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Mike Eng
Belinda Faustinos
Douglas Failing
Ernie Gutierrez
Kim Hernandez
Lillian Kawasaki
Benny Lee
Mary Ann Lutz
Travis Longcore
Stefan Lorenzato
Ellen Mackey
Frank Meza
Irma Muņoz
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Jody Noiron
Mark Pestrella
Claire Robinson
Louis Sahagun
Steve Scauzillo
Ken Schwarz
Jim Smith
Nancy Steele
Eric Stein
Rich Varenchik
Carol Williams
Jennifer Wolch
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* All presenters listed are confirmed |
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Mike Eng
California Assemblymember, 49th District
Assemblyman Mike Eng represents the 49th Assembly District, which is located within eastern Los Angeles County and includes the cities of Alhambra, El Monte, Monterey Park, Rosemead, San Gabriel, San Marino, and South El Monte.
Assemblymember Eng chairs the State Assembly Business and Professions Committee, which oversees a broad range of important legislation in the areas of consumer protection, the creation and elimination of regulatory agencies, scope of practice, licensing and enforcement of issues for all boards and bureaus at the Department of Consumer Affairs, and governmental efficiency and cost control. He chairs the Select Committee on Hate Crimes and is a member of the California Asian and Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus. He is also a member of the Assembly Education, Environmental Substance and Toxic Materials, and Revenue and Taxation committees.
Recently, Assemblymember Eng was appointed to the Assembly Committee on Water for the Extraordinary Session, which is charged with exploring possible legislation to address water storage and clean-up problems in the state of California. In addition, he was selected to be part of the Select Committee on Biotechnology and Select Committee on the Census.
Prior to the State Assembly, Assemblymember Eng was appointed to the California Department of Consumer Affairs Acupuncture Board for two terms where he served as Board Vice Chair and Chair of the Enforcement Committee. He also served as Mayor and City Councilmember of Monterey Park, where he helped start the region’s first city Environmental Commission to deal with quality of life issues, initiated a summer science program for low-income students, enhanced after school programs, organized the city’s Clean Up the City Day, facilitated the city’s first workshop for home care workers and founded numerous scholarship opportunities for high school students.
As a longtime community leader, Assemblyman Eng serves on the Board of Directors of the West San Gabriel Valley Boys and Girls Club and provided free immigration legal advice to immigrant working families. In addition, he served on the Garfield Medical Center Board of Directors. Assemblyman Eng earned his law degree from the University of California-Los Angeles after completing Bachelors’ and Masters degrees at the University of Hawaii while working full time at a local emergency room. He is also a part-time community college instructor.
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Belinda Faustinos
San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy
Ms. Faustinos was appointed as the Executive Officer of the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy (Rivers and Mountains Conservancy) in June of 2002. This agency's territory encompasses 68 cities and over 1,600 square miles in the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers Watersheds. The primary charge of the Rivers and Mountains Conservancy is to acquire and manage public lands within the watersheds, provide open space, low impact recreational and educational uses, water conservation, watershed improvements, wildlife and habitat restoration and protection.
Over the last three years the Rivers and Mountains Conservancy has adopted a workprogram of over 400 projects collected from cities, regional agencies and non-profit organizations. Over 124 grants have been awarded totaling more than $40 million for the acquisition, planning and development of open space, recreational opportunities and habitat restoration. The Rivers and Mountains Conservancy has also developed three joint powers agencies to help achieve its mission. Of particular significance is the protection of three major sites on the San Gabriel River channel, El Encanto at the headwaters in Azusa, the Duck Farm just north of Whittier Narrows and the Bryant property in the Los Cerritos Wetlands in Long Beach, a total of 163 acres for less than $15 million. Additional grants will be awarded this September and October for new and continuing projects and land acquisitions.
Ms. Faustinos’ environmental experience started with the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy (SMMC) in 1985 as the Budget Officer for that agency. She was promoted to Deputy Director in December of 1991. Ms. Faustinos administered a budget of well over $200 million in capital outlay funds which were used for the acquisition and improvement of public parkland and educational interpretation programs. She also served as the Chief Deputy Executive Officer of the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority and the Wildlife Corridor Conservation Authority and worked on open space policy issues in the Whittier/Puente Hills Corridor.
