Stephanie Anagnoson is the director of water and natural resources for Madera County, where she serves as the GSA manager for over 215,000 acres and as the flood control manager. She worked on the board of a mutual water company and for a water retail agency and state water contractor before coming to Madera County.

Andrew Ayres is a research fellow at the PPIC Water Policy Center and an assistant professor of economics at the University of Nevada, Reno. He is an environmental and natural resource economist focused on questions related to the design, development, and effectiveness of legal and economic institutions for managing the environment. His work often involves applied economic modeling and econometric analysis. Previously, he worked in Germany and the United States on projects to inform policies for climate change, energy, river restoration, and water pricing. He holds a PhD in economics and environmental science from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a BA in economics from Pomona College.

Thaddeus L. Bettner has served as general manager of the Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District (GCID) since 2006. He has worked for water agencies in the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys and has 31 years of experience with irrigation and water agencies on the local, state, and federal levels. Mr. Bettner serves on the board of the US Committee on Irrigation and Drainage, the Power and Water Resources Pooling Authority board, and as an alternate board member to both the Colusa and Glenn groundwater authorities. He is actively engaged in the development of Sites Reservoir and has previously chaired the Sites Reservoir Committee. He has published several papers on agricultural water use efficiency and irrigation systems efficiencies. He is a registered civil engineer with the state of California and holds a BS in agricultural engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

Kathy Cortner is the general manager for the Mojave Water Agency (MWA). Her career in the water industry has spanned over 25 years, with the last 14 spent at MWA, where she served initially as the chief financial officer. Kathy was responsible for the administration of the State Water Project contract with the Department of Water Resources; she has been engaged in negotiating water transfers/exchanges and banking programs for almost a decade. She currently serves on the board for the State Water Project Contractors. In her role as general manager, she has led the agency through a strategic direction update to address the future risks and challenges in local and statewide water management in the 21^st century. She holds a BS in accounting and an MA in business administration from California State University, San Bernardino.

Ellen Hanak is an adjunct fellow with the PPIC Water Policy Center with decades of experience in California water issues. She founded the PPIC Water Policy Center in 2015, where she held the Ellen Hanak Chair in Water Policy, and served as its first director. She was also a vice president and senior fellow with the Public Policy Institute of California. Previously, she served as the institute’s research director. Under her leadership, the center became a critical source of information and guidance for natural resource management in California. She has authored dozens of reports, articles, and books on water policy, including Managing California’s Water. Her research has been frequently profiled in the national media, and she has participated in briefings, conferences, and interviews throughout the nation and around the world. Her other areas of expertise include climate change and infrastructure finance. Before joining PPIC, she held positions with the French agricultural research system, the President’s Council of Economic Advisers, and the World Bank. She holds a PhD in economics from the University of Maryland, an MA in economics from the University of Dar es Salaam, and a BA in history from Swarthmore College.