THE ASPEN – NICHOLAS WATER FORUM DEEPENING GROUNDWATER SUSTAINABILITY May 30 – June 2, 2017 Aspen, Colorado PARTICIPANT BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION William Alley, Director Science and Tech
Trang 1THE ASPEN – NICHOLAS WATER FORUM
DEEPENING GROUNDWATER SUSTAINABILITY
May 30 – June 2, 2017 Aspen, Colorado PARTICIPANT BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
William Alley, Director Science and Technology, National Ground Water Association
William Alley is science and technology director for the National Ground Water Association (NGWA) Previous to his NGWA position, he served as chief of the Office of Groundwater at the U.S Geological Survey for almost two decades Dr Alley has published over 100 scientific publications and received a number of awards, including the Meritorious Presidential Rank Award Dr Alley is co-author with
Rosemarie Alley of the book, “High and Dry: Meeting the Challenges of the World’s Growing Dependence
on Groundwater.” He earned a bachelor's degree in geological engineering from the Colorado School of Mines, a master's degree in hydrogeology from Stanford University, and a doctorate in geography and environmental engineering from the Johns Hopkins University
Eric Averett, General Manager, Rosedale-Rio Bravo Water Storage District
Eric Averett is the General Manager of Rosedale-Rio Bravo Water Storage District, a position held since
2008 Prior to this, Eric served 7 years as the District Manager for Improvement District No 4 of the Kern County Water Agency Eric also serves the Kern water community as the Board President of the Kern River Watershed Coalition Authority, Board member of the Water Association of Kern County, Board member of the McAllister Ranch Irrigation District, Board member for the Association of California Water Agencies (Region 7) and Manager of the Kern Groundwater Authority Eric holds a BS degree in
Environmental Resource Management from California State University Bakersfield Eric has been an adjunct professor for the Kern Community and Taft Community College systems since 1999 where he teaches classes on physical and chemical processes in water treatment He also teaches water related courses throughout California and Nevada for the American Water Works Association Eric is certified as a Treatment and Distribution Operator with the State of California at the T5/D5 level
Jerad Bales, Executive Director, CUAHSI
Dr Jerad Bales is the Executive Director of the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of
Hydrologic Science, Inc CUAHSI is a 501(c)3 research organization representing more than 130 U.S universities and international water science-related organizations Prior to joining CUAHSI, Dr Bales was Chief Scientist for Water at USGS, where he had a 30-year career As Chief Scientist, Dr Bales was
responsible for research and quality-assurance activities related to the hydrologic sciences at USGS He has conducted water-resources research throughout the U.S and abroad, and has more than 100
publications
Joya Banerjee, Senior Program Officer, S D Bechtel, Jr Foundation, Stephen Bechtel Fund
Joya Banerjee is a Senior Program Officer in the Environment Program at the S D Bechtel, Jr Foundation She leads the Foundation’s Water portfolio, which advances the integrated management of California’s water resources Prior to joining the Foundation, Banerjee was an attorney at Latham & Watkins and worked for the City of New York, first with the Mayor’s Office of Operations and later with the Economic Development Division of the Law Department Banerjee graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, and she received a Juris Doctor degree from Columbia Law School, where she was senior articles editor for the Columbia Journal of Environmental Law
Trang 2Ryan Barr, Director, E&J Gallo Winery
Ryan Barr currently serves as the Director of Wine and Grape Supply Systems for E & J Gallo Winery focusing on the long term strategic management of the world’s largest Winery’s supply portfolio
Throughout the last 15 years, Barr has led projects and teams in a wide array of disciplines including Information Technology, Sales, Marketing Services, Finance, Strategic Management, Forecasting, Supply Chain and others Barr obtained his MBA with distinction from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University
Fawn Bergen, Global Program Manager, Water and Carbon Footprint, Intel Corporation
Fawn Bergen is a global program manager in Intel Corporation’s Corporate Sustainability Group, located outside of Portland, OR In her role, she leads Intel’s global sustainability programs for water sustainability (conservation and stewardship) and carbon footprint Fawn has worked in the environmental field for over 19 years with experience in environmental sustainability, compliance program management,
strategy development, environmental permitting, regulatory interpretation, auditing, and training Her career has spanned multiple roles in the manufacturing and mining industries as well as environmental consulting Fawn has a BS in Environmental Engineering from the University of Florida
Alan Boyce, Chairman, Materra Farming Company
Alan Boyce is Chairman and co-founder of Materra, LLC, a California based agricultural production