A native of southern California, Ms. Faustinos was born and raised in East Los Angeles, California. She attended parochial schools in Los Angeles and obtained her bachelor's degree from Pitzer College in Claremont in 1973. Post graduate education has included completion of courses offered by EPA and Harvard Graduate School of Design. Over the years she has received honors and certificates of recognition from several federal, state and local legislators and has participated in many civic and professional organizations. She lives in the San Gabriel Valley with her husband and three sons.
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Douglas Failing
CalTrans-District 7
Mr. Failing is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the nearly 2,600
Caltrans employees serving District 7, which includes Los Angeles and
Ventura counties. Failing had been appointed to the position of District
Director at Caltrans District 7 in June 2002. Prior to his appointment, he
served as District 7’s Chief Deputy District Director where he was responsible
for the internal operations of Caltrans in the Los Angeles and Ventura
County areas.
Failing has also represented Caltrans on the Alameda Corridor
Transportation Authority Governing Board. The major goods-movement
project includes a 20-mile rail distribution system to connect the ports of Los
Angeles and Long Beach with the distribution centers downtown. It is
estimated that the recently opened Alameda Corridor will result in
employment growth of 700,000 in Southern California by the year 2020 and
economic output increase of about $70 billion. Following the devastating
Northridge earthquake of Jan.17, 1994, Failing was placed at the forefront of
the recovery effort. He and his staff delivered three of the four major freeway
rebuilding contracts -- all in record time. The projects were awarded by
competitive bid using a cost-plus-time system, which allowed reconstruction
to begin within days, rather than months. It was the first time the system
had been used at Caltrans. In 2006, Failing was chosen by the Los Angeles
Times’ West Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in Southern
California. In addition, Los Angeles Magazine highlighted Mr. Failing in their
December, 2006 issue as one of the most influential people in Los Angeles.
Failing earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from
Michigan Technological University in Houghton in 1980 and was hired at
Caltrans in June of 1980 as a Junior Civil Engineer. He is a Registered Civil
Engineer in the State of California and was an Executive Board member of
the Institute for the Advancement of Engineering, and past president of the
IAE-College of Fellows. These non-profit educational corporations are
organized to inform the general public of the role of engineering in
advancing human welfare. The College of Fellows annually awards
scholarships to deserving undergraduate engineering students.
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Ernie Gutierrez
Mayor of El Monte
Ernie Gutierrez was voted into office as Mayor of the City of El Monte in 2003. Prior to his appointment as Mayor, Mr. Gutierrez was active in city politics as Council members for over 20 years. He also was active on various city commissions including, Planning Commission; Parks, Recreation & Transportation; Sister City Commission as well as Property Maintenance.
Mayor Gutierrez has worked in may different fields of occupation: farm worker; auto body shop worker; produce delivery; grocery store clerk; pipe construction worker; Elementary School Teacher; UCLA Counselor/Administrator; and High School Counselor at Gahr High School.
He received his Associate of Arts Degree from East Los Angeles Community College; his Bachelors of Arts Degree from CAL STATE UNIVERSITY, Los Angeles and his Master of Arts Degree from ANTIOCH PUTNEY COLLEGE, Yellow Springs, Ohio.
Mayor Gutierrez proudly served in the United States Army for four years and was Honorably Discharged. He has long been active in community organizations including Chairman of the Alameda Corridor East (ACE) for five years; East Los Angeles Educational Coordinating Committee (President by acclamation); Mexican American Citizens Association (Founder and President elected by acclamation); El Concilio Del Valle De San Gabriel (Founder & President); and La Historia Society Museum (Founder, Chief Curator and President).
He is married to his wife, Olga, for over 45 years, and has been blessed with three (3) children and eleven (11) grandchildren.
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Kim Hernandez
University of California, Los Angeles
Kim Hernandez is a PhD candidate in the department of history, UCLA. She is currently completing her dissertation, “‘Homeseekers Refuge’: Westward Migration and the Los Angeles Housing Market, 1900-1914.” Her dissertation sets early-twentieth-century Los Angeles development within the larger context of southwestern growth and development, examines the “push” and “pull” factors contributing to interstate migration, and considers the social and economic implications of “homeseekers” to Los Angeles during this period. Kim also teaches an interdisciplinary course focusing on labor history, labor relations and workplace studies at UCLA and the history of Los Angeles at CSU, Northridge.
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Lillian Kawasaki
Water Replenishment District of Southern California
Lillian Kawasaki currently serves as Board Vice President for the Water Replenishment District. She was elected to the WRD Board of Directors in November 2006 to represent Division Three, which includes the cities of Artesia, Cerritos, Hawaiian Gardens, La Mirada, Lakewood, Long Beach and Signal Hill. She is Chair of the Administrative Committee and member of the Finance and External Affairs Committees.
