Los Angeles Stormwater Finance Forum Speaker Information

Transcription

1 Los Angeles Stormwater Finance Forum Speaker Information Call to Order Dr. Ramzi Mahmood joined the faculty of Civil Engineering at California State University, Sacramento in Prior to joining the University, Dr. Mahmood worked in the engineering field with engineering consulting firms and California EPA Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC). He became the Director of Office of Water Program (OWP) in 1997 an internationally recognized training development center for operators and managers of water treatment, wastewater treatment, distribution systems, and collection systems. OWP is a selfsupported center within the university. Today, OWP provides training, technical assistance, and applied research services for a variety of water resource and water quality disciplines: drinking water, wastewater, stormwater, watershed planning, and soils and groundwater. Last year, OWP was designated as the EFC for EPA s Region 9. Dr. Mahmood served as the Chair of Civil Engineering Department from 2003 to In 2014, Dr. Mahmood served as the interim Dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, California State University, Sacramento. Dr. Mahmood holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering University of Baghdad in 1976, M.S. in Civil/Environmental Engineering 1981, M.S. in Applied Mathematics 1985, Ph.D. Environmental Engineering in 1988 from Utah State University, Logan. Dr. Mahmood is a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in California and ABET IDEAL Scholar. Welcome & Introduction: Needs We Heard from You Jim Gebhardt is the Director of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency s Water Infrastructure and Resiliency Finance Center in Washington D.C. Prior to joining EPA, Jim was Chief Financial Officer of the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation. A former member of the Environmental Finance Advisory Board, Jim brings more than 30 years of experience in public finance, bond insurance and investment management businesses. Session 1 Dave Smith (Moderator) is the Manager of the NPDES Permits Office at EPA Region 9 in San Francisco. Prior to moving to permits, Dave managed Region 9 s Wetlands and TMDL programs, and worked on watershed planning, water quality standards, and grants management. Dave has also worked for the State of California, the Congressional Budget Office, and several environmental consultants. He also worked in real estate development and managed his family s buffalo-cattle ranch in Oklahoma. He holds degrees from UC-Berkeley and Wesleyan University. Ken Farfsing has over 39 years of experience in city management, budgeting, community development and infrastructure planning and finance in six Southern California cities, with an 1

2 expertise in regional projects, community revitalization, disadvantaged communities, stormwater and ground water management and environmental remediation. He coauthored the 2014 report Stormwater Funding Options, Providing Sustainable Stormwater Funding in Los Angeles County and has been involved in stormwater funding issues for the past two decades. Mr. Farfsing is currently the city manager for the City of Carson, where he represents the region s city managers on the League of California Cities and California Contract Cities stormwater funding committee, which has successfully pursued legislation to create a funding tool box for cities implementing stormwater permits. He was the City Manager of Signal Hill from 1996 to 2015, where he coordinated a multi-city effort that successfully revised the Los Angeles River Metals TMDL and developed Proposition 218 funding for the Los Angeles River Trash TMDL. Mr. Farfsing also served as the City Manager for the City of South Pasadena from 1992 to 1996 and as the Assistant City Manager, City of Downey from 1987 to Prior to these management positions, he was the Community Development Director, City of La Verne from 1981 to Mr. Farfsing holds Master s Degree in Urban Planning from the University of Southern California and his Bachelor s Degree in History from the University of California Berkeley. Steven Moore was appointed to the State Water Board by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. in 2012, reappointed in 2016, and elected as Vice Chair of the Board in He previously served on the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Board from under the Brown and Schwarzenegger administrations and held staff positions at that Regional Water Board at various times between 1992 and Between 1989 and 2012, Mr. Moore worked over 10 years as an engineer and consultant on a wide variety of water infrastructure projects, including sewer reconstruction, recycled water, stormwater, water supply, stream and wetland restoration, and Environmental Impact Reports throughout California. Mr. Moore has experience both obtaining and issuing discharge permits, wetland permits, and clean water grants and loans. He led Basin Planning for the Regional Water Board from 2002 to Mr. Moore holds a B.S. in biological sciences and an M.S. in civil engineering, both from Stanford University. He is a registered civil engineer and a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Session 2 Renee Purdy (Moderator) is the Regional Programs Section Chief of the Los Angeles Water Board. In her position, she oversees the MS4 permitting program as well as the TMDL, water quality standards & basin planning programs. She has a Bachelor of Science degree from the College of William and Mary and a Master s of Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 2

