-- Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, September 3, 2009
You were fantasmagorical, which means you were fantastic, amazing and magical all at the same time. You inspired us with your enthusiasm. And you spoke from the heart so that all would understand. Most importantly, you understood, totally and completely, why our band of wonderful, crazy mountaineers does such important work. And why we all work so hard. And why I respect, admire and love our staff so much -- and admire their work so deeply. You understood completely, and then you made every single person in that huge room understand completely.
-- Bill Carmean, Chair of the Board, The Mountain Institute, Annual Gala, November 2011
Thank you so much for taking the time out of your very busy schedule to make the trip to Pittsburgh to serve as the keynote speaker for our Third State of the Watershed event. We have received amazing positive feedback on all aspects of the event, but especially your remarks. I am in awe of your ability to synthesize such a wide body of knowledge and experience into a talk delivered off-the-cuff, but even more so at your ability to inspire and motive people.
-- Brenda L. Smith, Executive Director, Nine Mile Run Watershed Association. September 2011
I wanted to send you a quick note to commend you for your truly inspirational comments during the H20 Open Forum at ACE last week. Having been involved in our industry for the past 24 years, I must tell you that I felt like standing up and cheering after your remarks. I’ve believed for a long time that perhaps the biggest void that exists in our industry today is Leadership. For too long those who have been “at point” leading our organizations have allowed themselves to become buried in the technical details of the day-to-day and have struggled to rise above and lead their organizations. Your vision and leadership of DC Water is most impressive!
-- Darin H. Thomas, Raftelis Consulting
It was my honor and pleasure sitting in your key note session at ACE 11. Your passion to the water industry, vast knowledge, respectful leadership and energetic public speaking skills deeply impressed the audience. Thank you so much for the dedication to the water industry. We really need leaders like you to raise the voice of our industry.
--Charlie Le, Southwest Regional R&D Lead, Water Research Foundation, Carolla Engineers
AWWA ACE11 Conference, June 2011
Damn, my friend - you certainly can wake up a morning crowd. Thank you for your participation in our "Water Unites Us" panel; you were not only on-point with your message, you were also brilliant."
-- Katherine Luscher, Education Manager/River Rally Coordinator
What a perfect way to end it. Hawkins, often seen as representing the “bad guys” in the water quality world laid it all out how there is no difference in the work being done, just a different set of tools. I was moved by his frank discussion maybe more than anything I heard all weekend.
-- Center for Justice Blog-- Katherine Luscher, Education Manager/River Rally Coordinator
What a perfect way to end it. Hawkins, often seen as representing the “bad guys” in the water quality world laid it all out how there is no difference in the work being done, just a different set of tools. I was moved by his frank discussion maybe more than anything I heard all weekend.
National River Rally, June 14, 2011
Your presentation at WWEMA was amazing! You are a great leader for our country and I want to thank you for your leadership in our industry.
-- Zain Mahmood, President and CEO, Parkson, Water and Wastewater Equipment Manufacturer's Association, Washington Week, April, 2011
On behalf IBM, I wanted to thank you very much for your enthusiastic participation in Pulse. In addition to people giving me positive feedback, I was told that the web (twitter , blogosphere etc) "lit up" after your comments on the panel. Thanks to George's panel comments during the General Session, your talk (which I delivered) was standing room only.
-- Arun Hampapur, PhD, IBM Distinguished Engineer, IBM PULSE, March 1, 2011
Thank you very much for delivering a stunning presentation at Barcelona. It was clearly a hit - the audience received really valuable set of insights coupled with what must have been the most entertaining session of the entire event!
-- Greg Milwid, IBM Software Group, IBM Smarter Cities, November 22, 2011
-- Arun Hampapur, PhD, IBM Distinguished Engineer, IBM PULSE, March 1, 2011
Thank you very much for delivering a stunning presentation at Barcelona. It was clearly a hit - the audience received really valuable set of insights coupled with what must have been the most entertaining session of the entire event!