Ms. Kawasaki is a member of the California Bay-Delta Public Advisory Committee (BDPAC), an appointment by the Governor and the U.S. Secretary of Interior. In January 2003, Ms Kawasaki was appointed as the Assistant General Manager of Environmental Affairs and Economic Development Organization for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP). At LADWP, Ms. Kawasaki had oversight responsibilities for Green LA and other environmental public benefits programs, environmental compliance for the Power System, and economic development programs, managing more than $70 million annually. The major environmental programs included solar, energy efficiency, trees, and recycling.
Since July 2006, Ms. Kawasaki has managed a new consolidated organization in LADWP that is responsible for department-wide environmental issues, CEQA review and environmental regulatory oversight for both the water and power systems. She is actively involved in the development of the LA River Revitalization Master Plan, habitat restoration projects, preparation of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan and wastewater quality compliance.
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Benny Lee
Environmental Justice Coalition for Water
Benny obtained his B.A. in Science, Technology & Society from Vassar College in 2001, and afterwards worked for 3 years as a field geologist and environmental scientist in the Bay Area. This was followed by receiving an M.A. in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts University in Boston, MA. After working in Guatemala for 2 years directing projects for a sustainable development organization, he returned to California. He is now the Outreach Manager for the Environmental Justice Coalition for Water, based in Oakland, CA. In his free time he enjoys hiking and playing guitar.
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Travis Longcore
USC Center for Sustainable Cities
Dr. Longcore has research interests is urban ecology and conservation, with
emphasis on: 1)ecological restoration, 2) monitoring and management of
endangered species, 3) multiple use and nature's services approaches to
ecological restoration, 4) urban conservation planning, and 5) edge effects
of development, especially artificial night lighting, noise, and fire
management. His current projects include leading the habitat portion of the
Green Visions Plan for 21st Century Southern California, a planning guide
and decision support toolkit for habitat conservation, watershed health and
recreational open space across a large portion of Los Angeles and Ventura
counties, and investigating the historical ecology of a series of southern
California estuaries.
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Stefan Lorenzato
California Department of Water Resources
Stefan Lorenzato is the California Department of Water Resources Watershed Management Coordinator. He currently is working with the Yolo County Flood Control & Water Conservation District under a special agreement with Drawer. He is working on Integrated Water Management, implementing the Yolo County IRWMP and bringing water supply, flood management, and ecosystem quality together under a stewardship ethic. Stefan formerly worked with the State Water Resources Control Board, the State Legislature, and the University of California Davis.
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Mary Ann Lutz
Monrovia City Council; SCAG; San Gabriel Valley COG; LARWQCB
Mary Ann was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah and moved to Boise, Idaho in high school. She attended Boise State University majoring in Theater Arts. Mary Ann married Corey twenty-seven years ago and moved to Southern California. After a brief two years in New York Corey and Mary Ann returned to Southern California and more importantly Monrovia in 1984.
Mary Ann has a background in human resources and in 1988 began her court reporting consulting firm, Lutz & Company, Inc. located in Old Town Monrovia. She was elected to the Monrovia City Council in March 2003 after a long history of volunteering within her community and region including a successful campaign in 2001 in which the citizens of Monrovia voted to purchase the foothills in their community to create a Wilderness Preserve. She has held several key regional leadership environmental roles including positions on the Energy and Environmental Committee for Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), board Member and Environmental committee for San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments (SGVCOG) and member Los Angeles Integrated Waste Management Task Force.
Mary Ann was appointed to the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board by Governor Schwarzenegger in 2004 filling the Municipal Government Seat.
