In addition to his role as Technical Director of Engineering and Technology, Wilfrid “Wilf” A. Nixon acts as the Board of Directors Liaison for the following national committees: Emergency Management Committee, Engineering and Construction Committee, and Technology Committee. He is also a member of the Strategic Planning Committee.
Nixon is the Director of Public Works for the City of Pella, Iowa, a position he started in fall 2025. Prior to that, he served as the President of the Professional Snowfighters Association and owned his own consulting business. He has spent nearly 30 years in higher education teaching and conducting research on topics related to public works and is still an Emeritus Professor at the University of Iowa. Before working for the Professional Snowfighters Association, he worked for the Salt Institute.
For APWA, he was one of the key developers of both the Supervisors and the Operators Winter Maintenance Certificate programs and helps to deliver both programs several times a year. He regularly writes a column for the APWA Reporter on winter maintenance, which often spills into other areas of public works to include such topics as employee retention and development, AI, alternative fuel vehicles, and more. Nixon is active in his state chapter, giving presentations at the spring and fall meetings as needed. He has spoken at both the Snow Conference and PWX not only on winter topics, but also on AI issues and ethical concerns related to AI.