Industry Professionals Coming Together to Manage Risk Better

Logo of the American Association of Water Distribution & Management (AAWD&M) featuring a blue circle with a red border, a map of the United States filled with the American flag, a water faucet with a droplet, and the organization's name around the circle.

About Us

American Association of Water Distribution & Management [501c3] is the premier risk management educational resource for water professionals, board members, and supporting stakeholders. If you work for a water-related entity, or your work supports these entities, AAWD&M is here to help. We provide risk management education and resources specifically tailored to your business needs. AAWD&M works closely with Appalachian State University and the California Association of Mutual Water Companies (CalMutuals) in offering meaningful educational resources for the water sector.

AAWD&M is a nonprofit charitable organization with the express mission of providing risk management educational support to public water systems and publicly owned wastewater treatment systems throughout the United States. As an Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 501c3 nonprofit corporation domiciled in the state of Wyoming, AAWD&M is exempt from federal income tax. Donors can deduct contributions under IRC Section 170.

Whether you need to solve a distinct set of risk management problems, want to develop professionally or just desire to enhance your value to your organization, we have resources to assist you.

Advisory Committee

Headshot of a smiling, bald man with blue eyes, wearing a black sweater over a beige collared shirt, against a dark background.

  • AAWD&M Founder, Director & Executive Officer

    Paul Fuller is an insurance professional specializing in public water & wastewater systems. He serves as the executive officer of the American Association of Water Distribution & Management (AAWD&M), CEO of Allied Public Risk, LLC (a national managing general underwriter exclusively focused on public entities and public water & wastewater systems), and Insurance Administrator for the California Association of Mutual Water Companies Joint Powers Risk & Insurance Management Authority (CalMutuals JPRIMA).

    Throughout his 30-year career, Paul has underwritten thousands of public water & wastewater systems. He has also overseen tens of thousands of their claims, with emphasis on inverse condemnation, water quality, coverage disputes, and property valuations.

    Certifications & Designations

    • Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation

    • Certified Public Risk Officer-Water & Wastewater (CPRO-W²) designation

    • California Water Operator license (D2/T1)

    • California Qualified Claims Manager license

    • Nationally licensed as a Property & Casualty Agent and Surplus Lines Broker

    • Bachelor, Business Administration, University of San Diego

    • Master of Science, Risk Management & Insurance, Georgia State University

    • Juris Doctor, Northwestern California University School of Law

    Publications

    • Law Journal

    • Defense Counsel Journal

    • Co-author of Handbook of Risk and Insurance Strategies for Certified Public Risk Officers and other Water Professionals

    • Co-author of Practitioner’s Handbook of Risk Management for Water & Wastewater Systems

    • Author, Whitepaper: Water Utilities and Forward Risk Management, Best Practices to Counter Climate Change

Portrait of a woman with long, curly gray hair, blue eyes, smiling, wearing a dark blue top, outdoors with green trees in the background.

  • AAWD&M Director & Academic Advisor

    Dr. Lorilee A. Medders serves as the Joseph F. Freeman Distinguished Professor of Insurance within the Walker College of Business at Appalachian State University. Immediately prior to assuming her current role, she served on the risk and insurance faculty at Florida State University, and as Director of the Florida Catastrophic Storm Risk Management Center.

    She received her Bachelor of Science in Commerce and Business, magna cum laude, from The University of Alabama in 1990 and her Ph.D. in Business Administration – Risk and Insurance from Georgia State University in 1995. She has presented and published numerous papers on these subjects and others in academic and industry forums.

    Certifications & Designations

    • Certified Public Risk Officer-Water & Wastewater (CPRO-W²) designation

    Boards & Committees

    • President (Current) of the Southern Risk and Insurance Association, the premier research organization in the Southern United States for risk and insurance academics

    • Chair (2012-2017) of the Florida Commission on Hurricane Loss Projection Methodology,

    • CFO (2009-2017) as the Statistics Expert Member by appointment from the State of Florida

A middle-aged man with gray hair and a mustache, wearing a dark blazer over a checkered shirt, standing outdoors with a background of greenery.

