On April 29 during the 2026 NYSFSMA Annual Conference, outgoing NYSFSMA Treasurer, Bill Nechamen, was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award. The first of its kind, this award honors Bill for his long-time commitment to floodplain and stormwater management in the State of New York and his leadership role in the founding and continuing success of NYSFSMA.
Bill started his career at the New York State Legislature, transferring soon thereafter to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) where he worked for 30 years until his retirement in 2017 as Chief of the Floodplain Management Section.
While at NYSDEC, Bill was instrumental in establishing a statewide freeboard standard of two feet above base flood elevation for new and substantially improved structures, putting NYS at the forefront of flood resiliency for new structures. As FEMA’s designated State Floodplain Management Coordinator, he advocated for and greatly improved the level of support for local government floodplain administrators. Bill traveled across the state providing in-person training to help communities effectively manage floodplain development. Working with other State and Federal partners, he also advocated for improvements in NYS flood hazard area mapping, seeing to the local adoption of some of the first in the nation digital Flood Insurance Risk Maps (FIRMs) produced under FEMA’s Flood Map Modernization program.
Bill envisioned a statewide professional organization for floodplain and stormwater managers that would be a NYS chapter of the Association of State Floodplain Managers. Then he did the hard work needed to make it happen. NYSFSMA was established as an independent not-for-profit organization and held its first conference in 2001, where Bill was elected to serve as the first Chair. In the 25 years since then, Bill has continued to be a driving force behind the Association’s success, serving in many NYSFSMA positions, including Executive Director, Committee Co-Chair, and most recently as Treasurer. While Bill is stepping down from his Treasurer duties, he will remain involved in NYSFSMA as its Membership Director and Chair of the Conference Planning Committee.
Outside of NYSFSMA, Bill was also involved in the leadership of ASFPM, serving as Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer, Regional Director, Chapter Director, Regulations Committee Co-Chair, Administrator of the ASFPM State-to-State Mentoring Program, and other roles for more than two decades.
“The NYS Floodplain and Stormwater Managers Association, in its current form, is a testament to Bill’s unwavering dedication to the organization and its members. For 25 years, he has been the driving force behind its establishment and growth. As Chair, Bill has been an invaluable resource and steadfast support not only to me, but to many of my fellow Board members as well,” said Shaun Gannon, the current NYSFSMA Board Chair.
Reflecting on the award and his lifetime of work in floodplain and stormwater management in New York State, Bill said, “I was immensely honored, and surprised, to get the lifetime achievement award. NYSFSMA has gone from a few dozen members and a one-day conference with about 40 people to over 700 members, multi-day conferences that keep drawing more and more people, and a place where people go for education and information. The Association would not be where it is without the dedication of its members and especially its Board and its volunteers. Thank you to the Board, to the many volunteers, and to all the people throughout the state and nation that continue to advocate and work for more resilient communities.”
On behalf of the Board of Directors of NYSFSMA and the entirety of its membership we wish Bill a hearty and much deserved congratulations.