hear from experienced individuals navigating diverse roles and sharing their journeys. Discover potential pathways and gain valuable advice for your own career in this vital field. Plus, get your questions answered during an interactive Q&A session!
Steve Craik, PhD, P. Eng.
Director, Alberta Environment and Protected Areas (EPA)
Dr. Steve Craik is a water and wastewater professional with over 25 years of combined experience in regulation, utility practice, applied research, and teaching in the areas of drinking water and municipal wastewater. He began his career as an Associate Professor in the Environmental Engineering program at the University of Alberta, where he taught courses and led a research program focused on microorganism reduction. He then spent fifteen years with EPCOR Water Canada in Edmonton, a large water and wastewater utility, where he led a team of scientists, technologists, engineers, and environmental specialists. His team was responsible for monitoring drinking water and wastewater quality, ensuring regulatory compliance, optimizing treatment processes, managing environmental and watershed programs, and overseeing cross-connection control initiatives. Dr. Craik is currently the Director of the Drinking Water and Wastewater Program with Alberta Environment and Protected Areas (EPA). In this role, he leads the development of standards and guidelines for community drinking water and wastewater systems, manages the operator certification program, and provides technical support to drinking water systems across Alberta.
Connect with Steve on LinkedIn.
Morna Hussey
Freshwater Directorate, Canada Water Agency
Morna Hussey recently joined the Canada Water Agency as Manager of Western Ecosystem Initiatives for the Fraser and Mackenzie Rivers. She previously worked with the Government of Alberta (GOA) as the Director of Transboundary Waters, with a focus on interjurisdictional agreements around surface water quantity and quality, groundwater, biology, and aquatic ecosystem health. She was Alberta’s appointed member on the Mackenzie River Basin Board and the Prairie Provinces Water Board and has over 30 years of experience delivering provincial and federal programs and bi-lateral agreements related to water monitoring and data collection, flood forecasting, water supply, drinking water, and water management decisions. Morna spent three years with Environment and Climate Change Canada as Alberta District Manager, where she led the creation of the Edmonton Water Survey of Canada office. Morna completed the GOA-University of Alberta Senior and Executive Leadership Program, has a BSc from Royal Roads University in Environmental Management, and currently sits on the Board of Governors for Canadore College of Applied Arts and Technology, where she completed the Environmental Biology program.
Connect with Morna on LinkedIn.
Cindy Shepel, P. Eng.
Wastewater Treatment Director, EPCOR
Cindy Shepel is the Director of Wastewater Treatment at EPCOR, overseeing the operations and maintenance of the Gold Bar Wastewater Treatment Plant. Since joining EPCOR in 2000, she has held various leadership roles in water treatment, distribution, transmission, and drainage operations. Her experience spans utility management, asset management, process optimization, energy and environmental management, and strategic planning. Previously, she served as Director of Drainage Operations (2017–2023), where she led the integration of Drainage into EPCOR and managed the Aurum Real Estate project and its operational model. Before EPCOR, she was an approval engineer with Alberta Environment. Cindy actively contributes to the water sector through her roles with the Alberta Water Council, Canadian Water Network, and as co-chair of the University of Alberta Water Research Center. She holds bachelor’s degrees in Biological Sciences and Civil & Environmental Engineering, and a master’s in Environmental Engineering, all from the University of Alberta. She is a registered professional biologist and engineer in Alberta.
Connect with Cindy on LinkedIn.
Dr. Evan Davies
Professor, University of Alberta
Dr. Evan Davies is a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Alberta. His research centers on water resources planning and management, with an emphasis on modelling the impacts of policy and environmental changes on water systems from local to global scales. His work supports long-term municipal and agricultural infrastructure operations and planning, and government policy-making through simulation modelling and decision-support tools that include machine learning approaches, system dynamics, integrated assessment, and stormwater models. Dr. Davies has collaborated with municipalities and government agencies on projects involving energy and climate policy, streamflow prediction, river basin modelling, urban water demand, stormwater pollution mitigation, and reservoir operations. He holds a PhD from Western University and MES and BASc degrees from the University of Waterloo.
Connect with Evan on LinkedIn.
IWA YWP Canada 