Water Education Foundation

Class Criteria and Requirements
For Alumni – the Water Leaders Association
Class Rosters
Update Your Water Leader Contact Information

The William R. Gianelli Water Leaders Class is a one-year program that identifies young community leaders from diverse backgrounds, including members of minority and ethnic communities, and educates them about water issues. The program enhances individual leadership skills and prepares participants to take an active, cooperative approach to decision-making about water resource issues. Leading stakeholders and top policy-makers serve as mentors to class members. Designed as a program for young working professionals, participation involves a time commitment from both the class member and his or her employer.

William R. "Bill" Gianelli served as Assistant Secretary for the Army in charge of the Corps of Engineers from 1981 to 1984 and Director of the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) from 1967 to 1973 during major construction on the State Water Project. He began his career with DWR in 1946 and continues as a Consulting Civil Engineer. He is past president of the Water Education Foundation. He resides in Monterey, California. In 2002, he made a generous gift to the Water Leaders Class as an investment into the future of water resources management.

The William R. "Bill" Gianelli Water Leaders Class is primarily funded through grants, with partial support from tuition fees. Tuition is $2,500 for the year-long program, which helps to cover attendance at Foundation events. Each year, some scholarship funding is available for several members. To contribute to the Water Leaders Class, contact Beth Stern.

Criteria for Acceptance

Commitment to understanding water issues;
Interest in seeking leadership roles on public boards and commissions, or key staff positions;
Commitment to the community through volunteer activities;
Potential or existing opportunities for advancement to key leadership roles within your own organization.

Participant Requirements

Attend a special one day class orientation in January;
Attend two Foundation water tours (each tour is three days);
Attend the Foundation's 1½ day Executive Briefing in April;
Spend a day "shadowing" a major water leader – your assigned mentor – from government, urban, agriculture, environmental organization, private businesses, or public interest group;
Interview the mentor about a water issue selected by the class;
Attend a special meeting in July to develop a class Power Point about the assigned water topic.
Attend December Board of Directors meeting to present the Power Point.

Each year, class members research different water-related issue. Past examples include the state's Bulletin 160 process, water and growth. Each year's class runs from January to December, with applications for the next year's class accepted in the fall. Contact Jean Nordmann for information on the 2009 class.

Water Leaders Association

In 2004, a group of graduates from the Water Leaders Program established an alumni organization. The Water Leaders Association was created to provide for continued networking among graduates, fundraising efforts that directly support the program and to be available to future classes of Water Leaders as informal mentors. The Water Leaders Program proved beneficial as a one-year program, but this Association is a way to build upon and multiply the benefits found through participating.

Because of this Association, continued networking has already begun to occur among graduates of the Foundation's Water Leaders Classes, most recently at the Water Education Foundation's March 2004 Executive Briefing. At this event, graduates sponsored a reception to be able to connect with the current class of Water Leaders and to re-connect with old friends. The Association also hosted the Second Annual Silent Auction to help raise funds for the program.

By having this alumni Association, a database of graduates of the program has been developed to facilitate interaction among former and current Water Leaders. The Association encourages each graduate of the program to use the secure form to provide the Foundation with up-to-date contact information.

