Annual Conference

VFMA’s Annual Conference is a standalone conference for members and others interested in floodplain management. VFMA is committed to hosting an annual conference with content addressing flooding issues faced by communities across the Commonwealth, such as riverine flooding, coastal flooding, floodplain mapping and modeling, climate change and future conditions, CRS, NFIP, regulatory requirements, best practices, common issues, and more!

Historically, VFMA partnered with the Virginia Lakes and Watershed Association (VLWA) to host the Virginia Water Conference. This conference was located in Richmond in early March.

2024 Conference

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the 2024 Annual Conference!
We will see you in Spring 2026!

This year’s Annual Conference will be held in person! We are so excited to see everyone!

October 24-25, 2024
The Westin Richmond
6631 West Broad Street
Richmond, Virginia, 23230

VISIT OUR CONFERENCE WEBSITE TO LEARN MORE!

Conference presentations will be posted to the conference website soon.

Floodplain Management Awards

Floodplain Management Awards to recognize outstanding contributions to floodplain management in Virginia by individuals and organizations were awarded at the 2024 Annual Conference! 

2024 Award Winners

• Floodplain Manager of the Year Award (Individuals only)
  • Whitney McNamara (City of Virginia Beach)
• Flood Mitigation Project of the Year (Individuals and Organizations)
  • Cardinal Elementary School Stormwater Vault (Arlington County)
• CRS Community of the Year (Organizations only)
  • City of Roanoke
• Distinguished Service Award (Individuals only)
  • Emily Schmidt (ISO/CRS Specialist for Virginia, Verisk)

Interested in participating in the Awards Committee? Contact VFMA to let us know!

Floodplain Manager of the Year Award (Individuals only)

This award seeks to recognize outstanding individual efforts and contributions to improving floodplain management in Virginia on the local level and may be presented to a Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM), local floodplain administrator, CRS coordinator, or other individual. The VFMA Floodplain Manager of the Year is designed to honor an individual responsible for the development, or the assistance in the development, of a distinguished local program or activity or has shown support at the local level to implement flood hazard reduction in the absence of sophisticated programs and/or local funding.

Flood Mitigation Project of the Year (Individuals and Organizations)

This award may be presented to an individual, private organization, non-profit organization, governmental unit, or agency that has completed work involving a particular project, research, design, or publication that exhibits the incorporation of acceptable procedures, practices, and constraints of flood mitigation or promotes the field of knowledge of flood mitigation by enhancing the awareness and use of new procedures, methods, designs, and/or products. This work must have been completed prior to the annual conference.

CRS Community of the Year (Organizations only)

This award recognizes a community participating in the Community Rating System (CRS) program and their exemplary practices and activities. It seeks to acknowledge distinguished work by a community in going above and beyond its mission in a way that can be shared by other Virginia communities while recognizing the abilities to promote sound floodplain management and attributes of the CRS program through teamwork. This award may be presented to a community for their overall CRS program or work on a specific activity, tool, or resource that contributes to their CRS program. Communities that are actively joining the CRS program may also be considered for this award.  

Distinguished Service Award (Individuals only)

This award is given by VFMA to an individual who has had a statewide impact in floodplain management. This individual carries forward the goals and objectives of reducing flood risk and the values and principles set forth by VFMA. It is an indication of the level of esteem the Virginia floodplain management community hold for the recipient and is the highest award presented by VFMA. This award may not be presented every year.

Longevity Appreciation Award (Individual or Corporate Members only)

This award may be presented to a VFMA member who has 5+ active years of membership in the organization. This award is in appreciation of the time, effort, energy, and dedication that member has shown to VFMA and improving floodplain management in Virginia. This award may not be presented every year.

Past Conferences

Conference programs for past conferences are available below. If you are a VFMA member and wish to access the VFMA presentations from the conference, please visit the Member Resources page.

• 2023 Conference
  • This conference was approved by ASFPM for 12 continuing education credits (CECs) for Certified Floodplain Managers (CFMs).
• 2022 Conference
  • This conference was approved by ASFPM for 12 continuing education credits (CECs) for Certified Floodplain Managers (CFMs).
• 2021 Conference
  • This conference was held virtually and approved by ASFPM for 12 continuing education credits (CECs) for Certified Floodplain Managers (CFMs).
• 2020 Water Conference
  • This conference was approved by ASFPM for 10 continuing education credits (CECs) for Certified Floodplain Managers (CFMs).
• 2019 Water Conference
  • This conference was approved by ASFPM for 10 continuing education credits (CECs) for Certified Floodplain Managers (CFMs).