company Materra was formed in 2011 and is currently the owner and operator of 20,000 acres of farmland growing organic vegetables, tomatoes, onions, lemons, pistachios, dates, cotton and alfalfa Alan is a Co-Founder and CEO of Westlands Solar Farms, LLC (WSF), a California renewable energy
company formed in 2009 He is co-founder and Director of Agrica Ltd, which developed and operates a 5,000 hectare irrigated rice and corn farming and milling company in the Kilombero Valley in southern Tanzania Alan is also co-founder and Director of Adecoagro (NYSE:AGRO), a food and renewable energy-producing company that owns and operates highly productive land throughout Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay Adecoagro owns 275,000 hectares of highly productive farmland, leases another 175,000 hectares and has 7,000 employees Alan is Founder and Vice-President of Boyce Land Co Boyce Land Co has acted as the General Partner in a series of U.S farmland limited partnerships since 1987, and owns and manages farmland in 6 U.S states with a concentration in Indiana and California
Nicholas Brozović, Director of Policy, Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute at the University of
Nebraska
Nick Brozović is Director of Policy at the Robert B Daugherty Water for Global Food Institute at the University of Nebraska, and an Associate Professor of Agricultural Economics at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln He works to ensure that the Water for Food Institute’s scientific and policy research effectively informs both water management policies and decision makers In addition, he has a teaching appointment and oversees the Institute’s innovation and entrepreneurship programs Brozović has over
15 years of experience in water policy worldwide A particular focus of his research is on evaluating policies and governance structures for agricultural water management He is a cofounder of Mammoth Trading, a company that specializes in water market design and implementation, which established the first smart markets for groundwater trading.Brozović holds doctoral and master’s degrees in agricultural and resource economics from the University of California-Berkeley, a master’s degree in geology from the University of Southern California and a bachelor’s degree in geology from Oxford University
Trang 3Robert Bruant, Subsurface Manager, Pioneer Natural Resources
Rob Bruant is currently Subsurface Manager for Pioneer’s Water Management group Previously, Rob was
a Senior Staff Reservoir Engineer on Pioneer's Barnett Asset Team and served nine years as a Reservoir Engineer/Petroleum Systems Analyst for BP America, Inc He also held positions of Instructor and
Research Associate in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Princeton University Rob received a BA in Geosciences from Franklin and Marshall College and a PhD in Hydrology/Chemical Engineering from The University of Arizona He will begin an MBA degree program at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in June Additionally, Rob has served on the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Board of Directors for Gulf Coast and Dallas sections for the last nine years, and is
currently Dallas section Chairperson He is the recipient of SPE’s Outstanding Technical Editor, Regional Service, Regional HSSE, and Section Service awards Rob is licensed as a Professional Geoscientist and Professional Hydrologist
Samantha Campbell, President, The Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment
Samantha Campbell grew up in Baltimore, Maryland With her father Keith, she enjoyed crabbing off docks, setting crab pots, and flounder fishing on the eastern shore Further explorations in travel to the Bahamas, Hawaii, the West Indies, Australia, the Florida Keys, and Central America solidified Samantha’s interest in the marine environment Samantha moved to San Francisco in 1995 to work as an Art Director for one of the Bay Area advertising agencies flourishing amidst the tech boom In October of 2003, Samantha was offered the opportunity to develop a West Coast portfolio for the Foundation, and after some trepidation at the thought of working for her father, she agreed and began as Program Officer of the Pacific Region In January of 2009, Samantha assumed the role of President of the Foundation, and is now responsible for grant oversight foundation-wide, as well as the core operational functions of the Foundation Stimulating interest and involvement in ocean conservation and approaching problems with
a practical and straightforward style are some of Samantha’s commitments to her work as a grantmaker Samantha attended Syracuse University and earned a BFA in Advertising Design
William Cunningham, Chief, Office of Groundwater, USGS
Bill Cunningham is the Senior Science Advisor for Groundwater at the U.S Geological Survey in Reston, Virginia and Chief of the USGS Office of Groundwater This office develops groundwater tools and
techniques, and oversees the technical and policy aspects of USGS groundwater investigations and data collection activities across the Nation Prior to joining the Office of Groundwater, Bill conducted
