Ashanti Hamilton Joins Veolia North America As Workforce Development Manager for Milwaukee
MILWAUKEE, February 11, 2025 /3BL/ - Veolia North America and The Water Council are pleased to announce the addition of Ashanti Hamilton to support the Water & Wastewater Workforce Center initiative in Milwaukee. As Workforce Development Manager, Hamilton will reinforce Veolia's commitment to grow the local water workforce, increase the pool of diverse talent, and address workforce challenges in the water sector.
'Veolia has demonstrated a commitment to investing in Milwaukee and building innovative workforce development strategies. Through these efforts, we look to empower individuals with opportunities for growth and pathways to success in the water sector,' said Ashanti Hamilton, Veolia North America Workforce Development Manager. 'With strong partnerships, Milwaukee can be a national model for connecting underserved communities to the vast opportunities within the water sustainability field, driving both economic empowerment and environmental stewardship.'
The water sector – including drinking water utilities, wastewater utilities and water technology companies – faces a shortage of thousands of qualified workers who are critical to serving our communities and businesses. The Water & Wastewater Workforce Center initiative is developing new pathways to recruit, train and hire the people who will tackle these challenges across the country. Veolia's partnership with The Water Council brings together the expertise of the country's largest water company with the innovation of a thriving water-tech hub.
Experienced background in Milwaukee communities
In his new role, Hamilton will provide seasoned direction and hands-on experience to connect underserved communities with a range of opportunities, as he develops a vision for Milwaukee that can serve as a model for other regions. A strategic leader with a strong commitment to improving health, educational, and economic disparities, Hamilton has dedicated his career to enhancing community well-being in Milwaukee.
Most recently, Hamilton served as the Director of the Office of Community Wellness & Safety with the City of Milwaukee, where he developed and implemented community violence intervention strategies and managed strategic partnerships to address root causes of violence and promote wellness. His extensive experience includes nearly two decades as Alderman for Milwaukee's First District, during which he served as President of the Common Council from 2016 to 2020. In these roles, he oversaw billion-dollar budgets, led citywide anti-poverty initiatives, and negotiated major development projects.
Hamilton's background in education as a former English teacher in Milwaukee Public Schools, coupled with his legal education from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University, provides him with a unique perspective on community needs and policy implementation.
'Ashanti Hamilton's diverse experience and deep understanding of Milwaukee's communities make him an ideal addition to our team,' said Anna Wildeman, Senior Vice President of Stakeholder Affairs at Veolia North America. 'His expertise in policy, community engagement, and strategic leadership will be crucial in building a strong water workforce in Milwaukee and across the country.'
Veolia recently hosted a Workforce Development Summit in Paramus, N.J., bringing together a wide range of Veolia's water workforce talent. The Summit focused on best practices and building a strategy to deploy a robust national workforce development program that can be tailored to the needs of the individual communities in which Veolia works. This effort is an integral part of Veolia's GreenUp program, which accelerates the deployment of concrete solutions to the world's ecological transformation, and invests massively in technological and social innovation.
Milwaukee water industry draws national resources
The Water & Wastewater Workforce Center initiative, a collaboration between Veolia and The Water Council, aims to tackle critical issues facing the water industry, including training and education, outreach, diversity and inclusion, upskilling, and other workforce barriers. Despite offering a steady supply of family-supporting jobs, the water sector faces challenges with an aging workforce and difficulties in attracting, training and retaining new workers.
The collaboration extends to research, translation and technology development, focusing on innovative approaches for sludge management, biosolids, energy capture from waste streams, and enhanced efficiencies in water treatment and energy management.
Veolia, as a contract partner with the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD), operates and maintains one of the nation's largest wastewater partnerships, serving over 1 million people in 29 municipalities.
ABOUT VEOLIA NORTH AMERICA
A subsidiary of Veolia group, Veolia North America (VNA) is the top-ranked environmental company in the United States for three consecutive years, and the country's largest private water operator and technology provider as well as hazardous waste and pollution treatment leader. It offers a full spectrum of water, waste, and energy management services, including water and wastewater treatment, commercial and hazardous waste collection and disposal, energy consulting and resource recovery. VNA helps commercial, industrial, healthcare, higher education, and municipality customers throughout North America. Headquartered in Boston, Mass., Veolia North America has more than 10,000 employees working at more than 350 locations across the continent. www.veolianorthamerica.com
The Water Council (TWC) is a global hub dedicated to solving critical water challenges by driving innovation in freshwater technology and advancing water stewardship. Built on more than a century of innovation, TWC has coalesced one of the most concentrated and mature water technology clusters in the world from its headquarters at the Global Water Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. Recognizing the need for smarter and more sustainable use of water worldwide, TWC also promotes water stewardship as a natural complement to water innovation in the effort to preserve freshwater resources in the Midwest and around the world. Today, The Water Council has established itself as a global leader in the water industry and one of America's premier economic development clusters as recognized by government agencies, Brookings and the Harvard Business School.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
2 hours ago
- CNN
Watchmaker Swatch apologises for ‘slanted eye' ad after online backlash in China
Asia China Retail consumerFacebookTweetLink Follow Swiss watchmaker Swatch has issued an apology and pulled ads featuring images of an Asian male model pulling the corners of his eyes up and backwards in a 'slanted eye' pose. The images for the Swatch Essentials collection were widely condemned online in China, where many comments said they appeared to mimic racist taunts about Asian eyes. In an apology posted in both Chinese and English on its official account on the Weibo social media platform Saturday, Swatch said that it has 'taken note of the recent concerns' and removed all related materials worldwide. 'We sincerely apologise for any distress or misunderstanding this may have caused,' the statement said. It also posted the same apology on Instagram. Swatch Group did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for further comment. Swatch, which also makes Omega, Longines and Tissot watches, is heavily exposed to China for revenue, with around 27% of the group's sales last year coming from the China, Hong Kong and Macau region. Revenue for the watchmaker last year slumped 14.6% to 6.74 billion Swiss francs ($8.4 billion) in 2024, hit by a downturn in demand in China, where Swatch said it was seeing 'persistently difficult market conditions and weak demand for consumer goods overall'.