Water Leaders Association Steering Committee

Coral Cavanagh, coral@curallum.com

Wesley Lujan, wlujan@advocation-inc.com

Jason Miller

Class Rosters

	2007 Elizabeth Betancourt Watershed Coordinator El Dorado Irrigation District Jeanne Brantigan Water Resources Engineer CH2MHill Erin Field Government Affairs Analyst Western Growers Catherine Freeman Senior Fiscal and Policy Analyst Legislative Analyst Office Jenny Gain Water Resources Engineer Brown and Caldwell Carolyn Ginno Chief of Staff Assemblyman Mike Duvall Stefanie Hedlund Attorney Best Best & Krieger, LLP Margaret-Anne Herston Assistant Engineer Delta Diablo Sanitation District Campbell Ingram Program Manager Nature Conservancy, The Manisha Kothari Water Resource Specialist/Project Manager San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Tina Lunt Regulatory Affairs Specialist Northern California Water Association Jacob McQuirk Senior Project Manager California Department of Water Resources Jessica Pearson Special Assistant California Department of Water Resources Megan Robinson Hydrologist Jones and Stokes Adriana Romo Government Analyst I Riverside Local Agency Formation Commission Tracy Schohr Director of Rangeland Conservation California Cattlemen's Association Amy Steinfeld Attorney Hatch & Parent Monique VanderMarck Associate Civil Engineer East Bay Municpal Utility District
2006 Curtis Anderson Senior Engineer California Department of Water Resources Viola Brooks Executive Fellow Jr. Policy Consultant Hoopa Valley Tribe Heather Cooley Research Associate The Pacific Institute David Eggerton Attorney El Dorado Irrigation District Christian Kropf Hydrogeologist II Washoe County Department of Water Resources Sara Martin Water Resources Project Coordinator Jones and Stokes Ryan Murdock Civil Engineer MWH Alejandro Paolini Conservation Specialist Reclamation District No. 2131 Melissa Poole Associate Nossaman, Guthner, Know & Elliott LLP Zarka Popovic City Administrator/Water Operations City of Williams Traci Roberts Environmental Resources Coordinator Monterey County Farm Bureau Priya Sathyanarayan Project Manager CH2M Hill Andy Slack President/Owner Spot Water Management, Inc. Miriam Torres Program Assistant Environmental Justice Coalition for Water Ana Ulloa Associate Civil Engineer East Bay Municipal Utility District Gina Veronese Water Resources Planner/Resource Economist CDM Kate Wheatley Attorney Taylor & Wiley Dawn White Water Quality Manager Golden State Water Company
	2005 Elizabeth Ayres Natural Resource Specialist US Bureau of Reclamation An Bartlett Associate Civil Engineer East Bay Municipal Utility District Josh Bergstrom Science Assessment Coordinator East Bay Watershed Center Debra Kaye Operations and Maintenance Manager Truckee Meadows Water Authority/CA-NV AWWA Andrew Lloyd Staff Attorney Pacific Legal Foundation Elyse Lowe Representative San Diego Councilmember Jim Madaffer Tam Ma Assistant Consultant Office of Senator Sheila Kuehl David Marquez Water Attorney Hatch & Parent Sandi Matsumoto Project Manager The Nature Conservancy Mike McCullough Director of Turfgrass Services Northern California Golf Association Eric Miller Program Manager Butte County Water & Resource Conservation James Nickel Special Projects Manager Nickel Family LLC Kanwarjit Qua Attorney Somach, Simmons & Dunn Mark Smith Legislative Aid Assemblyman Sam Blakeslee Andrew Tauriainen Attorney Kronick, Moskovitz, Tiedemann & Girard Ming-Yen Tu Associate Engineer MWH Americas, Inc.
2004 Jeffrey Brown Staff Geologist ENGEO Incorporated Mike Conner The Nature Conservancy Aaron Ferguson Regulatory Affairs Specialist Northern California Water Association Alicia Gasdick Water Resources Specialist Science Applications Int. Corp. Jan Lee Associate Civil Engineer East Bay Municipal Utility District Salvador Lopez Cordova Project Manager Camp Dresser and McKee Inc. Meghan Maloney Peace Corps Fellow University of Arizona Kelly McDonald Attorney Defenders of Wildlife Eric Mills Supervisor MWH Stephanie Parsons Wildlife Biologist and Regulatory Compliance Specialist Jones & Stokes Michelle Pingel Project Engineer PSOMAS Nicole Sandkullav Water Resource Analyst BAWSCA Chris Scheuring Attorney Somach, Simmons & Dunn Nathan Solov Legislative Aide Assemblymember Fran Pavley Eduardo Valerio President Valerio Resources
Water Leaders are required to attend two Water Education Foundation tours during the year-long program.	2003 Jolene Allred Education Specialist Eastern Municipal Water District Katherine S. Brophy Water Quality Project Manager California Water Service Company John Chester Utility Resource Planner City & County of San Francisco, PUC Emily Franciskovich Program Assistant California Rangeland Trust Jennifer L. Harder Associate Attorney Downey, Brand, Seymour & Rohwer, LLP Christopher Hentz Senior Engineer MWH Mary Lee Knecht Water Resources Planner Jones & Stokes Marie Su-ming Liu Legislative Aide State Senator Betty Karnette David Ramirez, Jr. Hydraulic Engineer U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Paola Ramos Policy Analyst Latino Issues Forum Edgar E. Ruiz Program Manager Council of State Governments - West Judi Tapia Contract Branch Chief U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Andrew Werner Vice President Layne Water Development & Storage, LLC Min Yu Senior Engineer CALFED