groundwater investigations in the Ohio and North Carolina Water Science Centers of the USGS Bill also serves as co-chair of the federal Advisory Committee on Water Information Subcommittee on
Groundwater, is Chair of the U.S National Committee for the International Hydrological Programme (UNESCO-IHP), and is responsible for the development and management of the National Ground Water Monitoring network
Michael Deane, Executive Director, National Association of Water Companies
Michael Deane is the Executive Director of the National Association of Water Companies (NAWC), the national organization representing private water operating companies Michael brings extensive
experience and the perspective of having worked in both the public and private water sectors Before joining NAWC in 2009, he was Associate Assistant Administrator for Water in the U.S Environmental Protection Agency where he played a key role in developing and implementing national water policy Michael began his career in water at the EPA, working on the state revolving fund and public-private partnership programs Before returning to the EPA in 2006, he served as an executive at several water management companies, including United Water – and its parent company, SUEZ – and the U.S
operations of Veolia, where he focused on innovative financing and infrastructure policy Originally from Minnesota, Michael holds a master of environmental management degree from Duke University and a bachelor’s in biology and geography from Gustavus Adolphus College
Trang 4Matthew Diserio, President and Co-Founder, Water Asset Management
Matthew Diserio is president and co-founder of Water Asset Management, LLC (WAM) WAM invests globally in companies and assets that ensure water quality and water supply Public and private equity investments include water utilities, water treatment and infrastructure companies and water resource assets such as water rights and water resource rich agriculture in the arid South West U.S and Australia Prior to co-founding Water Asset Management, LLC in 2005, Mr Diserio spent 25 years in fund
management and securities analysis at Diserio Partners LP, Schafer Cullen, Water Street Capital,
PaineWebber and Donaldson Lufkin and Jenrette Mr Diserio has been a guest lecturer on the water industry and water policy at the Brookings Institute, the World Bank, Harvard’s Kennedy School, Wharton Business School, Babson College and the Kellogg School of Management Mr Diserio graduated from Bowdoin College in 1981 with a BA in Government and History
Chuck Drake, Governing Board Member, St Johns River Water Management District
Chuck Drake was appointed to the Governing Board April 21, 2011, by Gov Rick Scott He was
reappointed to a four-year term on March 27, 2015 Mr Drake is a licensed professional geologist in Florida (#37), Alabama and North Carolina, and is currently a vice president at Tetra Tech, Inc., a national engineering consulting firm He has been employed as a hydrogeologist for 34 years After graduating from the University of Florida, Mr Drake began his career at the St Johns River Water Management District, where his work focused primarily on protecting and allocating water resources based on the issuance of consumptive use permits Since then, his professional work has focused on protecting water resources while ensuring that they are used to expand and enhance economic development His
expertise is in hydrogeology, groundwater resource evaluation, well and wellfield design and water use permitting that provides a solid foundation to support smart water management strategies that balance our need to protect the environment with our need to use resources As a founding member of the Florida Association of Professional Geologists, he has worked to promote the profession of geology He has served as president of the Florida Association of Professional Geologists and served for two years on the Advisory Board of the American Institute of Professional Geologists
James Eklund, Of Counsel, Squire Patton Boggs (US) LLP
James Eklund utilizes his background as Colorado’s lead water official to advise a range of private and public entities on environmental, public policy, regulatory and legislative matters Prior to joining Squire Patton Boggs, James served as Director of the Colorado Water Conservation Board this role, James was the architect of Colorado’s first strategic water plan and implemented what has become the “gold standard” of water plans in the Western U.S During his tenure as director, James focused on innovation
in water policy, project finance, data and management James continues to serve as Colorado’s principal representative on the Colorado River, which supplies water to 33 million people in seven states and two countries in a basin that, if counted as its own country, would be the world’s fifth largest Appointed to this position by Colorado’s Governor, he is responsible for setting and executing Colorado’s negotiation strategy with six other states, Mexico, the U.S Congress and several federal agencies He previously served as senior deputy legal counsel to Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, where he monitored the state’s public-private partnership on a major turnpike that runs from Denver to Boulder Prior to serving the Governor, James was an Assistant Attorney General working on natural resources issues
