NBWA 2024 - Imagine Our Future North Bay

Join leading insiders, experts and stakeholders to examine advancing our natural infrastructure, communities, and workforce.

NBWA 2024

Reinvesting in our Communities & Watersheds.

This year ’ s event will be a dynamic gathering of regional leaders and partners to envision tomorrow’s resilient watershed communities and workforce, focusing on the theme “Imagine Our Future North Bay ” We will unite experts to delve into California’s Water Plan Update, explore advancement and funding of natural and built infrastructure initiatives, and foster diverse opportunities for tomorrow’s rewarding careers in water. The conference provides a platform for experts, decision-makers, practitioners, partners, and students to understand and discuss the substantial adaptation challenges faced by water

utilities and management agencies posed by climate, technology, and societal changes.

Join us on April 19 for insightful discussions, actionable strategies and networking opportunities. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Warm regards,

Andy Rodgers

Executive Director, North Bay Watershed Association

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SONOMA STATE UNIVERSITY | EVENT/STUDENT CENTER 1801 East Cotati Avenue Rohnert Park, California

9 AM - 3:15 PM | Light Breakfast & Lunch Included 3:15 PM - 4 PM | Networking Event CALL-IN INFORMATION AVAILABLE TO VIRTUAL ATTENDEES

Program Agenda

LAST UPDATED: 4.15.24

8:00 - 9:00 AM

9:00 - 9:20 AM

9:20 - 11:00 AM

Check-in. Light breakfast opens at 8:30 AM

Welcome Address

U S Congressman Jared Huffman

Resilient, Equitable, and Interdependent Water Future

CA Climate Vulnerability Assessment and Evaluating Adaptation Strategies

Romain Maendly, Executive Advisor, Climate Change and Integrated

Watershed Management, CA Department of Water Resources (DWR)

Climate Urgency, Watershed Resilience, and Equity in Water Management –

An Overview of CA Water Plan Update 2023

Lewis Moeller, CA Water Plan Section Manager, DWR

Watershed Resilience Program Implementation and Pilot Projects

Eric Tsai, Acting Manager, Division of Planning, DWR

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Funding Our Future

Leveraging Regional Associations and Atypical Partnerships

Lynn von Koch-Liebert, Executive Director, California Strategic Growth

Council (CSGC)

Aatisha Singh, Connecting Communities Analyst, CSGC

Angie Hacker, CEO, Prosper Sustainably and Statewide Best Practices

Coordinator, CA Climate and Energy Collaborative

Kevin Eastman, Vice President, PACE Government Relations

12:00 - 12:30 PM

12:30 - 2:10 PM

Lunch

Positioning Us for the Future: Watershed Shoreline, Lands, Infrastructure, and Partnerships

Baylands Resilience Framework and the Beneficial Use of Sediment

Jeremy Lowe, Senior Environmental Scientist, San Francisco Estuary Institute

Empowering Stewardship Through Regional Collaboration and Capacity

Building: Learnings from Forest Health and Fire Resilience

Ali Blodorn, Ph.D. Principal Program Manager, Forestry, Napa RCD

Pivotal Point: Water Resue Trends and Opportunities

Brenley McKenna, Managing Director, WateReuse California

Faculty and Students Partnering With Public Agencies to Address Watershed Issues in the North Bay

Dr. Chris Halle, Program Developer, Center for Environmental Inquiry, Sonoma State University

Program Agenda

LAST UPDATED: 4.15.24

2:10 - 3:15 PM

The Next Generation: Resiliency Workforce Development

BAYWORK Panel: Meaningful and Abundant Careers in Water

Steven Currie, Workforce Development Program Manager, DEI Division, Contra Costa Water District; and Vice President, BAYWORK

Jordan Damerel, Assistant General Manager and District Engineer, Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District

Elizabeth Toups, Manager, BAYWORK/JVS

3:15 - 4:00 PM

Watershed Networking Event!