-- Greg Milwid, IBM Software Group, IBM Smarter Cities, November 22, 2011
"Listening to DC Water General Manager George Hawkins talk about Blue Plains is to watch an artist talk about his studio, or to watch a salesman in his showroom. Hawkins loves talking about his work, and his mastery and command at the statistics and knowledge around the subject of water and wastewater pumping is deeply impressive. This isn’t a man doing a functionary job, this is a man who loves what he’s doing."
-- We Love DC (Blog), November 10, 2010"Thank you so much for taking part in our American Water Summit out at Dulles last week. For me, and for most of the audience, you were the star of the whole event. Without articulate and passionate leaders such as yourself water utilities in America would be doomed to a cycle of neglect and despair."
-- Christopher Gasson, Publisher, Global Water Intelligence
-- Dr. Jey K. Jeyapalan, P.E.,
"Thank you for taking the time to participate in the 2-day conference held last week in the Washington DC area.Your presentation was impressive. Attendees are still talking about your speech. It was one of the highlights of the conference. You have an amazing talent when it comes to connecting with your audience. If you had decided to continue a legal career, you would have been a terrific courtroom attorney. Congratulations on the wonderful work that you are doing in Washington DC.
-- Kathy Shandling, Executive Director, International Private Water Association
American Water Summit, November 3, 2010
"Congratulations! In my 40 years working in and being a student of District of Columbia Affairs, I have never seen a better news conference than your recent news conference announcing the name change with the Mayor and Chairman Willie. I think it is fair to say that I have seen or participated in hundreds of news conferences concerning DC agencies and never have I witnessed one as dynamic, smart, relevant, democratic, inclusive and fun as your new branding EVENT -- not just a news conference, but an event. Wow!"
-- Bernard Demczuk, VP for Government Relations, George Washington University, June 30 , 2010
"Thank you for participating in the 2010 Watershed Summit, "What's Next for Water Quality in PA?" Your knowledge of strategy is greatly valued and on top of it -- you are a lot of fun. It is a pleasure to be working with you."
-- John Dawes, Executive Director, Foundation of Pennsylvania Watersheds, May 2010
"Your welcoming address during the Policy Forum Welcome Breakfast was informative and NACWA's members greatly appreciated learning more about the initiatives DC Water and Sewer Authority is pursuing as well as the many challenges you face in repairing and replacing the District's aging underground water infrastructure."
-- Ken Kirk, Executive Director, National Association of Clean Water Agencies. April 2010
"Thank you for devoting a Saturday to sharing your New Jersey experiences with the members of Maryland's Tributary Teams. There are certainly many, many parallels. Your energy, enthusiasm, lessons learned and unique style of presentation were certainly the highlight of the meeting! We greatly appreciate your continuing clear commitment to community building."
-- Shari T. Wilson, Secretary, Maryland Department of the Environment, March 2010
"The information which you so generously share is truly significant and inspiring. Your ability to present smart growth data to a diverse group and have them jump to their feet in applause warmed my heart!"
-- Lynda Strickler, Virginia Symposium, February 2010
"Thank you for speaking at the MD-DC Utility Association's Environmental Conference on October 29 and serving as keynote speaker. Your presentation on the District's approach to its many responsibilities was interesting, intriguing, and entertaining. Your style of delivery was perfect for the opening presentation and effective in stressing the importance of sustainability."
-- Steven Fuchsluger, Chair, Environmental Committee, November 2009
"We were delighted that you were able to moderate our panel discussion, "What it Means to be Green," held at the National Press Club. Your facilitation of the panel discussion, in addition to your remarks on the District's efforts to green the nation's capital, sparked a lively and informative dialogue that continued throughout the week. In particular, I would like to share with you that your infectious enthusiasm for the subject matter was a big hit with our delegates."
-- Marcel Acosta, Executive Director, National Capital Planning Commission, October 2008
"Thank you so much for speaking at the Cambridge Plant & Garden Club Annual Dinner. You were insightful, entertaining and really got us thinking. In fact, as a result of your words I myself am going to try and join the City of Cambridge Planning Board..."
-- Maggie Booz, March 30, 2008
