2025 SFBS Member Appreciation Event – Photo courtesy of San Francisco Bay Section
Within the CWEA community, there are 17 Local Sections, each organized regionally across the state. These sections offer a range of networking opportunities and training programs designed to help members enhance their skills, increase their visibility, and earn recognition in the industry. Volunteering is a fantastic way to advance your career — it helps you develop leadership skills, gain industry-specific experience, and prepare for certification.
As a member benefit, each CWEA member is also assigned a membership in one Local Section, and many choose to join additional Local Sections (fees may apply). These groups organize their own training sessions and networking events.
One of the larger Local Sections is the San Francisco Bay Section (SFBS). Established in 1947, the current membership in this Section is over 1,750, including individuals from Alameda and Contra Costa counties, the City and County of San Francisco, and part of San Mateo County north of the east-west line running from the southern boundary of Alameda County. Since this Section covers a large part of the San Francisco Bay Area, the wastewater agencies in this region share many similar industry-related issues and concerns. SFBS aims to provide a forum to discuss these issues through various training sessions, events, and programs led by peers and professionals.
“Not everyone can get approval from their agency or company to attend CWEA’s Annual Conference,” said Claire O’Brien, president of the San Francisco Bay Section. “Our Section hosts an array of dinner meetings, tours, and training programs on various subjects that are relevant.”
As with all Local Sections, SFBS is run fully by volunteers. O’Brien, an engineer at Brown and Caldwell in Walnut Creek, became involved in the SFBS when she moved to California eight years ago. She started volunteering for the Section’s Board about four years ago.
“The SFBS’s Professional Development Committee put on one of the first events I attended,” she said. “I was blown away by the caliber of technical material they have at the full-day seminar.”
Since attending her first dinner meeting, O’Brien said that the presentations have become more dynamic and interactive. SFBS hosts between six to eight dinner meetings each year.
“The dinner meetings are the best networking opportunities with about 40 to 80 people showing up at each dinner,” O’Brien said. “There is usually time for sharing information and a Q&A session about the topics discussed.”
Whether it’s attending SFBS’s annual awards banquet or a Giants game in the summer, the organization’s networking events and team-building activities promote a sense of community. These gatherings help members develop strong relationships and feel a sense of belonging. Additionally, participating in these events can create valuable professional connections for their careers.
The SFBS members also receive a Local Section newsletter through their email. The newsletter is compiled by the Section’s volunteer communications committee, which was reorganized to become a Board position in 2024. CWEA member Nick Hansen is the Board communication director. Hansen became a member of CWEA in 2015 and started putting together the newsletter weekly in 2016.
“The newsletter will feature a president’s letter at least quarterly, it has announcements for things members need to know or act on – like awards nominations being open, or voting for the next director, or signing up for dinner meetings, SYP/PDC/Lab training seminars, or fun things like our members’ appreciation baseball game or annual awards banquet,” Hansen said.
The newsletter email subscription list now exceeds 4,600 inboxes, comprising the 1,700-plus active members, as well as others who have signed up for the newsletter over the past 10 years. Generally Hansen tries to send out weekly blasts.
“When the CWEA website was redesigned, CWEA staff took over event registration and credit card processing. It really took a lot of work off my plate, which I love, and has totally streamlined my processes for getting the newsletter together,” he said. “Now with the advent of AI, I use that with some really great prompt engineering and fit our messaging towards our membership.”
Volunteers come from diverse backgrounds. Although some may assume that Hansen works as a PIO or outreach coordinator, they might be surprised to learn that his actual job is as a senior plant operator (SWRCB Grade 5) at CentralSan.
Whether you currently attend several meetings a year or none, volunteering in a Local Section can boost your membership. Volunteers help improve CWEA’s mission by contributing their time, skills, and passion, directly impacting its success and industry influence. Your efforts make a difference, providing professional fulfillment and motivation.
The SFBS’s next dinner meeting will be hosted on October 23 and will include a tour of the Treasure Island WRRF, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s first MBR plant. Attending this dinner meeting will offer two CWEA contact hours.
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