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t HE a utHoritiEs f uturE l EadErs s CHolarsHiP r ECiPiENts Pedro Curz-Amigon (center) with Shannon Drosnock (left), Montgomery Township Municipal Sewer Authority, and Mandi Glantz, PMAA (right) Racquel Hawkrider (center) with Shannon Drosnock (left), Montgomery Township Municipal Sewer Authority, and Mandi Glantz, PMAA (right) Andrew Malmgren (center) with Shannon Drosnock (left), Montgomery Township Municipal Sewer Authority, and Mandi Glantz, PMAA (right) The Authorities Future Leaders Scholarship was established in 2023 under the guidance of PMAA Past President, Melissa Komar, Client Development Manager, Herbert, Rowland & Grubic, Inc. and former Executive Director of the Johnstown Regional Sewage & Johnstown Redevelopment Authority, the PMAA Board of Directors and the PMAA Future Leaders Committee. Recognizing the need in the industry to find leaders and cultivate for the future, the scholarship program was created with the goal of increasing knowledge and awareness of authority business, the vital services authorities provide to their communities, and the need for qualified employees in the industry. The scholarship is available to individuals pursuing a career in the industry, or a current authority employee pursuing continuing education or certification. The first recipient of a 2025 Authorities Future Leaders Scholarship is Pedro Cruz-Amigon . Pedro is employed as the Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator at Berks-Montgomery Municipal Authority. He is taking classes at Montgomery County Community College in environmental studies and is pursuing his wastewater operator’s license through the Reading Area Community College Wastewater Treatment Plant Operators Certification Program. After two years of working at the Authority, Pedro has learned many skills including equipment operations and maintenance, inspections of manholes and laterals, pumpstation operation, documentation of In-flow and infiltration, and laboratory control testing. With help from the plant supervisor and authority manager, he began researching obtaining his operator’s license and is looking forward to using the scholarship funding to pursue that path. Pedro has been awarded a $2,000 scholarship to pursue his operator’s license. The second recipient is employed with North Penn Water Authority as a customer service representative while also pursuing a degree in business administration from Montgomery County Community College. Through her work at the Authority, Racquel Hawkrider has a deeper appreciation for the role of authorities in their communities and the many facets of authority operations. By continuing to build her understanding of financial management, organization leadership and public administration, she intends to obtain a business ad-ministration degree and progress in a leadership role within municipal operations. Racquel has been awarded a $2,000 scholarship to pursue her degree. Our third recipient is Andrew Malmgren . Andrew is employed by the Lancaster Area Sewer Authority as an Engineering Support Technician and is taking classes at West Chester University pursuing his doctorate of Public Administration. He has been working in the industry since 2015, first as a Treatment Plant Operator/Lab Technician at Lehigh County Authority, then at private companies before coming to Lancaster Area Sewer Authority. In his studies, he has found a deficit in scholarly literature concerning how authorities can most effectively be administered. He is working on a dissertation on how municipal authorities utilize information technology and provide recommendations on utilizing consultants while improving and maintaining internal capacity. Andrew is planning to use his scholarship to continue his education and to continue to study and provide research that can help municipal authorities in the future. Andrew Malmgren has been awarded a $2,000 scholarship to continue his education.

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