The Irvine Marriott Proved Again
To Be a Beautiful Venue
For OCWA’s Holiday Party

By Tim Hogan, OCWA Communications

The Orange County Water Association went all out for the celebration of its 67th Annual Holiday Party. And the Irvine Marriot provided everything needed to make the gathering a remarkable success — a spacious ballroom in which to mingle, beautifully set dining tables, and a scrumptious meal. The beauty of the hotel, the wonderful decor, the spacious parking, and the friendly staff all added up to an evening of sophistication and charm.

From the moment they arrived, guests were welcomed into a wondrous evening. Met by an engaging group of friendly volunteers, attendees were ushered into the expansive holiday hall, where they discovered both the beautifully arranged tables and a spacious reception area perfect for pre-dinner socializing.

As an added treat, a photo booth, tastefully decorated in holiday finery and complete with a colorful array of props, invited guests to make their own photographic memories of the evening. Many happy groups were seen enjoying the festive holiday dress-up photos.

On the other side of the room, guests were captivated by the new Holiday Party Raffle display. Unlike previous years, the Board made significant changes to the format for the evening’s raffle. Instead of asking for donated raffle gifts, guests were offered the opportunity to sponsor a gift specially crafted by local businesses throughout the County. A total of twelve prizes, each valued at $150, were offered.

The Board also veered away from the format of previous year’s raffle drawings. Rather than all tickets being in a common drum, and gifts selected randomly, guests were invited to place their tickets in a box attached to the gift basket they desired to win, much like a silent auction. Guests had a wonderful time perusing the contents of each basket, then carefully selecting those they fancied.

As with previous gatherings, socializing proved the evening’s most popular activity, as was evident in the many happy, animated conversations seen around the room throughout the celebration.

Pictures of the Evening's Festivities
can be Viewed Here . . .

Following a delightful dinner, where guests had their choice between Pacific Salmon or Apricot Rosemary Glazed Chicken, it was time for the evening’s “business.”

OCWA President Derek Kurtti (Black & Veatch) began the evening’s program with a few words about unexpected departures from the Association’s Board. Vice President Todd Dmytryshyn and Board Member Michelie Little have both had to tender their resignations, called from service to the OCWA community by the demands of their professions. They will be sorely missed.

Following these announcements, Derek called long-time OCWA Communications Manager Tim Hogan to the stage. After more than 50 years in public relations and graphic design, Tim is closing his firm and retiring this month. He has been with OCWA for 30 years. In recognition of his service, the Board presented him with a stunning crystal memento.

Then it was time for Outgoing President Derek Kurtti to pass the gavel to Incoming President Taryn Kjolsing (South Coast Water District). Taryn then presented Derek with a commemorative souvenir for his service, a beautiful blue crystal water drop on a base of clear crystal. Inscribed on the base, Derek was commended for his “exemplary leadership” throughout his tenure.

Up next, Taryn introduced OCWA’s 2026 Board officers: Vice President Jill Zander (Michael Baker International), Secretary Sarina Sriboonlue (Municipal Water District of Orange County), and Treasurer Dave Jones (Hazen), along with new Board Directors: Cindy Sevilla Esparza (MKN Associates), Noelani Leal (City of Westminster), and Michael Burba (Hazen). Association Legal Counsel Jeff Hoskinson (Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo), will continue his service to the Board next year as well.

And then it was time for the evening’s entertainment, a spirited trivia contest built around popular culture and questions about the Orange County water community. Led by Todd Dmytryshyn, the challenging contest pitted each table against the rest of the room. After each table had logged in to the online program, they chose a name for their team, and the competition began.

The contest was a multi-part extravaganza, first testing the crowd’s knowledge of topics covered in the Association’s monthly Industry Insight presentations, then challenging them with general questions about places and events throughout Orange County. Finally, to help clearly distinguish the knowledgeable (or at least, the best guessers) from the rest, the final set of questions dealt with childhood career aspirations of the 2025 Board members. Each of the seven were shown with a selection of possible dream jobs and the teams had to choose which they thought best fit the Board member’s childhood ambition.

Out of the merriment, Black & Veatch emerged as the evening’s winner. Named for their illustrious colleague, Derek Kurtti (who did not participate in the event), “Derek’s Prodigies” correctly answered a remarkable 15 out of 17 questions. Trailing them, but by only two questions, was the team from Michael Baker International, “Bakers Half Dozen.” There was a three-way tie for Third Place, with teams from Anaheim Public Utilities, Civiltec, and Lee + Ro all finishing together.

