2025 OPRA Aquatics Symposium

Corey Hilderbrand is the Community Services Manager for the City of Irvine in California.  He oversees the Aquatics, Arts, Athletics, and Great Park Division, which includes over 300 staff who supervise the day-to-day operations of two aquatic centers, one art specific center, three art galleries, sports facilities, and a 200-acre sports park.  Cory has worked in the aquatics industry, provide and public, for over 30 years.  Cory is the President of the Association of Aquatics Professionals (his second time in the president series).  He also chairs the Scholarship & Raffle Committee and has been an integral part in making AOAP's Director's School a success.  In 2022, he was featured by Aquatics International in their Power issue.

Bill O'Melia is a General Building Contractor in Colorado where he lives with his wife, Melissa.  He is also the proud father of three boys.  On June 6, 2010, Bill and Melissa lost their oldest son Drennen, who waws 12, to a fatal drowning in their lifeguarded community pool.  Drennen had just started his seventh summer of competitive swimming the day before and had qualified for All-Stars in all three of his individual events.  Bill has presented to tens of thousands of lifeguards, aquatics professionals, and management nationally since May 2014.  Bill co-chaired the Lifeguarding/Supervision tract of the USNWSAP, currently sits on the Operations Committee of Families United to Prevent Drowning, the AOAP Board of Directors, and is featured in the American Red Cross training videos "Not On Your Watch."  He also co-founded Drennen's Dreams Foundation which actively supports lifeguarding by raising money for training, equipment, and educational materials.