Associated Press
2 hours ago
- Associated Press
Latenode Makes RAG Technology Accessible to Everyone: Building Smart AI Agents Now Takes Minutes, Not Weeks
Platform eliminates need for external vector databases and complex configurations, bringing enterprise AI capabilities to businesses of all sizes United States, August 18, 2025 -- Automation platform Latenode launches AI Data Storage (RAG), a new feature that simplifies creating AI agents with access to company knowledge. RAG technology - typically requiring external vector databases, manual chunking, and multiple service integrations - now works entirely within one platform in just a few clicks. Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) enables AI models to use company-specific data for generating accurate, contextual responses. Until now, implementing RAG meant dealing with vector database configurations, managing embedding services, handling document chunking, and maintaining connections between different tools. Latenode removes these technical hurdles completely. How it works: No External Dependencies. Everything runs within Latenode - no vector databases to set up, no embedding APIs to manage, no separate storage solutions. Upload documents and connect RAG Search to your AI agent. That's it. Upload and Go. Creating a knowledge base happens automatically when you upload files. The platform chunks documents, generates embeddings, and indexes content for semantic search without manual configuration. Any Content Works. The system processes PDFs, text files, JSON, Markdown, and images with OCR support in English. Technical documentation, customer records, or unstructured notes all become instantly searchable through natural language. Visual Setup, No Code. Traditional RAG requires understanding vectors, embeddings, and retrieval algorithms. With Latenode, users drag files into storage and connect nodes visually. The technical complexity happens behind the scenes. Adding RAG to AI Agents Users upload documents to AI Data Storage, where content gets processed and indexed using Cloudflare and LlamaIndex embedding models. When connected to an AI Agent node, the system performs semantic search across the knowledge base, finding relevant chunks that help the agent generate informed responses. The entire workflow stays visual - no programming needed. Practical Applications: Teams across organizations are already seeing results. Support tickets get resolved faster with AI agents that understand product documentation. Marketing campaigns become more targeted through AI that learns from historical data. Legal reviews that took hours now happen in seconds as AI searches through entire contract libraries. 'RAG has always been powerful but unnecessarily complicated to set up,' notes the Latenode team. 'We've removed the friction between businesses and this technology. If you can upload a file and connect two nodes, you can build a RAG-powered AI agent.' The AI Data Storage feature is available in beta for all Latenode users. This democratized approach makes enterprise-grade RAG technology accessible to businesses of all sizes, removing the traditional cost barriers associated with AI implementation. Early adopters report dramatic time savings. Tasks that required days of configuration now take minutes. More importantly, teams without technical backgrounds can build and maintain their own AI knowledge systems. About Latenode: Latenode is a low-code AI agent builder that combines visual workflow automation with advanced AI capabilities, serving thousands of businesses worldwide with accessible automation solutions. About the company: Latenode is a low-code automation and AI platform that makes building smart AI agents fast and accessible. Combining visual workflow automation with advanced AI features like AI Data Storage (RAG), Latenode helps teams create powerful solutions without coding or complex infrastructure. Thousands of businesses worldwide use Latenode to streamline operations, integrate apps, and scale with AI. Contact Info: Name: Oleg Zankov Email: Send Email Organization: Latenode Address: 8 The Green STE B, Dover, Delaware Website: Video URL: Release ID: 89167535 In the event of encountering any errors, concerns, or inconsistencies within the content shared in this press release, we kindly request that you immediately contact us at [email protected] (it is important to note that this email is the authorized channel for such matters, sending multiple emails to multiple addresses does not necessarily help expedite your request). Our dedicated team will be readily accessible to address your feedback within 8 hours and take appropriate measures to rectify any identified issues or facilitate press release takedowns. Ensuring accuracy and reliability are central to our commitment.
CNN
2 hours ago
- CNN
Watchmaker Swatch apologises for ‘slanted eye' ad after online backlash in China
Swiss watchmaker Swatch has issued an apology and pulled ads featuring images of an Asian male model pulling the corners of his eyes up and backwards in a 'slanted eye' pose. The images for the Swatch Essentials collection were widely condemned online in China, where many comments said they appeared to mimic racist taunts about Asian eyes. In an apology posted in both Chinese and English on its official account on the Weibo social media platform Saturday, Swatch said that it has 'taken note of the recent concerns' and removed all related materials worldwide. 'We sincerely apologise for any distress or misunderstanding this may have caused,' the statement said. It also posted the same apology on Instagram. Swatch Group did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for further comment. Swatch, which also makes Omega, Longines and Tissot watches, is heavily exposed to China for revenue, with around 27% of the group's sales last year coming from the China, Hong Kong and Macau region. Revenue for the watchmaker last year slumped 14.6% to 6.74 billion Swiss francs ($8.4 billion) in 2024, hit by a downturn in demand in China, where Swatch said it was seeing 'persistently difficult market conditions and weak demand for consumer goods overall'.
