Jeni Arndt

Mayor

City of Fort Collins

Jeni Arndt was elected Mayor of Fort Collins in April, 2021 after serving 3+ terms in the Colorado General Assembly. As a State Representative, Arndt focused on water, agriculture, small business and public education. In addition to working, teaching and attending school, Arndt has been an active volunteer including serving in the Peace Corps in Morocco. Her experience includes Congressional intern, ESL teacher, secondary special education teacher, middle school principal, International Baccalaureate Coordinator, university faculty member and department head. Additionally, Arndt served on the Commission of Disabilities as
well as Childsafe before running for State Representative in 2014.

Brett Bovee

Regional Director

WestWater Research

Brett Bovee is the regional director for WestWater Research, working primarily in Colorado and other Rocky Mountain states. WestWater specializes in valuing water assets, assisting in water transactions, and consulting on economic aspects of water management. Brett worked for about a decade as a water resources engineer and transitioned to an economic focus in the water sector about 5 years ago. Brett has consulted for a variety of private clients, municipal organizations, government agencies, and Native American Tribes.

Sean Chambers

Director of Water & Sewer

City of Greeley

Sean Chambers is director of water & sewer for the city of Greeley and leads a dynamic team of water and wastewater planning, engineering and operations professionals. Chambers joined the city in 2018 and brings a vision for increased collaboration, regional resiliency through planning and demand management. Greeley has one of the most robust and resilient surface water-collection systems in the West, with resources from four major river basins and balance between trans-mountain and native Poudre and Big Thompson water resources. 

James Eklund

Co-Founder and CEO

Eklund Hanlon LLC

James Eklund is co-founder and CEO of Eklund Hanlon, LLC, a water law and policy firm. As Director of the Colorado Water Conservation Board, James was the architect of Colorado’s first strategic water plan and is regularly consulted in implementing what has become the “gold standard” of water plans in the Western US. During his tenure as director, he quickly built a reputation as a leader in negotiation and diplomacy – bringing together multiple stakeholders with opposing goals in order to collaboratively craft binding solutions to common problems.

Ella Fahrlander

Chief Engagement Officer

Community Foundation of Northern Colorado

Ella Fahrlander leads community engagement efforts including fund-development, community initiatives, events and communications. During her tenure with the Foundation, she established the Foundation’s Nonprofit Loan Program, and led the effort to launch its flagship program, the Hach Center for Regional Engagement. Ella grew up in Crested Butte, Colo. where she developed her love of community and talent for collaboration.

Jennifer Gimbel

Director

CSU Colorado Water Center

Jennifer Gimbel is a senior water policy scholar for the Colorado Water Center at Colorado State University. She has worked for both state and federal governments on water issues. She worked as the principal deputy assistant secretary for water and science, overseeing the Bureau of Reclamation and U.S. Geological Service. For the state of Colorado, she worked as the director of the water conservation board and for the attorney general.

Christopher Goemans

Associate Professor / Chair of the Graduate Program

CSU College of Agricultural Sciences

Christopher Goemans is an associate professor and chair of the graduate program at CSU College of Agricultural Sciences. His research focuses on the allocation and management of scarce resources, specifically water. Past efforts include studies investigating the impacts associated with water transfers, the relationship between increased climatic variability and the effectiveness of various regional water management schemes, and optimal demand management strategies during periods of drought. More recent work has dealt with understanding how information affects the decision making of residential water customers, specifically their understanding of their own water use and the rate structures they face.

Shane Hale

Town Manager

Town of Windsor

With 17-years of City and Town Manager experience, Shane Hale has been the Town Manager of Windsor since 2018. One of Hale’s largest positive impacts on the town has been proactively planning for Windsor’s water future through a time of regional unprecedented growth. Within his first few months in Windsor, Hale created and hired the town’s first-ever Water Resource Manager, and has since worked with the incumbent and the Town Board to align the water strategy with the Town’s ultimate build out. Additional efforts have included working with other government entities to secure property for a future water treatment plant, water-smart partnerships, and continued support of the Water Literate Leaders of Northern Colorado.

Jonathan Hernandez

Project Manager

Northern Water

Jonathan Hernandez is a Project Analyst with Northern Water in its Project Management department and is serving as the Project Manager for Northern Water’s fire recovery effort for the East Troublesome Fire. He is a Professional Engineer who has immersed himself into all things Colorado Water including water law and administration with the Department of Water Resources, financing water projects across the state with the Colorado Water Conservation Board, and now managing the financing efforts related to Chimney Hollow reservoir and NISP with Northern Water.

Emily Hunt

Deputy Infrastructure Director

City of Thornton

Emily Hunt is the Deputy Infrastructure Director at the City of Thornton, where she is responsible for the management of Thornton’s raw water system and water utility policy. She has over twenty years of experience in developing and managing municipal water supplies in Colorado. Emily is currently the Vice President of the Colorado Water Trust, and serves on the Board of Directors for the Colorado Water Congress and the Metro Basin Roundtable. Emily earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Geology from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and her Master’s degree in Geography from the University of Denver.

