Color Of Water
Elevating Indigenous, Black, Latinx, and other voices of color to change the narrative around water.
Ani Jayakaran
Washington State University
Jazmin Ricks
University of Pennsylvania
Tanasia Swift
Billion Oyster Project
Diana Piña Yitbarek
NC Department of Environmental Quality
Rob Larson
Grand Valley State University
Newsha Ajami
Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability
Daniel Cordalis
Native American Rights Fund
Julia Fay Bernal
Pueblo Action Alliance
Danielle Rivera
University of California Berkeley
Nadine Robertson
Veolia North America
Pedro Hernandez
GreenLatinos
Aria Harris
TYLin
Pita Juarez
Comms Consultant
Nathaniel I Kollie
University of California Santa Cruz
Victor Galvan
Denver Mayor's Office for Climate Action, Sustainability and Resilience
Khalid Osman
Stanford University
Kabir Thatte
The Vessel Collective
Alyssa Senturk
California Water Data Consortium
Sanjiv Sinha
Corvias Infrastructure Solutions, LLC.
Rene Henery
Trout Unlimited/ University of Nevada, Reno
Breanna Gonzalez
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
Huda Alkaff
Wisconsin Green Muslims
Rhysea Agrawal
The Xylom
Arohi Sharma
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
Chauncey Foster
we.grow.eco
Ashwin Dhanasekar
Brown and Caldwell
Direlle Calica
Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI)
Joaquin Esquivel
California State Water Resources Control Board
Keiko Wilkins
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Jessica Thrasher
Colorado State University
Adriana Renteria
State Water Board
Ayanna Jolivet Mccloud
Bayou City Waterkeeper
Ruthie Redmond
UC Berkeley
Joy Banner
The Descendants Project
Usman Mahmood
Bayou City Waterkeeper
Crystal Sanders-Alvarado
Seaworthy
Mallika Nocco
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Val Schull
GreenLatinos
Tiffany Sevilla
Greenprint Partners
Sidney Opiyo
University of California, Santa Cruz
Sydney Garcia
The Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation
Pablo Ortiz
Union of Concerned Scientists
José M. Rodríguez-Flores
California State University, Monterey Bay
Frank Ruiz
The Office of U.S. Representative Raul Ruiz
Marc Oliver Quijano
Jacobs
Kedar Dabhadkar
Lam Research
Dira Johanif
Charles River Climate Compact
Harshini Ratnayaka
Save the Dunes
Benu Amun Ra
S.A.C.R.Ed Eco-Center
Silvia R. Gonzalez
UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute
Temiloluwa Akinyemi
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Alastair Bitsóí
Near the Water Media & Communications Group
Alex Ortiz
Austin Water and Wastewater Commission
Monica Driggers
Massachusetts Rivers Alliance
Andrian Lee
BCM Environmental and Land Law, PLLC
Jeremy Orr
Earthjustice
Nureen Faiza Anisha
Oregon State University
Maria Elena Kennedy
Kennedy Communications, Inc
Sandi Matsumoto
The Nature Conservancy
Angela M Chalk
Healthy Community Resources Services
Chakena Sims
NRDC
Gia Moreno
Hood Community Council
Bre’Shaun Reddick
Alliance for the Great Lakes
Beth Roach
Sierra Club
Pallavi Bharadwaj
SEG
Quentin Stubbs
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Charles Cassagnol
Western Ecology, LLC
Emma Robbins
The Chapter House
Tony Bridges
The Maryland General Assembly
Alai Reyes-Santos
Alaí Community Consulting
Marccus Hendricks
University of Maryland - College Park
Briana Muñoz
Pacific Coast Carbon LLC
Jacob Bernal
American Rivers
Felice Green
Milwaukee Water Commons
Carolan Sonderegger
For Love of Water
Berhanu Sinshaw
University of California Merced
Mahtaab Bagherzadeh
NWF/Clean Water for All
Nieves Vazquez
Water For People
Maisah Khan
Regenerative Agriculture Foundation
Elizabeth Ruiz
CA State Water Resources Control Board
Shama Perveen
Ceres
Jahan Taganova
City and County of Denver
Angela Mooney D’Arcy
Sacred Places Institute for Indigenous Peoples
Marce Gutiérrez-Graudiņš
Azul
Talia London
The Common Acre
Jose Luis Ortiz y Muniz
Greenroots Institute
Jaiden Willeto
Northern Arizona University / K'é Infoshop
Nasim Pica
WSP in the U.S.
Cate Caldwell
Illinois Environmental Council
Carlos Calderon
West Michigan Environmental Action Council
Jo Banner
The Descendants Project
Walt Walker
TYLin
Charming Evelyn
OceanWell Water
Olga Morales
Rural Community Assistance Partnership Incorporated
Carlos Moran
Northeast Trees
Maritza Mendoza
Empower DC
Cathie Chavez-Morris
Equidad Group
Sri Vedachalam
Cisolutions
Oday Salim
University of Michigan Law School
Susana De Anda
Community Water Center
Portia Shepherd
Blackbelt Women Rising
Moisés Moreno-Rivera
Trust for Public Land
Cheyenne Holliday
Verde
Andrea León-Grossmann
Vote Solar
John Echohawk
Native American Rights Fund
Hayat Rasul
LA County
Nicole Chavas
Greenprint Partners
Nataly Escobedo Garcia
Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability
Sonali Abraham
Pacific Institute
Ehab Meselhe