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Ellen Mackey
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California; LASGRWC
Ellen Mackey is a Senior Ecologist, certified by the Ecological Society of
America, and a staff ecologist with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern
California. She has been on assignment to the Los Angeles and San Gabriel
Rivers Watershed Council (LASGRWC) for the past seven years. She
continues to spend time in the field, evaluating and mapping riparian
habitat. She has contributed to the development of many of Southern
California’s innovative Habitat Conservation Plans including the Southwestern
Riverside County Multi-Species Reserve Plan and the Lake Mathews Habitat
Conservation Plan. During her tenure with the LASGRWC and together with
Friends of the LA River (FoLAR), she assisted in development of The Los
Angeles River: Guide for Teachers & Group Leaders, the April 2002 Avifauna
along Portions of the LA River, and the May 2002 Survey of Invasive Non-
Native Plants along and within the LA River. Along with Bart O’Brien, she
completed editing and finalizing the Los Angeles River Master Plan
Landscaping Guidelines and Plant Palettes with Los Angeles County
Department of Public Works. In 2006, she coauthored the Care &
Maintenance of Southern California Native Plant Gardens with Bart O’Brien,
and Betsey Landis of California Native Plant Society. In 2007, she finalized a
grant-funded project to identify locally native plants populations in the San
Gabriel River watershed for collection and use in public landscaping projects.
Ms. Mackey is Past Vice-President then President of the Board of Directors of
the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wildflowers and Native Plants and the
Eco-Home Network, a non-profit organization promoting sustainable urban
living in Southern California. Her home has been open to the public as a
demonstration conservation home as part of the National Tour of Solar
Homes in October for ten years.
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Dr. Frank Meza
Kaiser-Permanente
Frank Meza, MD, is Physician in Charge of the Kaiser Permanente East Los Angeles Medical Offices, a Center of Excellence for services provided to members with Diabetes and a model within Kaiser Permanente’s Southern California Region for providing culturally responsive care to the Latino population.
A sough-after speaker, Dr. Meza has presented and written extensively on the Demographics and Health Issues of Mexican Americans and is a contributor to Kaiser Permanente’s “Provider Handbook on Culturally Competent Care for the Latino Population, distributed by Kaiser Permanente’s National Diversity Council. He is also a member of the national council.
Dr. Meza was born and raised in Los Angeles, and is a graduate of the University of California Davis, School of Medicine. He received his MA and BA in Journalism from California State University, Northridge, and his Masters degree in public health and epidemiology from the University of California, Los Angeles. He is board certified in Family Practice and Sports Medicine, and in 1998 was presented the ADA Health Advocate Award.
Dr. Meza was cofounder of Brown Beret Free Clinic in 1968 and co-founder of Clinica Tepati Latino Free Clinic at UC Davis Medical School in 1974. Dr. Meza has been personally involved with assuring access to medical schools for Latino/Chicano students since the late 1960’s. Dr. Meza is a former president of the Pacific medical Association and the Aztlan Athletic Congress. He coordinates the Kaiser Permanente Summer Youth research program and helps lead the Hippocrates Circle, recruiting physicians as mentors for middle school students.
Dr. Frank Meza has made major contributions to the health of the Latino community, and to the overall practice of medicine in California.
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Jody Noiron
Angeles National Forest
Jody Noiron began her Forest Service career in 1983 as an Engineer on the Jefferson National Forest in Virginia. In addition to a number of special assignments to Washington, D.C., Atlanta, and Milwaukee, she served as Technical Services Team Leader on the Ottawa National Forest in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan from 1989 to 1994.
Noiron arrived in California in 1994, where she assumed the position of Deputy Forest Supervisor for the Plumas National Forest. In 1998 she spent 9 months in San Francisco as the Region 5 (California) Deputy Regional Forester for Resources, a responsibility that encompassed oversight of the natural resource programs for all the national forests in California.
She arrived on the Angeles National Forest in 2000, bringing with her a wealth of experience garnered from across the nation. Currently, she is the Supervisor for the ANF.
Jody’s vision for the Angeles National Forest is:
• To provide watershed protection, open space for learning, and enhanced quality of life for the Los Angeles Basin.
• To serve as a model of excellence for resource management and customer service.
• To promote a safe, healthy work environment for the Angeles workforce, and a safe, healthy recreation environment for Forest users.
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Mark Pestrella
County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works
Mr. Pestrella is an Assistant Deputy Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, he is a licensed Civil Engineer in the State of California. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo.
Currently he oversees the Watershed Management Division of the Department of Public Works. The Division is charged with programming, planning, and project implementation for the Los Angeles County Flood Control District. Inclusive in these responsibilities is administration of the Countywide Stormwater Quality Management Plan.
The Division has been recognized nationally for their innovate approach to water resource management for developing projects, which integrate flood protection, water quality, water conservation, and recreational and habitat enhancement benefits.
