Caitrin Chappelle is The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) associate director of the California Water Program, where she leads the Healthy Rivers Strategy. Her team works to restore flows in rivers across the state, with a focus on building resilient ecosystems and advancing equitable water solutions. At TNC, she has helped connect innovative science with on-the-ground conservation and policy, including leading efforts to improve how California protects nature during extreme drought. She has spent the past decade tackling California’s water challenges, including helping to launch the Water Policy Center at the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC). Her research at PPIC centered on strengthening state and local water management to support both ecological health and community well-being. Caitrin holds a bachelor’s degree in ecology from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and a master of public policy from UC Berkeley’s Goldman School.

Alison Collins is the manager of the State Water Project (SWP) Division of Integrated Science and Engineering at the California Department of Water Resources, where she leads a multidisciplinary team coordinating state, federal, and local efforts in water operations; fisheries management; and regulatory compliance for the SWP. She works closely with the department’s executive team to develop data-driven policies that advance the SWP’s dual goals of delivering clean, reliable, and affordable water while protecting endangered species affected by water project operations. Previously, she served as a principal resource specialist at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, managing the development and implementation of resource policies and technical strategies to secure water supply and restore the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta ecosystem. Throughout her career, she has championed evidence-based decision-making to drive effective strategies and outcomes in water management and species recovery. She holds an MS in salmon ecology from the University of British Columbia.

Letitia Grenier is director of the PPIC Water Policy Center, where she is also a senior fellow and holds the Ellen Hanak Chair in Water Policy. She previously directed the Resilient Landscapes Program of the San Francisco Estuary Institute. Throughout her career, she has worked with partners to conserve California’s resources by developing landscape-scale, collaborative visions and solutions. She’s been a leader in science-based management, served as a resource for local and national media, and advised government and agency staff. In 2020, Letitia was the PPIC CalTrout Ecosystem Fellow, for which she completed a report on smarter permitting for restoration of freshwater ecosystems, and she was also an adjunct fellow with the PPIC Water Policy Center. In 2015 and 2019, she served as the science lead for the State of Our Estuary report, and she was also the science lead for the 2015 update to the Baylands Ecosystem Habitat Goals, heading a team of over 200 environmental scientists, managers, and regulators to develop recommendations for managing San Francisco Bay’s wetlands in the face of rising sea levels. She completed her PhD at the University of California, Berkeley.

Professor Guy is the president of the Northern California Water Association, where he represents numerous water districts and local governments in the Sacramento Valley. He was previously the chief executive officer for the Yosemite Association, a nonprofit association dedicated to connecting people to Yosemite National Park. He has represented public, private and nonprofit clients on all aspect of natural resources law and policy, including water, land use, and real property, including serving Of Counsel to Somach, Simmons and Dunn, a natural resources law firm with offices in Sacramento and Fresno, and the California Farm Bureau Federation. He has advised the last three governors on California water policy, and he has been appointed to serve on numerous commissions and boards. He has written two dozen articles on water and natural resources law and policy in various law reviews and other professional journals.

Cannon Michael is the president and CEO of Bowles Farming Company. He is the sixth generation of his family to work in the family farming business. The farm grows more than 20 crops and employs both conventional and organic farming practices. He serves as the chair of the San Luis & Delta Mendota Water Authority and serves on many boards, including the Water Education Foundation, the San Luis Canal Company, the Henry Miller Reclamation District, the San Luis Resource Conservation District, the UC Davis Agricultural Sustainability Institute (ASI), the American Farmland Trust, the Family Farm Alliance, and as director and past chairman of the California Cotton Growers Association. He was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to the Merced County Designated Local Authority, a governing board responsible for winding down the affairs of dissolved local redevelopment agencies in Merced and Los Banos. He also serves in an advisory capacity for three family-run farming/processing companies in the Central Valley. He brings this experience and expertise to the PPIC Water Policy Center Advisory Council. He holds a BA in English from the University of California, Berkeley, and is a graduate of the California Agricultural Leadership Foundation program

Jeffrey Mount is a senior fellow at the PPIC Water Policy Center. He is an emeritus professor of earth and planetary sciences and founding director of the Center for Watershed Sciences at the University of California, Davis. A geomorphologist who specializes in the study of rivers, streams, and wetlands, his research focuses on integrated water resource management, flood management, and improving aquatic ecosystem health. He has served on many state and federal boards and commissions that address water resource management issues in the West. He has published more than a hundred articles, books, and other publications, including the seminal book California Rivers and Streams (UC Press). He holds a PhD and MS in earth sciences from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Caitlin Peterson is associate director and a research fellow at the PPIC Water Policy Center. She is an agroecologist whose research spans groundwater sustainability, soil health, diversified cropping systems, agroecosystem resilience, and the intersections between agriculture and water policy. In her previous work, she explored irrigation and soil ecosystem functions in California almond and tomato systems, crop-livestock integration in Brazilian soybean-beef systems, and small farmer adaptation to climate change in Colombia, Tanzania, and Ghana. As a consulting agroecologist, she led programs linking farmers across the US to emerging soil carbon marketplaces. She holds a PhD in ecology and an MS in international agricultural development from the University of California, Davis.

Peter S. Silva is President of Silva Silva International, a small civil engineering firm in the San Diego area specializing in water resources management. He is a civil engineer with over 43 years of professional experience in the water and wastewater fields. He began his career as a staff member of the California Regional Board in San Diego and then was in charge of the San Diego office of the International Boundary and Water Commission from 1983–87. He then worked for the City of San Diego Water Utilities from 1987–97. In 1994, Peter was appointed by President Clinton to the board of the newly created Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC) and served as the deputy general manager of the BECC from 1997–2000. From 2000–06, he served as the vice-chair of the California Water Resources Control Board, being appointed by California governors Gray Davis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. He then was employed by the Metropolitan Water District from 2006–09 to provide policy advice on issues (including Mexico) related to the Lower Colorado River Basin. In 2009, Peter was appointed by President Obama and confirmed by the US Senate to the post of assistant administrator for water for the US EPA, where he ran the nation’s water and wastewater programs. Peter is fluent in Spanish and received his bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Cal Poly Pomona.