Exhibit Hall

8:00 – 9:00 AM

12:00 – 12:30 PM

3:15 – 4:00 PM

Exhibit Hall Open

Exhibit Hall Open

Exhibit Hall Open/Networking Event

NBWA 2024

Registration Pricing

In-Person (Click here to REGISTER or use QR code)

Early Bird - $95 (ends March 26)

General Admission - $110

Student (only 40 tickets available) - $10.00

NBWA is accepting reimbursement requests for Student ticket prices.

The in-person ticket includes a parking pass, breakfast, lunch, and access to the Watershed Networking event. Parking passes will be distributed at SSU on the morning of the event. If you cannot join us in person, please join via our virtual option!

Virtual (Click here to REGISTER)

Early Bird - $45 (ends March 26)

General Admission - $60

Student - FREE

(Email northbaywa@gmail.com for Promo Code)

If your agency is a Sponsor, please email northbaywa@gmail.com for a discount Promo Code.

Exhibit hall tables are free for program speakers/participants, NGOs, and education institutes. However, a level of event promotion through participant networks, plus the registration fee of any staff tabling the event, is required.

Please email table inquiries and questions to northbaywa@gmail.com

Lodging

Based on availability, Hampton Inn & Suites, Rohnert Park (3.0 miles) is providing hotel discounts to conference attendees. Please book your room using this link.

Other Hotel options:

DoubleTree by Hilton Sonoma Wine Country, Rohnert Park (3.9 miles)

Oxford Suites Sonoma County, Rohnert Park (3.7)

Cambria Hotel Sonoma Wine Country, Rohnert Park (3.2 miles)

ResilientWatershedsandThrivingCommunities

Andy Rodgers is a consulting geologist, environmental scientist, and serial volunteer. He has lived and worked in the North Bay for 30+ years and has focused his career on public agency projects and programs. Before becoming the Executive Director of the NBWA, he participated as a volunteer for years representing business and local NGOs. His North Bay collaboration inspired his involvement with the Russian River Watershed Association and other watershed and basin-defined organizations, such as the Sonoma County Groundwater

Welcome Address

Rep. Huffman represents California’s 2nd Congressional District which spans from the Golden Gate Bridge north to the Oregon border, and includes Marin, Sonoma, Mendocino, Humboldt, Trinity, and Del Norte Counties. He was first elected to Congress in November of 2012, and currently serves on the Natural Resources Committee and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Huffman Chairs the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans and Wildlife. Recognizing his environmental leadership, Speaker Nancy Pelosi appointed Jared to serve on the Select Committee on Climate Change in February of 2019.

Session 1: Resilient, Equitable, and Interdependent Water Future

Romain Maendly is the Climate Action Coordinator for the Integrated Watershed Management Programs. Over the last fourteen years at DWR, he has led, assisted, and collaborated on many plans and studies related to integrated water management. Romain has been leading DWR’s Climate Action Plan Phase II, aiming to improve the consistency and scientific rigor of DWR's approaches for analyzing the potential impacts of climate change and strategies to adapt our water management sectors.

Romain originated from Switzerland, where he earned a technical certificate in Land Surveying. He came to the United States to play college basketball. Instead, he completed a B.Sc. in Environmental Engineering Science from UC Berkeley and an M.Sc. in Civil and Environmental Engineering with a specialization in Water Resources at UC Davis.

Lewis Moeller, currently manager of the California Water Plan section within the Division of Planning with the Department of Water Resources. Additionally, Lewis worked for almost 20 years with the State Water Board in a variety of roles associated with both water rights and water quality. He served as an adjunct instructor in the Science Department at American River College for over 12 years.

Eric Tsai is Acting Division Manager for the Division of Planning within the California Department of Water Resources. He joined the Department in 2013 and supported the development of the 2017 Central Valley Flood Protection Plan and basin-wide feasibility studies in the San Joaquin River Basin and Sacramento River Basin. More recently, he supported the development of the California Water Plan Update 2023, which was released this month. Before coming to DWR, he worked on various water resources planning projects as an engineer with MWH Global, now Stantec. He holds a Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota and a Master’s in Environmental Engineering from Stanford University.