Sandy Fabritz, Director, Water Resources, Freeport McMoRan
Sandy has been in water planning, administration and policy development in Arizona and the Southwest U.S for over 25 years Sandy currently oversees water strategy and policy for Freeport McMoRan the world's largest publicly traded copper producer headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona Prior to this Sandy served as the Director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources under then Governor Jan Brewer Sandy holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Resources in Agriculture from Arizona State
University
Trang 5Andrew Fahlund, Program Officer, Water Foundation
Andrew Fahlund provides leadership in the ongoing development and implementation of the Water Foundation’s organizational vision, mission, and strategic priorities He works with team members to craft strategy, develop projects, oversee implementation, and ensure that agreed-upon outcomes are being met Before joining the Water Foundation, Andrew was the executive director of the Water in the West program at Stanford University and worked for 12 years in the Washington, DC, office of American Rivers, where he was senior vice president for conservation Mr Fahlund received an MS in Natural Resource Policy from the University of Michigan, School of Natural Resources and Environment and a BA in
Anthropology from Colorado College
Jay Famiglietti, Senior Water Scientist, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA
Jay Famiglietti is a hydrologist and the Senior Water Scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology Until July 2016 he was a professor of Earth System Science and of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Irvine He was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to the California State Water Boards, and he was the Founding Director of the UC Center for Hydrologic Modeling at UC Irvine Before joining UCI in 2001, Jay was on the faculty of the Geological Sciences Department at the University of Texas at Austin, where he helped launch the program in climate and the UT Environmental Science Institute
Jack Fellows, Director, Climate Change Institute, ORNL
Dr Jack Fellows has over 25 years of experience directing large and medium sized research and education organizations He has a doctorate in Civil Engineering and began his career as a research faculty member
at the University of Maryland, where he conducted research on using satellite data to improve hydrologic models In 1984, he was selected as the American Geophysical Union’s congressional science fellow and spent a year working on science issues in the U.S Congress After his fellowship, he spent 13 years on White House staff overseeing a broad range of research programs on behalf of Presidents Reagan, Bush, and Clinton In 1997, he became the Vice President of the University Corporation for Atmospheric
Research, a private, non-profit weather and climate research university consortium located in Boulder Colorado He is currently the Director of the Climate Change Science Institute at Oak Ridge National Laboratory Dr Fellows is the recipient of the Camino de Santiago Compostela for completing the 1,200 year old, 500 mile pilgrimage walk across Spain
Catherine Flowers, Founder, Alabama Center for Rural Enterprise, Rural Development and
Director, Environmental Justice and Civic Engagement for the Center for Earth Ethics
Catherine Coleman Flowers is the founder of the Alabama Center for Rural Enterprise, Rural Development Manager for the Equal Justice Initiative and Director of Environmental Justice and Civic Engagement for the Center for Earth Ethics She also serves as a 2017 Duke University Franklin Human Institute
Practitioner in Residence and was recently honored as part of the 2017 Grist 50 Her work has centered around the human right ot water and sanitation in rural communities
Tera Fong, Strategic Business Analyst, DC Water
Tera Fong is a Strategic Business Analyst for DC Water As a member of the Office of the General
Manager, she coordinates efforts to enhance operational efficiencies and pursue innovation and business opportunities Prior to DC Water, she served as Program Examiner for the White House Office of
Management and Budget, analyzing and developing budget and policy proposals for the Environmental Protection Agency’s water programs In this role, she focused on federal policy to help communities plan and finance water and wastewater infrastructure, and interagency coordination on ecosystem restoration including the Great Lakes and Chesapeake Bay She also reviewed rulemakings for drinking water
programs and risk assessment of various water contaminants Tera has a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of North Dakota and a Master of Public Affairs with concentrations in Environmental Policy and Natural Resource Management from Indiana University
Trang 6Michael Frantz, President, Frantz Wholesale Nursery, LLC
Michael Frantz is President of Frantz Wholesale Nursery, LLC, a position he took over from his father in