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Louis Sahagun
Los Angeles Times
Louis Sahagun is a staff writer at the Los Angeles Times. He has worked for the Times in various capacities since 1975 including as Los Angeles City Hall bureau chief, Denver bureau chief, roving California state reporter and religion writer. He was a member of the team that received a Pulitzer Prize for public service in 1984 for a series on “Latinos of Southern California,” and a member of the team that won a Pulitzer Prize for breaking news in 2004 for “Southern California Wildfires.” Sahagun has received the Los Angeles Times publisher’s award for public service, and the Los Angeles Times editorial award for investigative series. He is a member of the California Chicano News Media Association.
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Steve Scauzillo
San Gabriel Valley Tribune
Steve Scauzillo has been a print journalist for nearly three decades. He's worked at the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, the Orange County Register, and the group of three dailies here in the San Gabriel Valley, the San Gabriel Valley Newspapers. He's been a reporter, city editor and has been in his current position, Opinion Pages Editor, for 11 years. He has twice received the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club's Media Award, for coverage of water issues and then for his coverage of conservation and the San Gabriel River.
He is also the recipient of the Clean Air Award from the Coalition for Clean Air and the Community Services Award for Stewardship and Environmental Awareness from the Glendora Community Conservancy. He likes to hike the Angeles and ride his bike along the San Gabriel and Rio Hondo river trails.
He has lived in the San Gabriel Valley for 25 years with his wife Karen, and their two sons, Matt and Andy, and their two cats, Emerald and Baby. He earned his bachelor's degree in journalism and has a master's in communications, where he studied letters to the editor. He is an adjunct professor at Cal State Fullerton where he has taught media writing, opinion writing and reporting on the environment. He also teaches at Azusa Pacific University.
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Ken Schwarz
Horizon Water and Environment
Ken Schwarz is a founding principal of Horizon Water and Environment. His
technical expertise is in the fields of geomorphology, hydrology, and
watershed management. For over 15 years, he has directed complex
projects throughout California involving erosion and sedimentation, land use
planning, flood management, water quality, habitat conservation, and
ecosystem restoration. Ken conducts hydrologic and geomorphic analyses
and produces watershed and stream management plans, hydrologic reports,
restoration designs, stream assessments, CEQA documents, land use plans,
and permitting applications. Ken’s watershed and stream projects typically
involve balancing the needs and requirements of local government planners,
flood control managers, watershed stakeholders, and regulatory agencies
while maintaining focus on project costs and schedules. His technical
specialty is applying his expertise in geomorphology to develop restoration
designs and conservation plans.
Prior to founding Horizon with partner Michael Stevenson, Ken was a Principal
and Project Director at Jones & Stokes where he managed large watershed,
water resource, and environmental compliance projects. Previously, Ken was
a Director at Philip Williams & Associates focusing on Southern California
hydrology and restoration projects working under the guidance of Jeffrey
Haltiner Ph.D., P.E. In 1999, Ken completed his Ph.D. at UCLA in
geomorphology, under the supervision of Dr. Antony Orme. Ken has taught
courses in hydrology, watershed planning, physical geography, and
ecosystem restoration at the University of San Francisco, UC Davis Extension,
Lorman Educational Services, and UCLA. He has authored numerous articles
and presented at several conferences.
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Jim Smith
County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation
Mr. Smith is Chief of the Development Division, Planning and Development Agency, for the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation. Jim is a native Angelino, has a Bachelors Degree in Cultural Geography from CSUN and a Masters Degree in Architecture from UCLA. He is a licensed Architect and a member of the A.I.A.
Mr. Smith is responsible for design, facility planning and watershed planning of parks and open space for Los Angeles County, Parks and Recreation. His Division is collaborating with Los Angeles County Regional Planning to create a Parks and Open Space element to the County’s General Plan. The Development Division is also involved in collaborating with L.A. County Department of Public Works Watershed Division on multi-beneficial projects in regards to open space and water.
Mr. Smith represents the Parks Department on the L.A. County Energy and Environmental Task Force which develops county policy on Water Conservation Green House Gas Emission and Energy Conservation.
Mr. Smith is also an instructor in the UCLA Extension. He has been an instructor in the U.C.L.A. Extension Landscape Architecture Program for 30 years, teaching design courses as well as electives in sustainability and open space, recreation and connectivity master planning. Mr. Smith is an instructor for the Thesis courses which recently included a Master Plan for the South 40 of the L.A. River, Open Space, Recreation and connectivity in Harbor Gateway, Expo II Light Rail Multi-benefit Project, as well as an Urban Civic Park for the City of Los Angeles.