EricTsai ActingManager, DivisionofPlanning, DWR

LewisMoeller

CAWaterPlanSectionManager, DWR

RomainMaendly ExecutiveAdvisor, ClimateChangeandIntegrated WatershedManagement,CA DepartmentofWaterResources (DWR)

U.S.Congressman JaredHuffman

California’s2ndDistrict

Connecting CommunitiesAnalyst CSGC

AngieHacker CEO,ProsperSustainably andStatewideBest PracticesCoordinatorCA ClimateandEnergy Collaborative

KevinEastman VicePresident PACEGovernmentRelations

ResilientWatershedsandThrivingCommunities

wth Council. The California Strategic Growth ncies and three public members with the Funded through California’s Cap and Trade ategic initiatives, and interagency ns at the nexus of climate and equity. Since ommunities and addressing climate change.

Prior to joining SGC, Lynn was the Deputy Secretary for Housing at the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency. In this role she worked to coordinate the housing finance system during the largest increase in funding in California’s affordable housing history; led the housing response during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic; led the implementation of California COVID-19 Rent Relief program; and created the Outsmart Disaster Campaign.

Aatisha Singh (she/her/hers) is an Analyst for SGC’s new Connecting Communities Program. In this role, she helps SGC grantees and applicants access federal and other funding to accelerate community-led climate projects statewide. With over a decade of experience in nonprofit fund development, she has adeptly cultivated transformative relationships with institutional funders serving California and the nation.

Angie Hacker is the CEO of Prosper Sustainably. She has over 20 years of experience designing and leading community climate and energy initiatives in private, nonprofit and public roles spanning local, state, federal, and tribal government. Consulting projects currently include serving as Statewide Best Practices Coordinator for the California Climate and Energy Collaborative (CCEC) under CivicWell, lead consultant for the federally funded Tribal Climate Health Project, and consultant for many other local and tribal climate initiatives and advisory bodies. Angie believes a key to tackling the climate crisis and protecting people is to make it easier for communities to access funding, data, input, technical assistance, collaborations, best practices, and knowledge. She is a member of the American Society of Adaptation Professionals and has a Bachelor of Science from Cal Poly SLO and a Master of Public Administration from NYU.

Kevin Eastman is Vice President of PACE Government Relations, a bipartisan federal advocacy firm based on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C..

Kevin brings twenty years of experience in impacting federal and state policy to the PACE team, having served in senior roles in the House of Representatives and the California legislature prior to joining PACE in 2018. He works closely with Tribal and local governments, trade associations, nonprofits, and other clients to ensure their views are appropriately considered by Congress and federal agencies. Recent successes include passage of significant Colorado River water legislation, regulatory changes strengthening tax-exempt bonding authority, and an array of congressional earmarks supporting client infrastructure projects.

LynnvonKoch-Liebert ExecutiveDirector CaliforniaStrategic GrowthCouncil (CSGC)

AatishaSingh

ResilientWatershedsandThrivingCommunities

Session 3: Positioning Us for the Future: Watershed Shoreline, Lands,

Jeremy Lowe is a Coastal Geomorphologist at SFEI. He has over 35 years of experience in tidal wetland restoration and sea-level rise adaptation planning on the Pacific West Coast and Europe. Jeremy is the author of tidal wetland design guidelines for San Francisco Bay, Puget Sound, and the Lower Columbia Estuary. He is working with the Regional Board, USACE, and USEPA to develop a science-based approach to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of natural and nature-based climate adaptation strategies in the Bay. For MTC, he has led working groups providing scientific input to engineering design alternatives for adapting Highway 37 to sea-level rise. Jeremy is part of the project teams that have developed long-term landscape visions of Novato Creek, Walnut Creek, Sonoma Creek, and the Petaluma River, incorporating wetland restoration, fluvial floodplains, and transportation and wastewater infrastructure.

PrincipalProgram Manager,Forestry, NapaRCD

Ali Blodorn is the Principal Program Manager of Napa RCD's Forest Health Program, which focuses on improving forest health and wildfire resilience in Napa County and the region more broadly. Ali manages Napa RCD’s partnerships with a range of organizations (local, state, federal), leads project and grant management, and supervises a growing team of technical staff. Ali received a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Tulane University and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of California Santa Barbara.