1998 His 600 acre family farm employs more than 250 people and is a premier supplier of containerized trees and shrubs to the landscape and retail nursery industry in the Western United States In keeping with his family’s commitment to excellent stewardship, Frantz Wholesale Nursery, LLC recycles all green waste generated on farm, reuses over 500,000 gallons of water per day, and all energy needs are met by solar generation Mr Frantz is active on local, statewide, and national boards ranging from the nursery industry to public power He was elected in 2009 to the Board of Directors for Turlock Irrigation District, a publicly owned utility that provides water and power to 662 square miles in the Central Valley He also serves on the Nursery Growers Association Board, the Farm Bureau, AmericanHort and the San Joaquin Valley Agriculture Advisory Board to Sustainable Conservation In Frantz’s capacity as a TID board
member, he is highly involved with stakeholder negotiations related to the State Water Resources Control Board's update of the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission relicensing Michael is married to Kristy Crow They have three small children, Landon, Braden, and Hailey
Derek Gardels, Water/Wastewater EIT, HDR Engineering Inc
Derek is an engineering professional with experience in infrastructure planning, project/program
management & delivery, public-private partnerships, and federal water policy Recently as a Science & Technology Policy Fellow at the Institute for Water Resources (U.S Army Corps of Engineers), Derek explored interests in alternative financing, public-private partnerships, future trends in water resources, and the evolving role of the federal government in infrastructure development Currently, Derek is a Project Engineer at HDR working on a number of diverse projects and infrastructure programs ranging from indirect potable reuse in the West to combined sewer overflow programs in the Midwest
Brian Gray, Senior Fellow, Public Policy Institute of California
Brian Gray is a senior fellow at the PPIC Water Policy Center and professor emeritus at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco He has published numerous articles on
environmental and water resources law and coauthored a variety of PPIC reports, including the 2011 interdisciplinary book on California water policy, “Managing California’s Water: From Conflict to
Reconciliation.” He has argued before the California Supreme Court and the U.S Court of Appeals in cases involving wild and scenic rivers, water pricing reform, takings, and water rights and environmental quality
He is a recipient of the William Rutter Award for Excellence in Teaching and the UC Hastings Outstanding Professor Award He holds a JD from the University of California, Berkeley, and a BA in economics from Pomona College
Ronald Green, Institute Scientist, Southwest Research Institute
Dr Ronald Green is an Institute Scientist in the Geosciences and Engineering Division at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in San Antonio, Texas where he has worked for the past 25 years His primary activities are in groundwater hydrology and environmental geophysics Recent work has focused on water availability in south-central and west Texas and the impact of oil and gas activities on water resources Of particular interest are the water resources of karst limestone aquifers including assessments of recharge, characterization of flow mechanisms, and numerical modeling Principal aquifers that have studied include the Edwards, Trinity, Edwards-Trinity, Carrizo-Wilcox, and Leona gravels Dr Green is a Fellow in the Geological Society of America and is certified as a Professional Geologist in Texas He holds a BS in Industrial Engineering from the University of Michigan, a BS in Geology from Grand Valley State
University, a MS in Geophysics from the University of Utah, and a PhD in Hydrology from the University of Arizona
Trang 7Peter Grevatt, Director, OGWDW, EPA
Peter Grevatt is the Director of the Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water (OGWDW) He is
responsible for the development and implementation of national drinking water standards, oversight and funding of state drinking water programs and the implementation of source water protection and
underground injection control programs to protect public health nationwide Prior to joining the OGWDW
of 2012, Peter Grevatt served as the Director of the Office of Children's Health Protection and served as the Senior Advisor to EPA Administrator for Children's Environmental Health Peter has held leadership roles in EPA's national hazardous waste and water quality programs Peter received his MS and PhD degrees in Basic Medical Sciences from New York University Medical Center and earned his bachelor's degree in Biology from Earlham College
Maurice Hall, Associate Vice President - Ecosystems - Water, Environmental Defense Fund
As the Associate Vice President of Water for the Ecosystems Program at the Environmental Defense Fund, Maurice Hall oversees EDF’s work to revitalize working rivers and their ability to provide a resilient water supply He focuses on developing collaborative water management approaches to meet ecosystem needs alongside the needs of farms and cities Approaches central to this work include shaping water
