Ann Hayden

Ann Hayden is vice president of the Environmental Defense Fund’s Climate Resilient Water Systems Program and leads implementation of sustainable water management approaches in the arid US, including California and the Colorado River basin. She focuses on advancing incentive-based approaches that ensure adequate water for ecosystems, improve agriculture’s resilience to climate change, and address the water needs of disadvantaged communities. For more than two decades, Ann has built broad coalitions to advance pragmatic solutions that benefit both people and the environment. She is an expert in the development and implementation of well-designed markets that strike the right balance between ecosystem protection and community prosperity. Ann is board chair of the San Francisco Estuary Institute and sits on the boards of the Water Education Foundation and Restore Hetch Hetchy. She received a BA in marine biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz and an MA in environmental science and management from the University of California, Santa Barbara.