WALNUT CREEK, Calif. — Brown and Caldwell, a leading environmental engineering and construction firm, today announced Dr. Jose Jimenez and Ken Schnaars have been made Fellows of the Water Environment Federation (WEF).
Formed in 1928, WEF is a not-for-profit association that provides technical education and training for thousands of water quality professionals worldwide who clean water and return it safely to the environment. The prestigious, peer-nominated Fellow designation recognizes members’ achievements, stature, and contributions to the preservation and enhancement of the water profession.
A certified wastewater treatment plant operator and licensed professional engineer, operations and maintenance expert Schnaars has over 40 years of specialized civil and environmental engineering experience. Throughout his career, he has led project management, process design, start-up, and operator training on some of the nation’s most diverse and complex water and wastewater treatment facility projects. Outside of regular responsibilities, Schnaars serves on WEF’s Plant Operation and Maintenance Committee. He previously was a co-chair for the federation’s Operator Distance Learning Program in addition to residing on its Technical Practice Committee. WEF has also sent Ken to Indonesia, Malaysia, and Chile to conduct train the trainer courses, process troubleshooting workshops, and help establish country-specific operator certification programs. Lastly, he has authored numerous WEF Manual of Practices as well as several bylined articles published in various trade publications.
Vice President Dr. Jimenez is a process and research specialist with an impressive 20-year career of developing and implementing groundbreaking wastewater treatment technologies. In leading Brown and Caldwell’s wastewater process practice and applied research initiatives, he provides technical analysis and support to design and research teams working on municipal water resource and recovery facilities. Dr. Jimenez’s work focuses on innovative technologies and approaches to nutrient removal and recovery; carbon diversion; energy and chemical reduction; and process optimization. He is a licensed professional engineer, a board-certified environmental engineer, and has published numerous peer-reviewed articles with an emphasis on wastewater resource recovery and process intensification. Additionally, Dr. Jimenez serves as chair of WEF’s Municipal Treatment Symposium and Program Committee.
“We are immensely proud of the recognition of Ken and Jose’s significant contributions to the advancement of the water industry, not to mention their dedication as mentors for further education and continual professional development.”
Brown and Caldwell CEO Rich D’Amato