transaction programs that achieve resilient water supplies while protecting the environment and
vulnerable communities, improving information systems to inform smart management of water
resources, and shaping water governance that proactively considers multiple objectives and responds to climate change Maurice joined EDF in May 2016 Previously, he served as the water program lead for the Water Funder Initiative, a collaborative effort to identify and activate promising water solutions through strategic philanthropic investments in the United States, starting in the American West He also spent seven years with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) where his roles included science and engineering lead for the California Water ProgramMaurice holds a BS from the University of Tennessee Chattanooga and a PhD in Earth Resources, Watershed Sciences from Colorado State University
Josh Hankins, Coordinator, Rice Stewardship Partnership, USA Rice
Josh Hankins is the Rice Stewardship Partnership Coordinator for USA Rice Josh is headquartered in Arkansas and leads efforts to deliver on-the-ground conservation initiatives, assisting rice producers with increased on-farm energy and nutrient use efficiencies, water and soil conservation and wildlife
management These efforts have been made possible by a $10 million Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) received in 2015, and most recently he led the partnership in securing an additional $7 million project that will be rolled out later this year Josh has wide ranging work experience in the fields of agriculture, finance, and medicine Josh grew up in Conway, AR, received his degree from Pepperdine University in California, and lives in Little Rock with his wife and two daughters
Josh Henretig, Senior Director, Environmental Sustainability, Microsoft
Josh Henretig is the Senior Director of Environmental Sustainability for Microsoft and is responsible for defining and executing the company’s strategy for corporate water stewardship, as well as for
technology-based solutions that address key environmental challenges As part of this effort, Microsoft and its growing ecosystem of partners are developing solutions that span energy, water, agriculture, transportation and building efficiency These solutions leverage the power of the cloud, data analytics, machine learning, distributed sensor networks, and mobile devices to knit together a highly integrated, energy-smart landscape that maximizes efficiency and performance in a resource-constrained world Josh has been working on sustainability at Microsoft for more than 10 years and has helped design and
execute the company’s global energy, water and environmental strategy Over the years, he has worked
on many aspects of Microsoft’s environmental strategy - from developing partnerships that deliver technology innovations that enable cities to minimize their impact on the environment, to helping
accelerate scientific breakthroughs on environmental issues, to implementing responsible business practices that have led to the company’s commitment to become carbon neutral and to be powered by 100% renewable energy through an internal price on carbon
Trang 8Dave Holbrook, Group Leader, Nanomaterials Research, NIST
Dr Dave Holbrook is Group Leader of the Nanomaterials Research Group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) He has over 20 years of experience with water and wastewater
research and is currently focused on developing improved measurement capabilities for various water-related issues
Laura Huffman, State Director, The Nature Conservancy
As state director of The Nature Conservancy in Texas, Laura Huffman heads a statewide team of
scientists, conservation experts and support staff whose work protects the integrity of Texas’ vast natural resources and most iconic landscapes Huffman is also founding director of the Conservancy’s North America Cities program, created to support cities as they integrate natural infrastructure into local planning and development initiatives in ways that safeguard people and reduce vulnerability to climate change Under her leadership, the organization has been instrumental in the development and
subsequent passage of the RESTORE Act, a landmark piece of federal legislation that dedicates 80% of penalties resulting from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill to affected Gulf Coast states She has also worked closely with Texas legislators to draft legislation with far-reaching ramifications for statewide water conservation and spearheaded the expansion of water protection funds in Central Texas Since
2000, these citizen approved water funds have generated nearly a billion dollars to protect drinking water
in Austin and San Antonio, two of the fastest growing metro areas in the country They have also emerged
as a proven best practice for cities needing a practical, customizable way to protect water quality and quantity Huffman earned a master’s degree in public affairs from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Science in political science from Texas A&M University An Austin native, she enjoys running, swimming and hiking with her husband and four children
