California Water Efficiency Partnership Announces New Board and Officers

The California Water Efficiency Partnership (CalWEP)  has announced the election of a new Board and Officers to lead the organization. CalWEP represents more than 200 water supplier and organization members statewide, working together to foster leadership, expertise and collaboration to advance water conservation and efficiency in California.

Board Members and Officers begin their terms as CalWEP continues its evolution into a new entity focused on helping water providers meet emerging legislative and regulatory mandates for Making Water Conservation a California Way of Life. Several significant announcements have been made over the past year, including the selection of Mary Ann Dickinson as the Partnership’s Executive Director and its new status as a chapter of the Alliance for Water Efficiency, bringing together two of the country’s major organizations dedicated to improving and enhancing water efficiency in California and the United States.

The Board of Directors will be led in 2018-19 by CalWEP Board Chair, Amy Talbot, who is also the Water Efficiency Program Manager for the Regional Water Authority in the Sacramento region. The Board of Directors includes professionals from throughout California working for water providers, non-profit organizations, consulting firms, business and academia. They include: 

• Lisa Morgan-Perales (Vice Chair), Senior Water Resources Analyst, Inland Empire Utility Agency
• Greg Bundesen (Secretary/Treasurer), Water Conservation Supervisor, Sacramento Suburban Water District
• Patrick Pilz, Manager Field Operations, California American Water
• Ken Jenkins, Director of Drought Management & Conservation, California Water Service
• Trathen Heckman, Executive Director, Daily Acts
• Charles Bohlig, Supervisor of Water Conservation, East Bay Municipal Utilities District
• Penny Falcon, Mgr. of Water Conservation Policy, Legislation, and Grants, Los Angeles Dept. of Water and Power
• Lisa Maddaus, CFO and Senior Engineer, Maddaus Water Management
• Justin Finch, Water Use Efficiency Analyst, Mesa Water District
• Bill McDonnell, Water Efficiency Manager, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
• Joe Berg, Water Use Efficiency Programs Manager, Municipal Water District of Orange County
• Paul Lierheimer, Contractor Division Director, Rain Bird
• Carlos Michelon, Principal Water Resources Specialist, San Diego County Water Agency 
• Julie Ortiz, Water Conservation Manager, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
• Sean McNeil, Water Efficiency Coordinator, City of Santa Rosa
• Carrie Pollard, Principal Program Specialist, Sonoma County Water Agency
• Kendra Olmos, Executive Director Center for Water-Energy Efficiency, UC Davis
• Rob Whipple, Water Resource Specialist II, Western Municipal Water District
• Diana Brooks, Chief, Water Use and Efficiency Branch, CA Dept. of Water Resources (Ex-Officio)
• Thomas Hawes, Water Conservation Specialist, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Ex-Officio) 

“I’d like to congratulate the leaders who are assuming these new positions and thank them for their continued service to CalWEP,” said CalWEP Executive Director Mary Ann Dickinson. “Together we are poised to help the water community deal with the new realities facing California. Continued partnerships will be key.”

Special thanks to our Transition Board Officers: Joe Berg (former Board Chair), Lisa Maddaus (former Vice Chair), and Jack Hawks (former Secretary/Treasurer). Also, we'd like to thank those members leaving the Board: Jack Hawks, Richard Harris, William Granger, and Peter Yolles. The California Water Efficiency Partnership is an innovative leader, voice and expert on water efficiency in California that fosters collaboration among a wide variety of stakeholders.

Have questions? Click here to email CalWEP's Admin Michael Walker.