The National Ground Water Research and Educational Foundation (NGWREF) is seeking applications for the Emerging Leaders Alliance Conference taking place November 8-11, in Reston, Va.

NGWREF is offering young professionals the opportunity to apply to receive free registration valued at $1,500. Applications are being accepted now through until June 30.

The Emerging Leaders Alliance was formed in 2008 as a cooperative project of organizations, including NGWREF. It seeks to foster leadership in the engineering and scientific community. NGWREF believes strong leadership is one of the keys to fulfilling its mission to “enhance the future effectiveness of groundwater professions and to maximize the impact of groundwater for society.”

“In so many industries, including the groundwater industry, individuals go to school and learn their industry through experience.” said Rachel Geddes, NGWREF administrator. “When you reach a certain level of competence, you are asked to manage and no one has trained you for that. This conference is about teaching those who haven’t gone to business school how to lead the people in their company and industry.”

Those who would benefit from the conference include groundwater industry professionals in management or technical leadership, government agency personnel and university personnel with six or more years of experience.

The NGWREF, founded in 1994, is the charitable arm of the National Ground Water Association. It is focused on conducting educational, research and other activities that promote a broader understanding of groundwater use and access. NGWA is a nonprofit that supports responsible development, management and use of water resources. It’s comprised of groundwater professionals ranging from contractors to equipment manufacturers to scientists and engineers. For more information, visit www.ngwa.org. To learn more about the program, contact Rachel Geddes at rgeddes@ngwa.org.