Sherrel Johnson, Grants and Special Projects Administrator, Union County Water Conservation Board Sherrel Johnson’s alias is “that water woman”, a moniker she readily accepts Her dedication to Sparta aquifer recovery in 1997 followed the 1996 designation of her home county and four contiguous South Arkansas counties as the state’s first Critical Groundwater Area By 1998, the state declared fourteen additional counties Critical, but state and federal agencies agreed that Union’s groundwater threat was the worst As Chamber of Commerce CEO, Johnson understood that irreparable aquifer damage was her county’s most pressing economic development issue Chamber leadership forged countywide
cooperation resulting in the state’s first Critical Groundwater Conservation Board with unprecedented authority over groundwater The Union County Water Conservation Board convened in June 1999 with its mission to conserve and protect the Sparta aquifer by providing an alternative, reliable, affordable
source By December 2005, the Board had paid for $65 million in new infrastructure It began delivering the alternative Ouachita River surface water to three major industries in October 2004 Conjunctive use and other conservation reduced the county’s reliance on groundwater, allowing the once threatened aquifer to begin recovery In April 2016, one monitoring well’s groundwater level had risen 75’ since October 2004 Johnson continues work with the Board, and Sparta recovery is both her vocation and avocation
Ted Kowalski, Senior Program Officer - Environment, Walton Family Foundation
Ted Kowalski is a Senior Program Officer, leading the foundation’s Colorado River Initiative Prior to joining the foundation, Ted started his career in the Colorado Attorney General’s office working on water rights Ted is recognized for his deep expertise, and has testified before the U.S Congress and before the Colorado General Assembly Ted was chief of the interstate, federal and water information section, where
he served as a senior negotiator on Federal, interstate and international issues related to the Colorado River Ted has a law degree from the University of Colorado and an undergraduate degree from Cornell University
Trang 9David LaFrance, CEO, American Water Works Association
David LaFrance is Chief Executive Officer of the American Water Works Association (AWWA), the world’s largest and oldest association of water professionals, with 43 sections throughout North America and more than 50,000 members worldwide Overseeing a staff of more than 150 in Denver, Washington D.C and Mumbai, India, LaFrance guides AWWA’s extensive scientific, educational, and public policy work to build a better world through better water Prior to joining AWWA in 2010, he was the Chief Financial Officer for Denver Water where, during his 17-year tenure, he also served as the utility’s Manager of Rate Administration LaFrance’s professional background also includes extensive water policy and
management experience with the global engineering and consulting firm CH2M and the U.S Army Corps
of Engineers
Robert Laughman, President, Aqua Texas
As President of Aqua Texas, Robert Laughman oversees the operations throughout the state Aqua serves 200,000 customers in three major regions (Houston, Ft Worth, Austin/San Antonio) and are solely
dependent on groundwater Groundwater in Texas is governed by over 100 Groundwater Districts, so Aqua must maintain expertise in a diverse regulatory climate Aqua Texas is also participating in a Aquifer Storage Recovery Project (ASR) in the Edwards Aquifer
Sylvia Lee, Sustainability Strategy Manager, Facebook
Sylvia Lee has two decades of experience in the water sector and is responsible for Facebook's water program She began her career as an environmental engineer designing water and wastewater systems in the U.S Then she raised awareness on the importance of global water challenges at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland and worked on the geopolitics of transboundary waters with the World Bank in South Asia She also led the water program at the Skoll Global Threats Fund
Wesley Lobo, Global BU Director, Industry & Agriculture, Xylem Inc
Wesley “Wes” Lobo currently serves as Global Business Unit Director, Industry & Agriculture for Xylem Inc and is located in Charlotte, North Carolina In this role, he is responsible for defining and executing global strategies, including market growth, product development, support channel strategy, geographic expansion and portfolio management for the Agriculture, General Industry, Power, Oil & Gas, Mining, Municipal, and Food & Beverage verticals Wes has been in the water industry for 19 years covering both the municipal and industrial markets in sales, marketing, business development, and engineering with ITT Industries, and now Xylem Inc Most recently he was Director of Application Engineering & Customer Solutions for the Xylem North American Commercial Team, and before that he was Director of Sales for Treatment Wes is a certified LSS Black Belt and is a member of the Xylem Watermark Corporate