3 Daniel Apt is founder and President of Olaunu, a surface water quality company based in San Clemente, California. He has 21 years of experience in stormwater management and water quality and specializes in Low Impact Development, stormwater capture and use, watershed planning, MS4 permit assistance/program development, BMP planning and design for developments, and stormwater training. Mr. Apt received his Bachelor s degree from the University of California, Irvine and his Master s degree from the University of Miami. Mr. Apt serves as the Vice Chair of the California Stormwater Quality Association Board of Directors, is Co-Developer of the California LID Web-portal, and is the project manager for the CASQA LID Barriers Proposition 84 Grant that developed two stormwater financial barriers white papers. Daniel can be reached at or dapt@olaunu.com Chad Praul, P.E. leads the Water practice area at Environmental Incentives. His career is focused on performance-driven approaches to conservation and wise use of financial resources. Chad s management experience developing conservation strategy for prominent regulatory and restoration programs as well as major environmental organizations enables him to coach teams to extraordinary achievement. Chad is a civil engineer in California and has earned degrees in Mechanical Engineering from UC Berkeley and Environmental Economics from UC Santa Cruz. Chad aspires to pioneer a way to convert the valuable planning work that underpins TMDLs into effective implementation work that removes thousands of waterbodies from the 303d list. If we can focus on the essential core of a water quality issue, we can create a functional program to address it. If we can rationally tune the program, we can streamline unnecessary elements and maintain relevance over time. If we can shed the complexity of competing standards and monitoring requirements, we can accelerate water quality improvement. Drew Kleis is the Deputy Director of the City of San Diego s Storm Water Division of the Transportation & Storm Water Department. In this position, Drew leads the City s flood risk management and storm water quality compliance efforts. Drew is a supporter of establishing asset management principles in storm water programs, and participated in the development of a Watershed Asset Management Plan for the City s Storm Water Division ( Drew received his B.A. in Environmental Studies from UC Santa Barbara, and a Master s in City and Regional Planning from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Session 3 Annalisa Kihara (Moderator) is a Senior Water Resource Control Engineer in the Division of Water Quality at the State Water Resources Control Board. Ms. Kihara is Chief of the Storm Water Planning Unit in the Surface Water Branch, and in that capacity she oversees projects and activities related to the Statewide Storm Water Strategy. Ms. Kihara has been with the State Water Resources Control Board for 10 years and prior to that she worked for environmental consulting firms. Ms. Kihara holds a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from the University of California Davis, and is a CA registered Professional Engineer. 3

4 Jason Drew is a Principal Scientist and the Practice lead for NCE s Watershed Science & Planning service line. His educational and professional focus is integrating the disciplines of engineering, science and planning to inform sound policy and solve complex resource challenges. Technically Jason specializes in stormwater management and restoration design. When not in the office he spends his time in the Sierra Nevada Mountains or on Lake Tahoe with his wife and three kids. Genevieve Osmeña is a Civil Engineer for the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works, Watershed Management Division. She has worked for the County of Los Angeles since 2000, and in her current role, she performs stormwater quality planning for the County s unincorporated areas and the Los Angeles County Flood Control District. She represents the County and the Flood Control District in various watershed groups in the LA Region to develop collaborative strategies namely WMP and EWMP plans - to meet MS4 Permit and TMDL requirements. In addition, her past responsibilities have included managing water supply and recycled water capital improvement projects. Annalisa Kihara, is a Senior Water Resource Control Engineer in the Division of Water Quality at the State Water Resources Control Board. Ms. Kihara is Chief of the Storm Water Planning Unit in the Surface Water Branch, and in that capacity she oversees projects and activities related to the Statewide Storm Water Strategy. Ms. Kihara has been with the State Water Resources Control Board for 10 years and prior to that she worked for environmental consulting firms. Ms. Kihara holds a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from the University of California Davis, and is a CA registered Professional Engineer. Jeffrey Albrecht is a Water Resources Control Engineer with the Stormwater Planning Unit of the State Water Resources Control Board. Jeffrey is current a project manager for the Water Board s Strategy to Optimize Resource Management of Storm Water (STORMS) Initiative. Session 4 Bola Odusoga (Moderator) is a member of the NPDES Permits Office at EPA Region 9 (San Francisco) and is also a Senior Project Manager for the Water Division Sustainability team. Bola previously managed both the Nevada Clean Water State Revolving Fund and Nevada Drinking Water State Revolving Fund programs. Mr Odusoga received a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Engineer from the University of California, Irvine and a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from Cal Poly. Joe Karkoski is manager of the Bonds Section in the Division of Financial Assistance at the State Water Board. Programs in Joe's section include Prop 1 Groundwater Sustainability and Storm Water; the Clean Beaches Initiative; and the Drought Response Outreach Program for Schools. Joe has a degree in Chemical Engineering from Michigan State University, Master in Public Policy and Administration from CSU, Sacramento and is President of the local section of the American Water Resources Association. 4

