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Alumni Profiles

Overview July 15, 2016

Water Leader Alums
Where are they now?

Take a look at some of the alums of our Water Leaders program, started in 1997, to see what they are doing now. 

The profiles below were published in our quarterly Western Water magazine.

  • Read more
Post November 21, 2017 Water Leaders

Water Leaders: Where Are They Now?
Newsha Ajami, Director of Urban Water Policy, Water in the West, Stanford University

Class Year: 2011

Class Research Project: Delta Plan

What was your job when you were in  the water leaders class?

Science and technology fellow for the California Council on Science & Technology.

What do you do on a day-to-day basis? 

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Post August 18, 2017

Water Leaders: Where Are They Now?
Scott A. Morris, Shareholder, Kronick Moskovitz Tiedemann & Girard

Class Year: 1998

Class Research Project: Water Transfers in California

What was your job when you were in  the water leaders class? I was an associate attorney at my current firm – Kronick Moskovitz Tiedemann & Girard

What does your job focus on these days?

I serve as general counsel to several public water agencies, so my legal focus is broader than my Water Leader days. For example, I now need to be concerned about the Brown Act, public contracting and construction law, the Public Records Act, conflict-of-interest rules, and Prop 218, rather than primarily just water and environmental laws. Working as a lawyer is exciting as our world is constantly changing, such as implementation of the new Sustainable Groundwater Manage­ment Act (SGMA).

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Post May 15, 2017

Water Leaders: Where Are They Now?
Chris Scheuring Managing Counsel, Natural Resources and Environmental Department, Legal Services Division, California Farm Bureau Federation

Class Year: 2004

Class Research Project: Water and Growth

What was your job when you were in the water leaders class? Associate Attorney for Somach Simmons & Dunn

What does your job focus on these days?

I’m the senior attorney in the department that handles the natural resources and environmental issues for our members across California with respect to water, land use, endangered species and air quality. As a practical matter, though, 70 percent of my work is water-related.

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Post May 15, 2017

Water Leaders: Where Are They Now?
Edgar G. Dymally, Senior Environmental Specialist, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

Class Year: Inaugural Year 1997

Class Project Theme: Current Views on the CALFED Bay-Delta Program

What do you do?

A large part of my job is to analyze potential legislation and regulation for impacts on Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, its member agencies and the drinking water industry. I’m also active in several trade associations including the Association of California Water Agencies (Vice-Chair, Water Quality Committee). My main responsibility is to ensure that Metropolitan continues to comply with all federal, state and local regulations.

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Post November 7, 2016

Water Leaders: Where are they now?
Martha Guzman Aceves, Deputy Legislative Affairs Secretary for Environment, Energy, Water and Agriculture in Gov. Brown’s administration

Class Year: 2000

Class Research Project: Water Quality

What was your job when you were in the Water Leaders class? Legislative Coordinator for the United Farm Workers (UFW) AFL-CIO covering labor and environmental issues.

What do you do on a day-to-day basis?

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Post August 16, 2016

Water Leaders – Where are they now?
Mark Tompkins: Scientist, engineer and a founder of FlowWest, a consulting firm in Oakland

Class Year: 2000

Class Research Project: Water Quality in California

What was your job when you were a Water Leader: A consultant with CH2M Hill

We came across Mark Tompkins when he recommended a current employee from FlowWest to become a 2016 Water Leader. We found it interesting that two other former water leaders – Mike Urkov, class of 1999 and Paul Frank, class of 2010 – also work at the small company. Below is a conversation Tompkins had with Executive Director Jennifer Bowles.

  • Read more
Tina Shields
Post May 27, 2016 Water Leaders

Water Leaders – Where are they now?
Tina Shields, Water Manager, Imperial Irrigation District

Class Year: 2001

Class Research Project: Water Use Efficiency

What was your job when you were a Water Leader?

Senior Engineer, IID’s Resources Planning & Management Section

What are you doing now?

I help manage the district’s water department, consisting of more than 450 dedicated staff focused on managing and delivering IID’s annual 3.1 million acre-feet Colorado River entitlement to our largely agricultural customer base in southeastern California.

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Jessica Pearson
Post March 1, 2016

Water Leaders – Where are they now?
Jessica Pearson, Executive Officer of the Delta Stewardship Council

Class Year: 2007

Class Research Project: The Delta

What was your job when you were a Water Leader?

Special Assistant to the Director of the Department of Water Resources

  • Read more

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