Brenley McKenna has over 15 years of experience in the water sector, holding a bachelor's degree in environmental science from UC Davis and a master's degree in environmental engineering from the Colorado School of Mines. With roles at two Colorado water utilities, she managed recycled water systems and led efforts to expand water reuse regulations. For seven years at The Water Research Foundation, Brenley facilitated subscriber engagement and connected utilities to research resources. Currently, as Managing Director for WateReuse California, she champions responsible stewardship of water resources, maximizing the safe use of recycled water and supporting the WateReuse Association's initiatives.

ChrisHalle,PhD ProgramDeveloper, CenterforEnvironmentalInquiry, SonomaStateUniversity

Chris Halle has been working on various aspects of earth observing systems for the last 35 years, for both academia and industry. His interests include quantifying “typical” and “extreme” environmental conditions, scientific computer programming, and environmental description. He is particularly interested in quantifying uncertainty, especially as it relates to risk management. He currently serves as Program Developer for the Center for Environmental Inquiry, where he helps to break down barriers between traditional academia and the outside world, assisting faculty and students in working on real-world regional issues. He firmly believes that involving students of all disciplines in working on complex problems can benefit both the students and local communities.

BrenleyMcKenna ManagingDirector WateReuseCalifornia

JeremyLowe

SeniorEnvironmental ScientistSanFrancisco EstuaryInstitute

AliBlodorn,PhD

Workforce Development ProgramManager, DEIDivision, ContraCostaWater District;andVice PresidentBAYWORK

AssistantGeneral ManagerandDistrict Engineer,FairfieldSuisunSewerDistrict

ResilientWatershedsandThrivingCommunities

Session 4: The Next Generation: Resiliency Workforce Development

Steven Currie is the Workforce Development Program Manager at Contra Costa Water District and Vice President of Baywork, a partnership of more than forty Bay Area Water/Wastewater utilities dedicated to Steven has over 20 years of workforce development experience in the Bay Area, over half of which has been focused in water/wastewater. He has led workforce development, community development, and organizational development efforts throughout his career including in previous positions with East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMIUD) and San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC). Steven has an undergraduate degree in Public Health (Stockton University) and a Master’s in Public Administration (San Francisco State University). Steven is an advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the industry and is co-leading Baywork cross-agency mentorship, stackable internship, and cross-sector partnership-building efforts.

Jordan Damerel is the Assistant General Manager/District Engineer of the Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District, where he oversees the Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, and Environmental Services departments. His experience is in planning, design, construction, and operation of wastewater treatment and conveyance facilities. Jordan enjoys sharing his passion for the wastewater industry with others. He is an Adjunct Instructor in the Water/Wastewater Technology program at Solano Community College in Fairfield, CA; serves as the Chair of the Bay Area Consortium for Water/Wastewater Education, and is on the Board of Directors of BAYWORK, a water/wastewater workforce reliability collaborative. Jordan has a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley; a MS in Environmental Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and is a registered professional civil engineer in California.

Elizabeth Toups brings over 30 years of experience in leading workforce education and training strategies across varied industry sectors, with expertise in public utilities and healthcare industries. Much of her work has centered on assessing industry demand pain points, building consensus in a labor/management environment, prioritizing training models that lead to high quality jobs, and ensuring equity of opportunity for workers from underrepresented communities.

Two projects that Elizabeth contributed to significantly include the 2023 California Workforce Needs in the Water/Wastewater Industry report from the Water Energy Education Alliance and the Centers of Excellence and the 2017 Water and Wastewater Career Pathways report from BAYWORK, JVS, and the Centers of Excellence. Both reports documented the approaching crisis point in workforce reliability in the water/wastewater industry, across the state of California and more specifically, in the San Francisco Bay Area. These reports highlight the rare workforce development opportunity to help struggling job seekers acquire the training, experience and connections they need to access family-sustaining employment.

Elizabeth holds a B.S. from the University of Kentucky and a Masters degree in Public Administration from Golden Gate University.

ElizabethToups Manager,BAYWORK/JVS

JordanDamerel

Get parking pass

Student Center is accessible from the South Entrance (East Cotati Avenue).

Parking passes will be distributed by a parking attendant at SSU on the morning of the event.