Draft 1/13/2026
All events take place at 800 Maine Avenue, Southwest in Washington D.C., Penthouse floor, unless noted.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2026
4:00 pm Board Meeting VSA Offices, 800 Maine Ave., Suite 800
6:00 pm Board Meeting Adjourns
6:30 pm Dinner for Board Only Kirwan’s on the Wharf, 749 Wharf Street SW
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2026
8:00 am Registration Desk Open Penthouse lobby
Coffee, beverages and light snacks available
Note: Hotel provides full breakfast beginning at 6:30 am
8:15 am New Directors’ Coffee 8th floor – VSA Washington Conf. Room
Host: NIWR President Yu-Feng Lin (IL)
All NIWR directors are welcome
9:00 am Welcome, Overview, and Introductions, NIWR President-Elect Linda Weavers (OH)
9:30 am NIWR Update, NIWR President Yu-Feng Lin (IL)
10:00 am Legislative Updates and Guidance for Hill Visits, Leslee Gilbert (Van Scoyoc Associates)
10:30 am Coffee Break
10:45 am WRRA Program Update, Christian Schmidt (USGS WRRA Program Manager)
12:00 pm Lunch on your own
Go solo or join groups of Directors, Staff, Students
1:30 pm Diving into Data Centers I
Invited speakers to learn about data centers, energy and water issues
2:45 pm Break
3:00 pm Diving into Data Centers II
Invited speakers to learn about data centers, cooling methods, and the changing landscape
3:45 pm NIWR roundtable discussion–Needs and Challenges
Incorporate knowledge from speakers from previous session to discuss research needs and opportunities for WRRIs
4:30 pm Wrap-up and Adjourn
6:00 pm Evening Reception VSA Office, 800 Maine Ave. SW, 8th Floor
Hors d’oeuvres and beverages provided
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2026
8:00 am Registration Desk Open
Coffee, beverages and light snacks available
Note: Hotel provides full breakfast beginning at 6:30 am
9:00 am NIWR Topics
9:30 am Engaging Students in WRRIs (Moderator: Ryan Lefler)
Student Panel of 4-5 students (Erin Flanagan-NIWR; Haleigh Fernandez-OH; Jackson Lindamood-KS; XX)
10:30 am Coffee Break
10:45 am Congressional Speaker (TBD)
11:15 am NIWR Topics
12:00 pm NIWR Regional Meetings (Buffet lunch)
Discussion on research needs/opportunities for Water and AI
1:30 pm Reports from Regional Meetings2:00 pm NIWR Topics
NIWR Board Members Report Out
2:30 pm AI in research—ethics etc (~90 min) Sushant Mehan (SD)
3:30 pm Coffee Break
3:45 pm NIWR Business Meeting Penthouse
4:15 pm NIWR Propose Budget for 2026
4:45 pm Wrap-up and Adjourn
5:30 pm Board Meeting and Dinner Washington Conf. Room
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2026
Capitol Hill Visits – Scheduled individually