Adam Jokerst

Deputy Director Water & Sewer

City of Greeley

Adam Jokerst serves as Deputy Director for Water Resources at Greeley, where he oversees long range water supply planning, water acquisition, and water conservation programs for the Water and Sewer Department. Mr. Jokerst holds bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Arkansas and a master’s degree in Civil Engineering from Colorado State University. He is a registered professional engineer in Colorado and has worked on water resources projects in Northern Colorado for over 10 years in both the private and public sectors. Mr. Jokerst is passionate about using innovation and collaboration to solve complex water problems.

Matt Jones

County Commissioner, District 3

Boulder County

County Commissioner Matt Jones was elected in 2018 for a term that runs through 2022. For 2021, Matt is Chair of the Board. Before joining the Board of County Commissioners, Matt served for six years as the Colorado State Senator for District 17 (Longmont, Lafayette, Louisville, and Erie). Prior to becoming a state senator, Matt served three terms in the Colorado House, from 1986 to 1992, and returned for a fourth term from 2010 to 2012. Matt is best known for his environmental passion, his legislative experience, and his 18 years of helping to plan and lead the City of Boulder’s Open Space & Mountain Parks Department. A part of his open space work, Matt was a wildland firefighter working prescribed fires and some wildland fires including the Fourmile and Walker Fires.

Chris Matkins

District Manager, Fort Collins

Loveland Water District & South Fort Collins Sanitation District

Chris Matkins is the District Manager for two Enterprises: The Fort Collins – Loveland Water District and the South Fort Collins Sanitation District. He has B.S. and M.S. Degrees in Civil Engineering and enjoys the challenges such as increasing regulatory requirements and increasing water scarcity that the Northern Colorado region brings. Chris has worked tirelessly to build a staff that is able to meet and exceed the mission and values of the Districts. He also serves as Chair on the Soldier Canyon Water Treatment Authority Board.

Max Moss

President

HF2M Colorado Inc. (Montava)

Montava is an ambitious master planned community in Fort Collins built on the foundation of local food production, conservation of natural resources, new urbanism design where walking and biking are emphasized over car dependent sprawl. A complete community that includes schools, community parks, public civic facilities and services, businesses and Natural Areas. It is town building in every sense of the word. In order to provide a predictable and affordable water system for this project Max’s team is currently pursuing a creative water solution as well.

Blake Osborn

Water Resources Specialist

Colorado Water Center, WAVE Program

Blake Osborn serves as a research scientist for the Colorado Water Center, a water research and outreach group at Colorado State University. He manages water resource projects that help local water users and water managers make better management decisions to meet multiple beneficial objectives for our scarce water resources. Most of his research and outreach activities center on post-wildfire hydrologic stabilization, helping farmers/ranchers make efficient uses of water, improving water equity and diversity, and creating coalitions to improve water quality. Blake has a BS in Natural Resources Management from Colorado State University and a MS in Hydrology and Watershed Management from the University of Wyoming.

Roy Otto

City Manager

City of Greeley

Roy Otto has been Greeley’s City Manager since 2005. He graduated from Colorado State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and received a Master of Public Administration from the University of South Florida.

Jessica Thrasher

Education and Outreach Manager

Colorado Stormwater Center

Jessica Thrasher is the Education and Outreach Manager for the Colorado Stormwater Center at Colorado State University. She has a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Southern Methodist University and a master’s degree in International Development Anthropology from Colorado State University. Jessica provides tools, educational opportunities, and research to municipalities, stormwater professionals, consulting firms, and community members allowing them to make informed decisions about stormwater management practices. She is dedicated to being part of creating solutions to the current water quality, supply, use, and conservation issues. Jessica has also attained the following certifications: Permaculture Designer, Rainwater Harvesting Practitioner, Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper (QWEL) and Stormwater Control Measure Inspection and Maintenance.

Brad Wind

General Manager

Northern Water

Bradley D. Wind is general manager of Northern Water, a Conservancy District situated in northeastern Colorado that encompasses 640,000 irrigable acres and is home to nearly 980,000 Coloradans. Brad, working in concert with Northern Water’s Board of Directors and its 140-member staff, partner with the United States Bureau of Reclamation to operate the Colorado-Big Thompson Project, the Windy Gap Project and oversees four other water-activity enterprises. During Brad’s 25-year tenure at Northern Water, he has provided leadership roles throughout the organization and engaged on water right issues on both the South Platte River and the Colorado River. 

Jim Yahn

Manager

North Sterling Irrigation District

Jim Yahn is the manager of the North Sterling and Prewitt Reservoirs, a position that he has held for over 29 years. He is responsible for overseeing the diversion and distribution of water to over 350 farmers. Together the reservoirs are a source of irrigation water for approximately 70,000 acres. In June of 2016, Jim was appointed by the Governor to the Colorado Water Conservation Board to serve as the South Platte Director and served for 5 years, one year as Chair. Jim has been a member of the South Platte Basin Roundtable since its inception in 2005, served as chair from 2009 – 2012, and currently serves as the roundtable’s representative to the Interbasin Compact Committee.