IRWM ROUNDTABLE OF REGIONS

Lynn Rodriguez, Co-Chair

Lynn has been an enthusiastic water resource management professional since 1981.  She currently manages the Watersheds Coalition of Ventura County (WCVC) IRWM Program.  In collaboration with stakeholders in the region, she prepares and oversees IRWM plan development and implementation, and manages the ongoing stakeholder engagement process. She also serves as co-chair of the LA-Ventura Area Disadvantaged Community Involvement Task Force. She has served on numerous local, statewide and national water management-related committees and is a graduate of UCSB.  She is passionate about water issues and spending time in and around water and nature.

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Ian Achimore

Ian is a Senior Watershed Manager at the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority where he manages projects related to integrated watershed planning, water use efficiency, native fish habitat and invasive species removal. Prior to his employment at SAWPA in Southern California, Ian lived in Washington, D.C. where he received his Master in Public Policy from Georgetown University and worked at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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Melody Bailey

Melody is currently serving as the Water Resource Manager for the Mojave Water Agency (MWA) with a diverse skill set. She is currently managing the Mojave IRWM, Small Water Systems Assistance Program and overseeing the Data Collection team which is tasked with collecting hydrogeologic data the 4,900 square mile service area. She is passionate about helping disadvantaged and underserved communities and is actively participating in grant acquisitions to assist in various projects to better serve the MWA region.  In addition, she manages active management agreements and is assisting in MWA Master Planning projects which include diverse stakeholder collaboration. Prior to working at MWA Melody worked as a consultant for the U.S. Army on various environmental resource management projects. Melody holds a Master of Science from CSU Fresno State in Water Resource Management.

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Sam Cohen

Since 2005, Sam Cohen has brought his legal talents to the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians as the Government Affairs Officer and Legal Officer. During his tenure in this role, Cohen has led the tribe in their nine-year Fee to Trust application to successfully establish 6.9 acres of land in federal trust for a Chumash Museum and Cultural Center. Cohen also served as lead counsel for the tribe in the renegotiation of the Tribal State Compact in 2014 and 2015. He has been instrumental in the tribe’s educational legislative efforts. Cohen earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Minnesota. He also studied law at University College London and has an LL.M. degree from the Tax Program at New York University.

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Maggie Dutton

Maggie is a Senior Engineer and former Grants Specialist at Contra Costa Water District. Her goals are to: 1) bring knowledge, honesty, resourcefulness, and a positive attitude into all projects in which I am involved, 2) create professional and cohesive relationships with my team members, and 3) become an exceptional member of the engineering community.

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Zoe Rodriguez del Rey

As the Water Resources Manager at Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD), Zoe Rodriguez del Rey is responsible for coordinating long-term water management planning for CVWD. Before joining CVWD, Zoe’s work in the private sector focused on developing 21st century tools to support municipal water agencies to meet the challenges of managing contamination risks to public water supplies, like the 2014 Elk River chemical spill, by leveraging existing state and federal data for risk assessment and decision making. Zoe’s work in the water sector began at the City of Portland (OR) Water Bureau. In this job, and through Zoe’s work in Puerto Rico, she learned to understand the challenges of balancing water quantity, timing, and quality to reliably meet communities' water needs.

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Christy Suppes

Christy is a Senior Environmental Resources Specialist for the County of Orange, where she manages the IRWM and Stormwater Resources Plans for the North and Central Watershed Management Areas, works to secure funding for regional, multi-benefit water resources projects, and oversees implementation of the countywide stormwater public education program, H2OC. Prior to her current role, Christy supported countywide compliance with two municipal stormwater permits through the development and implementation of collaborative programs and activities. Christy holds a Bachelor of Science from California State University, Long Beach in Environmental Science and Policy.

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Jing Wu

Jing is a Senior Water Resource Specialist at Valley Water where she oversees Valley Water's long-term water supply planning efforts, including developing the Water Supply Master Plan, Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP), Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA) Plan. Jing serves as Valley Water's representative for the Bay Area Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) Program. Her technical background includes working for the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI), where she led both their hydrology and stormwater program. As a modeling specialist at EPA's Chesapeake Bay Program Office, she led the development of a large-scale watershed model to support the Chesapeake Bay's restoration efforts. Jing has a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from University of Virginia.

 

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