In a defining moment for international water and wastewater operator training, Water Professionals International (WPI) 2025 Board Chair Mike Firlotte, PO, and WPI President and CEO Paul D. Bishop, CAE, joined forces with Kalpna Solanki, President and CEO of Game Changers Inc., to launch Kenya’s first Professional Operator (PO) certification cohort in November of 2024. Together, they demonstrated that global standards can be successfully localized—and that the passion for clean water transcends borders.
As 2025 Board Chair and an accomplished instructor, Firlotte saw the opportunity as far more than a professional assignment; it was a personal challenge. “Whenever I instruct any group, I’m imparting knowledge,” he shared. “I pride myself on teaching different and unorthodox customer bases. To me, it was a challenge—can I do this? Can I impart my knowledge?”
He did far more than that. In a country where many participants had never experienced standardized testing, Firlotte adapted his teaching style to meet a wide range of learning needs. “I can teach a class fifty different ways,” he explained. “I connect with everyone in that room in some way, shape, or form… Half of what we did was making sure everyone felt seen. Everyone had a story.”
The training culminated in an emotional pinning ceremony—an important milestone for both instructors and students. “The pinning made me super proud,” Firlotte recalled. “I pushed myself in how I presented to the class. I saw how hard so many people worked—and how many succeeded.”
Paul Bishop also witnessed the transformation firsthand. “Mike’s program shows that people from diverse backgrounds can complete this program successfully,” Bishop said. “It highlights the need for education and allows for mobility for operators around the world.”
The results speak for themselves: of 40 participants, 29 earned their certification—a 71% success rate comparable to established programs in North America. Yet, as Firlotte and Bishop emphasized, the real impact goes beyond the numbers. It lies in empowering operators with the skills, confidence, and global recognition they need to create lasting change in their communities.
Firlotte described his approach as that of a “translator,” noting, “We take complex topics and make them understandable and relatable. Even those who didn’t pass the exam still left with valuable knowledge.”
Looking to the future, Kenyan organizations are already building on this momentum. Plans are underway to establish a dedicated training center, ensuring local ownership of professional development and reducing reliance on external support. “There was a real need and an appetite for what we do,” Bishop observed. “It showed the institutions how much they should adapt to support POs.”
Looking ahead, Firlotte and Bishop are committed to expanding access even further. A key priority is increasing opportunities for women in the water sector. “Looking forward, we want to ensure more education for women,” Bishop said. “Then, they can return to their communities and teach others.”
At the heart of their mission is a clear, shared vision: to build not only a stronger water workforce but also a global network of servant leaders committed to protecting clean water. “Ensuring that people around the world are taking care of this scarce resource—water—is core to the PO program,” Bishop emphasized. “Wherever we can take that message, we will try.”
As the PO program continues its international expansion, Firlotte and Bishop are not just building sector capacity—they are building hope, resilience, and opportunity. “Nothing can happen if we don’t have clean water,” Bishop reminded. “It’s all interconnected.”
Firlotte agrees, underscoring the need to invest in global water communities: “The way to strengthen the chain is to make sure we are all trained and have the same understanding. We are only as strong as the person beside us.”