2002 Kaylee Allen Assistant Regional Solicitor U.S. Department of the Interior Kristi Arcularius Associate The Ferguson Group Joseph Arlotto Water Quality Supervisor The Zoological Society of San Diego Ryan S. Bezerra Attorney Bartkiewicz, Kronick & Shanahan Rosario Cortes Assistant Director of Legislation California Department of Parks and Recreation Tanya DeRivi Legislative Analyst Los Angeles Dept. of Water & Power Daniel "PK" Diffenbaugh Eric Ginney Phelicia M. Gomes Regulatory Project Manager U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Georgeann "Gigi" Hanna Public Affairs Representative MWD of Southern California Paula Kehoe Executive Assistant to the General Manager San Francisco PUC Carrie Metzger Environmental Engineer CDM Jason Miller Associate Attorney Ellison Schneider & Harris Brady Moss Project Associate The Trust for Public Land Vanessa Nishikawa Supervising Engineer MWH Sara Price Senior Deputy Attorney General Nevada Attorney General's Office David Sieperda Diana Sokolove Environmental Planner San Francisco Planning Department, Major Environmental Analysis Section Peter Weschler	Upon completion of the class, each member receives a certificate.
	2001 Jennifer Carbuccia Resource and Outreach Manager Hatch and Parent Coral Cavanagh Water Resources Planner Curalium Consulting Susan Fry Lynne Galal Chief, Project Manager Branch U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Edmund Gee Assistant Regional Solicitor U.S. Department of Interior Dana Haasz Water Conservation Administrator San Francisco PUC Maurice Hall Project Manager CH2M Hill Nicholas Jacobs Associate Attorney Somach, Simmons & Dunn Ellen Levin Water Policy Analyst San Francisco PUC Geoff McQuilkin Executive Director, Operations Mono Lake Committee Tina Shields General Superintendent, Department of Resources, Planning and Management Imperial Irrigation District Crystal Thompson Community Relations Representative Central Arizona Project
2000 Kathryn I. Alcantar Rishiraj Das Steve Escalera Paeter E. Garcia Attorney-at-Law Weston Benshoof Rochefort Rubalcaca MacCuish, LLP Martha Guzman Legislative Analyst California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation Will J. Harris Engineering Geologist California Department of Water Resources Jose Huizar Shana Kaplan Special Projects Manager U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Jason G. Larrabee Senior Legislative Assistant Congressman John Doolittle's Office Susan Lien Longville Council Member City of San Bernardino Wesley Lujan Legislative Advocate Advocations Inc. Carlos A. Michelon Associate Engineer MWD of Southern California Mary M. Paasch Water Resources Engineer MWH Bruce Rolen Director Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District Chris Tapio Legislative Assistant Assemblymember John Dutra Mark R. Tompkins Water Resources Engineer CH2M HILL Peter L. Yolles The Nature Conservancy	Each class begins with a one-day orientation in January.
	1999 Alvin Bautista Water Resources Engineer Los Angeles Department of Water & Power Valerie Calegari Field Representative The Nature Conservancy Richard Cummings Torri Jon Estrada Mike Fuller Andy Funchess Chris S. Gaido David Gershwin Communications Deputy City of Los Angeles Mark Graham Supervising Engineer MWH Kimberley M. Knox Water Conservation Administrator San Francisco Water Department Corinna Lu Wetlands Biologist USGS, Humboldt State University Foundation Anjanette M. Martin General Manager Colusa Basin Drainage District Amelia Minaberrigarai Assistant General Counsel Kern County water Agency Alfred E. Smith, II Attorney Nossaman, Guthner, Knox & Elliott, LLP Maria C. Solis Mike Urkov Project Manager CH2M Hill
1998 Ann Grether DeMartini Stephen M. Fischer Sarah Holmgren Senior Environmental Scientist MWH Margie Lannom Wheeler Unit Manager MWD of Southern California Lisa Lawson Murphy Scott Morris Attorney Kronick, Moskovitz, Tiedemann & Girard Julio Sanchez Alysia Sklavounos Richard (Rick) John Strobel Wendy Turner	Each class is required to produce a year-end report on a certain water research topic.
The Foundation began the Water Leaders Program in 1997.	1997 Luis Manuel Arteaga Senior Policy Analyst Latino Issues Forum Peter L. Candy Attorney Hollister and Brace Edgar G. Dymally Senior Environmental Specialist MWD of Southern California Marco A. Firebaugh Deceased Erick H. Johnson Denise L. Kruger Vice President Southern California Water Company Patricia "Patty" Logoluso Jag B. Salgaonkar Manager Water/Wastewater Reclamation Engineer/Marketing CH2M Hill Fiona M. Sanchez Manager Diverse Corporation/CTSI Kelly M. Tennis Doornbos Arlene K. Wong