MILWAUKEE, WI — A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE: AOS), a leader in water heating and water treatment, announces Amanda Moore, CWS, vice president of Atlantic Filter Corporation, an A. O. Smith company, as the new president of the Water Quality Association. Pledging to focus on ethics, mentorship and other forms of industry support, Moore took office 25 years after her father, James Wakem, served as WQA president.
“We know there will be challenges ahead, but one thing is certain: We are stronger together,” Moore said after accepting the gavel from outgoing president Jim Stern, executive vice president, general council and secretary for A. O. Smith Corporation. “The Water Quality Association is perfectly poised as the thought leader to guide us into the future.”
High Standards
“As we reach out to legislators, regulators, health and safety officials, we must prove to them with our actions—not just words—that we are trustworthy, professional and committed to upholding the high standards and ethical principles of the association to protect public health,” she said.
Moore described mentorship as another of her passions, crediting colleagues for serving as mentors who “have guided me in my industry and association journey.” Moore was a founding member of WQA’s Women in Industry (WIN) Advisory Council and herself has served as a mentor to others in the association.
“I truly believe in the power of engaged membership and mentorship,” she said.
Legacy of Service
Moore leads WQA in the second year of its 2022-24 Strategic Plan, with its three overarching goals of advancing knowledge and professionalism of industry participants, increasing advocacy and driving public awareness and knowledge.
She joined Atlantic Filter in 1997 after earning a degree from Vanderbilt University. Moore is the third generation to serve a leadership role for the equipment manufacturing company that her late grandfather, Wallace Wakem, started in Palm Beach County, FL, in 1955. Her father now serves as chairman. Atlantic Filter was purchased by A. O. Smith in 2022.
Moore was elected to the WQA Board of Directors in 2019. She was honored with WQA’s Next Gen Award in 2017 and the Key Award in 2021. For many years, she also has been active in leadership in the Florida Water Quality Association, serving as its president in 2018.
WQA has a 24-member Board of Directors. Eight directors, including Moore, serve as the Board of Governors.