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Nancy L.C. Steele
Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council
Prior to joining the Watershed Council, Nancy worked at the California Air Resources Board where she managed a staff of nine responsible for adopting and amending regulations to reduce emissions from heavy-duty trucks and buses.
Nancy is currently the founding president of the all-volunteer Altadena Foothills Conservancy, which acquires, preserves, and restores lands in the foothills of Altadena. In addition, she and her husband manage 100 – 150 colonies of honey bees for pollination and honey production.
Nancy earned her Master of Science (Zoology) from Arizona State University, with an emphasis in behavioral ecology. After a short stint teaching high school biology in East Los Angeles, Nancy returned to school and took her doctorate in Environmental Science & Engineering at UCLA.
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Eric Stein
Southern California Coastal Water Research Project
Dr. Stein is currently a principal scientist at SCCWRP, where he is head of the Watershed Dept. Dr. Stein oversees a variety of projects related to storm water and mass emissions monitoring, remote sensing, watershed and water quality model development, and assessment of wetlands and other aquatic resources. Dr. Stein is also the current chair of the Science Advisory Panel for the southern California Wetlands Recovery Project (WRP), which is developing tools and approaches for regional monitoring and assessment of streams, wetlands, and watersheds. Prior to joining SCCWRP, Dr. Stein spent six years as a Senior Project Manager with the Regulatory Branch of the Los Angeles District Corps of Engineers, and four years with a private consulting firm.
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Rich Varenchik
California Air Resources Board
Rich Varenchik graduated from Humboldt State University in 1968 with a
bachelor’s degree in history. He then spent 17 years as a newspaper
reporter, photographer and magazine writer. He left journalism and worked
for the California State Legislature from 1987 to 1989 and then moved to a
public outreach position with the California Department of Toxic Substances
Control. He began work at the California Air Resources Board in 1996 and
has worked in the ARB’s Communications Office and Heavy Duty Diesel
Branch. In late 2006 he became the second full-time employee working in
the ARB’s new Office of Climate Change. He handles most of the Air
Resources Board’s Climate Change outreach in Southern California.
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Carol Williams
Main San Gabriel Basin Watermaster
As Executive Officer of the Main San Gabriel Basin Watermaster, Carol Williams manages the operations of the San Gabriel Valley’s court-appointed groundwater management agency. She reports to the 9-person Watermaster board, which oversees pumping, groundwater replenishment, water rights and water quality in the Basin. Ms. Williams also serves as Executive Secretary of the San Gabriel Valley Water Association and the Central Basin Water Association, as Assistant Secretary/Treasurer of the San Gabriel Valley Protective Association, and is Secretary and Chief Financial Officer of the Association of Groundwater Agencies.
Ms. Williams joined the Watermaster in 1990, after spending several years wait a local water quality utility. She has served as the Watermaster’s Executive Officer since 1994.
Ms. Williams graduated Cum Laude from Cal Poly Pomona, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication Arts.
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Jennifer Wolch
USC Center for Sustainable Cities
Jennifer Wolch is Professor of Geography and Urban Planning, and Director of the Center for Sustainable Cities at the University of Southern California, where she also served as Dean of Graduate Programs in USC College. Wolch leads the Green Vision Plan for 21st Century Southern California project, a planning guide and decision support toolkit for habitat conservation, watershed health and recreational open space in the region. Her research focuses on metropolitan sprawl, physical activity and urban planning and design, urban open space and environmental justice, and society-animal relations. She also investigates problems of urban poverty, homelessness, and human service delivery.
She is author of Landscapes of Despair: From Deinstitutionalization to Homelessness (with M. Dear, Princeton, 1987), The Shadow State: Government and Voluntary Sector in Transition (Foundation Center, 1990), and Malign Neglect: Homelessness in an American City (with M. Dear, Jossey-Bass, 1993), and co-editor of The Power of Geography: How Territory Shapes Social Life (with M. Dear, Unwin Hyman, 1989), Animal Geographies: Place, Politics and Identity in the Nature/Culture Borderlands (with J. Emel, Verso, 1998), and Up Against the Sprawl: Public Policy and the Making of Southern California (with M. Pastor Jr., and P. Dreier, Minnesota, 2004). Wolch is a past recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Study Center, and the USC College Raubenheimer Award for Excellence in Research, Teaching and Service. She also received the Association of American Geographer’s 2005 Award for Distinguished Scholarship, the most prestigious honor for scholarship awarded by the association.
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