Tulane University
Bridget Ray
Washington State Department of Commerce
Brenda Coley
Milwaukee Water Commons
Alondra Hernandez-Bose
WEAT
Nikki Tulley
University of Arizona
Wendy “Poppy” Ferris-George
Ferris Institute
Ciara Horne
SBG Digital
Analise Rivero
California Trout
Cyatharine Alias
Center for Neighborhood Technology
Mariana Del Valle Prieto Cervantes
GreenLatinos
Julian Gonzalez
Earthjustice
Parsa Saffarinia
University of California, Davis
Oluwole (OJ) McFoy
Houston Public Works
Ngodoo Atume
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources
Billie Li
Wright-Pierce
André Sanchez
California Wilderness Coalition
Cheyanne Harris
Brown and Caldwell
Rhea Drozdenko
Connecticut River Conservancy
Patricia Lindsay-Harvey
Willingboro Municipal Utilities Authority
Veronica Garibay
Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability
Cate Mingoya-LaFortune
Groundwork USA
Dezaraye Bagalayos
Allensworth Progressive Association
Allen Townsend
World Wildlife Fund
Angel Santiago Fernandez-Bou
Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS)
Roland Jones
CIS
Ayako Tischler
Xylem
Vicky Espinoza
CaliWaterAg
Lucero Sanchez
San Diego Coastkeeper
Lenise Marrero
Brown and Caldwell
Thea Louis
MSC Industrial Supply Co.
Shandin Pete
University of British Columbia
Crystal Davis
National Parks Conservation Association
Nicole Nelson
Equity Legal Services, Inc
Heather Tanana
University of Denver Sturm College of Law
Fernando Ramirez
Bridges 2023 International
Afia Zakiya
Independent Africana Studies and EJ scholar-activist, currently Executive Director of Africatown Heritage Preservation Foundation
Arsum Pathak
National Wildlife Federation
Chriscilia Cox
SUMA Consulting LLC
Vinicius Taguchi
North Carolina State University
Michael Méndez
UC Irvine
Esteban Ortiz
The Gorge Association of Aspirations/La Asociacion de Aspiraciones del Gorge
Chakena Sims
NRDC
Paula Buchanan
National Center for Domestic Preparedness (NCDP), Columbia Climate School
Tanner Yess
Groundwork USA
Sarah Traore
The University of Texas at Austin
Guadalupe F
Bayou City Waterkeeper
Martin Griffin
Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District
Xochitl Bervera
Near Futures Projects/Water is Life Oysters
Jahan Taganova
City and County of Denver
Ean Tafoya
GreenLatinos
Emily Warren Armitano
Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation
Angela Guyadeen
NRDC
Bleu Adams
IndigeHub
Jessica Dandridge-Smith
The Water Collaborative
Cindy Donis
East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice
Priscila Alves
University of Maryland
Nusrat Molla
Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment at Princeton University
Olga Cano
HUD
Sapna Mulki
Environmental Policy Innovation Center
Damian Shapes Padilla
Spirit Rock Consulting
Nahal G. Ipakchi
BluePoint Planning
Daniela Sherrill
ASU / AZ Water for All
Ed Marin
Louisville Water
Jasmine Walker
Ohio Environmental Council
Rachele Lopez
Justice Outside
Kimbaya Carriere
Nuxalk First Nation
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About Us
The Color of Water Initiative was created by the Water Hub to build voice and visibility for people of color in the water movement. Our goal is to connect reporters with a more diverse set of experts, and build capacity for these experts to elevate the stories of their communities, which have often been left out of conversations around water.
From water access and drought response in the West to lead pipes and PFAS pollution in the Great Lakes to recurring flooding and water infrastructure failures in the South, Color of Water members have deep expertise and first-hand experience on water challenges and solutions all across the country.
Read the joint statement by Color of Water members on the importance of equity in the water world.
experts across the country
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If you identify as a person of color with expertise in water (including lived experience or ancestral knowledge) or work in fields that intersect with water (like health, farming, housing, planning, etc.) please submit your information to us!
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What are Color of Water members talking about?

California’s push to limit groundwater pumping could leave small farmers in the dust – Los Angeles Times
According to a new report, California groundwater regulations threaten to put many small farms out of business. [from Los Angeles Times]

A simple idea to bring clean drinking water to U.S. homes at a lower cost – Sustainability Accelerator
[from Sustainability Accelerator]

New federal law could bring running water to tribal homes, but states have concerns – NPR
More than 10,000 homes on Southwestern Indian reservations lack running water. This despite tribes substantial water rights. A new solution is being held up as