The winners received an additional ticket for the evening’s raffle. After they’d placed their ticket with the prize they desired, it was time for the raffle.

Todd continued as Emcee for the evening. For each gift basket, Todd gave a little back story on the local business which had provided it. There were gifts from microbrewers, coffee houses, and a premier restaurant, among others. Each gift was well-received, for the distribution of tickets seemed quite equal among all the offerings. Sponsors for the evening’s raffle gifts were Ardurra, Dopudja & Wells, Harper Engineering, Hazen, HDR (which sponsored two gifts), Hydro-Geologic Solutions, MWH Constructors, SA Associates (which also sponsored two gifts), West Yost, and one from OCWA.

In addition to the Raffle Prizes for our guests, OCWA made a $5 donation for each raffle ticket to charities which help provide clean and safe water to those in need around the world. The groups who will share in the over $2,000 collected are: charity:water (charitywater.org), Water for People (waterforpeople.org), and Engineers Without Borders – Orange County (ewb-oc.org).

For a complete listing of this year’s sponsors,
please visit the Holiday Party Sponsors section of our website.

Gifts for our guests weren’t the only presents distributed. Through the generosity of our attendees, an incredible number of toys were collected for the Orange County Fire Authority’s “Spark of Love Toy Drive” for underserved children and teens throughout the county. The Orange County Water Association is very grateful to all our guests for their generous support in this worthy endeavor.

A lot of planning and effort went into this year’s gathering. The Board began its preparations early in the year, and by June plans were well underway. Under Derek’s watchful eyes, the party took shape through the efforts of all the Board members. This year, the Board also sought the assistance of a professional party planner, San Juan Capistrano-based Pop & Pine Design.

The Board is especially grateful for our many Sponsors for this year’s event. Our Diamond Sponsors were Black & Veatch and CDM Smith, while our Gold Sponsors were Accenture; AKM Consulting Engineers; Anaheim Public Utilities; Arcadis; Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo; Brown & Caldwell; Carollo; Civiltec; Hazen; HDR; Lee+Ro; Michael Baker International; MKN Associates (An Ardurra Company); Moulton Niguel Water District; MWH Constructors; Stantec; Tetra Tech, and Tnemec Company. Richard Slade & Associates was a Silver Sponsor.

This year, the Board was pleased to welcome, as our guests for the evening, many of the people who volunteered their time and efforts this past year to ensure the success of our events. Some of these good people also volunteered to assist with the Holiday Party. We are especially grateful for the assistance provided by Michael Burba (Hazen), AJ Connell (Dopudja & Wells), Cindy Sevilla Esparza (MKN/Ardurra), Ruby Kaura (Brown & Caldwell), Jeremy Monroe (Ardurra), and Jenna Rotheram (Tetra Tech).

Should any readers have ideas for next year’s Party — we’ve already had a few great suggestions made the night of the event — or wish to volunteer your services, we encourage you to contact any of the Board members. New ideas and suggestions — along with new faces and hands — are always welcome. Contact information for the Board can be found on the Association’s website.

We were happy to see so many new faces at this year’s event. After enjoying an evening of festive joy with us, we hope you’ll become a member of OCWA, to take advantage of the many networking and educational opportunities our Association offers.

With wishes for all for a happy and prosperous New Year, we look forward to seeing you at next year’s Holiday Party, where we promise an event which will again make for many wonderful memories of the season!

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A Personal Note from Your Editor . . .

Throughout the years I managed my own public relations and graphic design firm, the Orange County Water Association has been a great constant. OCWA was my first client, and now, 30 years later, my last. I’ve been blessed over the years to meet many wonderful people, both on the Board and through the many public occasions I’ve had to interact with the membership. And while I cannot give recognition to everyone in such a limited space as the internet, I can show my gratitude to all through the valued words of one.

I had the pleasure to be associated with Kimo Look long before he was OCWA President in 2002. Over the years, he continually affirmed to me the very valuable role this organization plays in all our lives, even in the lives of those who may not know or understand this group or the water industry at all. It has been my great good fortune to be associated with this Association for almost half my life, and I have been enriched beyond measure by my participation.

Thank you all for the many memories.

~ Tim