5 Wennilyn Fua, P.E is the unit chief of the Water Recycling/CWSRF Funding Unit in the State Water Resources Control Board s (WaterBoard) Division of Financial Assistance. She has worked for the WaterBoard for almost 18 years. Prior to working for the WaterBoard, she also worked in the private environmental sector. Wennilyn has a degree in chemical engineering from the University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines. Constantine Kontaxis is responsible for identifying, coordinating and managing water quality issues and developing recommended courses of action related to planning, development, implementation, and resource estimates to comply with the Caltrans Permit. Con is a graduate of Oregon State University (June 1981), with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, emphasis on Water Resources and Environmental Engineering. Professional Engineering licenses are held in California and Arizona. He can be reached at constantine.kontaxis@dot.ca.gov Katie Grasty is a Senior Hazard Mitigation Specialist at FEMA Region 9 and coordinates Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding with the state of CA and tribal governments. She also serves as a Documentation Unit Leader in the Regional Response and Coordination Center during disasters. Katie has been with FEMA for three years and previously worked for the U.S. Department of Transportation s Policy Office where she coordinated the Department s Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts. Katie has a Master s Degree in Environmental Management from Duke University and a Bachelor s of Science degree from Radford University. Session 5 Kristyn Abhold (Moderator) is a Financial Analyst with EPA s Water Infrastructure and Resiliency Center, where she helps manage WaterCARE, a financial technical assistance project, organizes regional Finance Forums, and leads the Center s efforts in conservation financing. Kristyn has considerable experience in the urban water policy arena. As the former Vice President of the US Water Alliance she directed projects and programs that brought together diverse stakeholders to advance urban water sustainability though collaboration. Kristyn has a Master of Public Policy degree from the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley and a Bachelor of Economics and Environmental Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Charles D. Herbertson, P.E., L.S. Public Works Director/City Engineer Charles has been the Public Works Director and City Engineer for the City of Culver City since August In this capacity he is in overall charge of the Department and oversees the activities of its four divisions: Administration, Engineering, Environmental Programs & Operations, and Maintenance Operations. In addition to his duties with Culver City, Charles is active in support of the League of California Cities serving as Second Vice President of the League Public Works Officers, a member of the Leagues Policy Committee for Transportation, Communications and Public Works and as Chairman of the Oversight Committee for the Local Streets & Roads Needs Assessment. Prior to coming to Culver City, Charles served the City of Hawthorne in various capacities including City Engineer, Airport Manager, Chief of General Services and Public Works and Interim City Manager during the period from 1985 until Prior to his career in 5

6 municipal government Charles was a commissioned Officer in the Navy s nuclear powered submarine force and served in that capacity from 1980 to During that period he rode around in a submarine in the Atlantic Ocean and did a lot of top secret things that he can t tell you about. After leaving active duty, he served as a Naval Reserve Officer with the Reserve Naval Construction Battalion Sixteen (Seabees) and the First Reserve Naval Construction Regiment in Los Alamitos, California from 1987 to Charles is a native of Norfolk, Virginia and received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from Old Dominion University. He also has a Master s in Public Administration from the University of Southern California. He is a licensed professional Civil Engineer and Land Surveyor in the State of California. Richard Watson is a planner based in Mission Viejo. He has been active in the stormwater program in California since He consults to private and public clients on both technical stormwater issues and stormwater quality funding. He co-authored the report Stormwater Funding Options, Providing Sustainable Water Quality Funding in Los Angeles County prepared for the California Contract Cities Association and the League of California Cities, Los Angeles County Division. Richard is a former California Stormwater Quality Association California (CASQA) Board Member and Co-chairs CASQA s Watershed Management & Impaired Waters Sub-committee. John Bliss is President of SCI Consulting Group which focuses on revenue and policy engineering and consulting for public agency clients including flood protection, stormwater management, parks and recreation, fire, mosquito control and cannabis. He is a licensed Professional Engineer with an undergraduate degree from Brown University and a graduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley. Session 6 Jim Gebharrdt (Mod) is the Director of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency s Water Infrastructure and Resiliency Finance Center in Washington D.C. Scott Boardman is the Acting Executive Director of the West Coast Infrastructure Exchange (WCX), a nonprofit organization formed by California, Oregon, and Washington. In leading WCX, Scott serves as a resource to public agencies within the three West Coast states on innovative infrastructure delivery and financing mechanisms. Scott holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Georgia and a BS in political science from Clemson University. For more information on WCX, visit or contact Scott at scott.boardman@westcoastx.org. Jeremy Sokulsky founded Environmental Incentives ( in 2004 pioneering Performance-Driven Conservation to align public and private sector objectives to create resilient water, land and wildlife resources. He led efforts to apply performance-driven conservation to Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) and Municipal Stormwater Sewer System (MS4) permits, as well as Habit Exchanges and Credit Systems species habitat. performancebased payment mechanisms, such as pay for success, that enable innovative financing and 6

7 public private partnerships. He earned his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and is a registered Professional Engineer in California. Laurie Walsh is a California licensed Civil Engineer and supervises the Storm Water Management staff at the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board. In the 24 years Laurie has been at the San Diego Water Board, she has worked as in both surface water and ground water regulatory programs including: Municipal, Construction, and Industrial Storm Water, Land Discharge Permitting; Basin Planning; and Site Cleanup. Laurie co-authored the Regional MS4 Permit for the San Diego Region and oversaw the development and acceptance of the San Diego County Water Quality Improvement Plans. Ms. Walsh graduated from California State Polytechnic University with a Bachelors of Science degree in Civil Engineering. Session 7 Dave Smith (Moderator) is the Manager of the NPDES Permits Office at EPA Region 9 in San Francisco. Maureen Kermer (Moderator) is a registered professional engineer in California. She holds bachelor s and master s degrees in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and Oregon State University, respectively. For ten years Maureen has served as a research engineer with California State University, Sacramento s Office of Water Programs, providing assistance with stormwater management, design, construction, monitoring, and data assessment, including LID implementation. 7

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