Citizenship Committee In addition to his passion around water, Wes enjoys spending time with his wife and two children, sports, cooking and laughing Wes recieved his MBA from Duke University's Fuque School of Business and his bachelors in Chemical Engineering from Lafayette College
April Long, Stormwater Manager, City of Aspen (CO)
April Long works to improve, protect, and enjoy the Roaring Fork River in Aspen She has a degree in Biosystems Engineering from Auburn University and is the Stormwater Manager and Clean River Program Manager for the City of Aspen, focusing on water quality and river health improvements for the Roaring Fork River April’s work ranges from writing policy, regulations, and technical design guidelines to master planning, design and construction of award-winning capital projects that use creative and natural
approaches for removing pollutants from stormwater runoff April is a steering committee member of the Roaring Fork Watershed Collaborative, is an alumnus of the Colorado Water Leaders program, and works closely with other mountain resort communities to effectively and creatively solve stormwater management and river health issues that are unique to mountain towns As the mom of three kids under five years old, April has no free time But if she did, she would spend it rafting, fishing, hiking, or biking April wishes she could drink more wine and get more sleep
Trang 10Martin Lowenfish, Conservation Initiative Team Leader, NRCS, USDA
Martin Lowenfish is the national lead for Landscape Conservation Initiatives for the USDA Natural
Resources Conservation Service NRCS uses Landscape Conservation Initiatives to accelerate the benefits
of voluntary conservation programs, such as cleaner water and air, healthier soil and enhanced wildlife habitat NRCS conservation programs help agricultural producers improve the environment while
maintaining a vibrant agricultural sector Martin has worked for over 15 years delivering conservation programs at USDA
Brian Lutz, Senior Scientist-Biogeochemistry, The Climate Corporation
Brian Lutz is a Senior Scientist at The Climate Corporation, the world’s leading digital agriculture company, guiding research aimed at delivering data-driven solutions to help farmers improve water and nutrient management practices in crop production systems He has an established track record of bridging the science-policy interface to tackle some of our most pressing environmental challenges, and has worked extensively on water-related issues in both the agriculture and energy sectors He has delivered state senate testimony, addressed the National Governors Association, and has conducted research directly contributing to litigation and federal rule-making aimed at protecting water resources He as served several boards of nongovernmental organizations, and has experience public-private partnership
development He earned his PhD from Duke University in biogeochemistry and global change ecology, where he received both the Oosting and Stern Fellowships for his research on understanding human impacts to freshwater ecosystems, in addition to fellowships from the National Science Foundation and the Research Council of Norway
Robert Mace, Deputy Executive Administrator, Water Science and Conservation, Texas Water Development Board
Dr Robert Mace is a Deputy Executive Administrator at the Texas Water Development Board and leads the agency’s Water Science & Conservation office, a department of 79 scientists, engineers, and
specialists dedicated to better understanding groundwater and surface water resources; advancing water conservation and innovative water technologies such as desalination, aquifer storage and recovery, reuse, and rainwater harvesting; and better preparing Texas for floods Prior to joining the Texas Water
Development Board in 1999, Robert worked for almost nine years at the Bureau of Economic Geology at The University of Texas at Austin as a hydrologist and research scientist Robert has a BS in Geophysics and an MS in Hydrology from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and a PhD in
Hydrogeology from The University of Texas at Austin His residential consumption of water is less than 30 gallons per person per day (and would be lower if his wife was more cooperative)
Jordan Macknick, Energy and Environmental Analyst, NREL
Jordan Macknick leads energy-water-land research analysis activities at NREL, coordinating staff research
as it relates to energy-water modeling, technology development and deployment, energy systems
integration, and the co-optimization of energy and water infrastructure He has additional expertise in renewable energy technology characterizations, global energy and carbon systems, environmental
impacts of energy technologies, and renewable energy deployment in developing countries He has also contributed to energy-water publications for the International Panel on Climate Change, the World Bank, the International Energy Agency, and the International Renewable Energy Agency Prior to joining NREL Jordan worked as a research associate at the International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Austria He holds a BA in mathematics and environmental studies from Hamline University and a Master’s
of Environmental Science from the Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies