DUNCAN, Okla. – Wayne Nelson is the first person in the nation to pass the Utility Management Certification, completing the Water University certification process.
                 “My Executive Director came and told me I was the first,” said Nelson, a Training Specialist with the Illinois Rural Water Association.  “I asked: ‘The first in Illinois?’ He said: ‘No, first in the nation.’”
                 Nelson was surprised because he had the study guide for over a week before he attempted the test. Several members of the IRWA staff had also applied to take the test.
                 “Several people on the staff teased me. They said they we out doing work, but I still had free time to take a test. I told them ‘time management is the first thing they teach you,’” Nelson said with a laugh. After reading through the study guide, Nelson decided to set aside time for the test. He would learn the time with the study guide was time well-spent.
                 “The test really covered a lot of material,” Nelson said. “I already knew a lot in some areas, like emergency response, but I learned a lot from the budget section.”
                 “The team that put the test together did a real good job.”
                 The breadth of material wasn’t the only difficulty with the test, because applicants only have two hours to complete the exam.
                 “That little clock in the top corner was the scariest past,” Nelson said. “Your eye keeps wandering up there.”
                 Nelson joined the IRWA staff in June 1994. He is responsible for IRWA’s EPA Training and Technical Assistance Program as well as specialized training to IRWA members. He holds a Class “A” water license and Class “II” wastewater certificate and has 38 years of experience in the industry. 

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