  • Committee Member

    Gary Meggs retired in August 2015 as Director, Risk Management, Southern Company, where he provides ongoing consulting services. From 1987, he had overall responsibility for risk financing, administering property/casualty insurance coverages and for providing other risk management services to Southern Company and its regulated and non-regulated business units.

    Gary received his undergraduate degree (BBA,’74) as well as dual Master’s degrees in Business Administration (‘78) and in Insurance (‘83) from Georgia State University and holds the CPCU and ARM professional designations. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the GSU Foundation and on the Risk Advisory Committee of the Metro Atlanta YMCA.

    Certifications & Designations

    • Certified Public Risk Officer-Water & Wastewater (CPRO-W²) designation

    Boards & Committees

    • Aegis Risk Management Advisory Committee

    • Board and Executive committee of the Y-Mutual Insurance Company

    • Energy Insurance Mutual (EIM) Strategic Planning Committee

    • (Chair) EIM Insurance Advisory Committee

    • (Chair) EEI Risk Management Committee

    • (Chair) GSU Risk Management Foundation and President of RIMs and CPCU Atlanta Chapters

A man with a beard and sunglasses smiling outdoors near pink flowers, wearing a bright pink shirt.

  • Committee Member

    A 35-year veteran as a Commercial Risk Management Consultant and currently the Principal at EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants. David specializes in US Infrastructure, High Tech and Manufacturing within the Water Sector as well as development of risk management stewardship plans and facility physical and logical penetration testing. Mr. McNeil represents scores of prominent public water systems throughout the Western United States and serves on numerous water advisory committees, think tanks, and risk management boards.

    Certifications & Designations

    • Associate in Risk Management (ARM) designation

    • Member: FBI InfraGuard

    • Infrastructure Liaison Officer

    • SIG Cyber, Dams, Water, Wastewater, and EMP

    • Situational Awareness Specialist (SAS) Level I and Advanced Level 2

    • Bachelor of Science, Business Administration, California State University, Northridge

    Boards & Committees

    • Member: Orange County Homeland Security Advisory Council (OCHSAC)

    • Member: Orange County Sherriff/Coroner’s Technology Advisory Council (T.A.C. Team)

    • Member: Anaheim Police Department, Chief’s Technology Advisory Council

    • Member: Mensa Think Tank, Mensa International, American Mensa Society

    • Member: Technology Innovation Institute (TII) Think Tank

    • Member: Cybersecurity Assessment Training

    • Instructor: Kidnap Prevention, Safe House Anti-Terrorism, and Force Protection

Certification badge for a public risk officer in water and wastewater, with the text 'CPRO-W^2' and a circular design including an open book icon.

CPRO-W²: AAWD&M’s Premier Designation for Water & Wastewater Professionals

Learn More

Module 1 —
Enterprise
Risk Management

Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) introduces the fundamentals of ERM as a tool to align utility-wide risks with decision-making and organizational goals.

Construction site with a large, angled metal framework over a concrete-lined channel, workers wearing hard hats, and construction vehicles in the background, in a desert landscape.

Module 2a —
Water Treatment and Distribution

Fast tracks operations competency with the streamlined technical essentials every risk manager should know about Water Treatment and Distribution.

Pipe Gallery Marston Denver, Colorado

Module 2b —
Wastewater Conveyance and Treatment

Gain the technical foundations to identify common operational risks and apply risk-based thinking to prioritize maintenance and capital improvements for Wastewater Systems.

Water treatment plant in Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, California

Module 3 —
Insurance Essentials

A deep dive into some critical insurance policies for public water and wastewater systems, with an approach focusing on appropriate design and customization.

Interior of a utility room with damaged equipment, insulation, and debris on the floor, showing signs of fire damage.