Color Of Water

Elevating Indigenous, Black, Latinx, and other voices of color to change the narrative around water.

Jo Banner

The Descendants Project

Sidney Opiyo

University of California, Santa Cruz

Nathaniel I Kollie

University of California Santa Cruz

Priscila Alves

University of Maryland

Keiko Wilkins

University of Hawaii at Manoa

Joy Banner

The Descendants Project

Shama Perveen

Ceres

Kedar Dabhadkar

Lam Research

Tanner Yess

Groundwork USA

Angela M Chalk

Healthy Community Resources Services

Ayako Tischler

Xylem

Olga Morales

Rural Community Assistance Partnership Incorporated

Bre’Shaun Reddick

Alliance for the Great Lakes

Fernando Ramirez

Bridges 2023 International

Berhanu Sinshaw

University of California Merced

Arohi Sharma

Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)

Dira Johanif

Charles River Climate Compact

Charles Cassagnol

Western Ecology, LLC

Benu Amun Ra

S.A.C.R.Ed Eco-Center

Cheyanne Harris

Brown and Caldwell

Frank Ruiz

The Office of U.S. Representative Raul Ruiz

Sydney Garcia

The Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation

Silvia R. Gonzalez

UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute

Danielle Rivera

University of California Berkeley

Roland Jones

CIS

Carolan Sonderegger

For Love of Water

Victor Galvan

Denver Mayor's Office for Climate Action, Sustainability and Resilience

Maisah Khan

Regenerative Agriculture Foundation

Ed Marin

Louisville Water

Hayat Rasul

LA County

Charming Evelyn

OceanWell Water

Chauncey Foster

we.grow.eco

André Sanchez

California Wilderness Coalition

Nicole Chavas

Greenprint Partners

Wendy “Poppy” Ferris-George

Ferris Institute

Cate Mingoya-LaFortune

Groundwork USA

Crystal Sanders-Alvarado

Seaworthy

Sri Vedachalam

Cisolutions

Pallavi Bharadwaj

SEG

Allen Townsend

World Wildlife Fund

Billie Li

Wright-Pierce

Kabir Thatte

The Vessel Collective

Brenda Coley

Milwaukee Water Commons

Mariana Del Valle Prieto Cervantes

GreenLatinos

Pablo Ortiz

Union of Concerned Scientists

Analise Rivero

California Trout

Portia Shepherd

Blackbelt Women Rising

Quentin Stubbs

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Jahan Taganova

City and County of Denver

Angela Mooney D’Arcy

Sacred Places Institute for Indigenous Peoples

Moisés Moreno-Rivera

Trust for Public Land

Maria Elena Kennedy

Kennedy Communications, Inc

Adriana Renteria

State Water Board

Julian Gonzalez

Earthjustice

Cindy Donis

East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice

Cyatharine Alias

Center for Neighborhood Technology

Veronica Garibay

Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability

Shandin Pete

University of British Columbia

Ciara Horne

SBG Digital

Tanasia Swift

Billion Oyster Project

Patricia Lindsay-Harvey

Willingboro Municipal Utilities Authority

Jacob Bernal

American Rivers

Kimbaya Carriere

Nuxalk First Nation

Tiffany Sevilla

Greenprint Partners

Esteban Ortiz

The Gorge Association of Aspirations/La Asociacion de Aspiraciones del Gorge

Afia Zakiya

Independent Africana Studies and EJ scholar-activist, currently Executive Director of Africatown Heritage Preservation Foundation

Alyssa Senturk

California Water Data Consortium

Nadine Robertson

Veolia North America

Tony Bridges

The Maryland General Assembly

Damian Shapes Padilla

Spirit Rock Consulting

Oday Salim

University of Michigan Law School

Khalid Osman

Stanford University

Nusrat Molla

Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment at Princeton University

Jaiden Willeto

Northern Arizona University / K'é Infoshop

Ashwin Dhanasekar

Brown and Caldwell

Lenise Marrero

Brown and Caldwell

Alondra Hernandez-Bose

WEAT

Parsa Saffarinia

University of California, Davis

Marccus Hendricks

University of Maryland - College Park

Breanna Gonzalez

Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

Ehab Meselhe

Tulane University

Sonali Abraham

Pacific Institute

Emily Warren Armitano

Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation

Felice Green

Milwaukee Water Commons

Mahtaab Bagherzadeh

NWF/Clean Water for All

Alex Ortiz

Austin Water and Wastewater Commission

Aria Harris

TYLin

Monica Driggers

Massachusetts Rivers Alliance

Talia London

The Common Acre

Bleu Adams

IndigeHub

Andrian Lee

BCM Environmental and Land Law, PLLC

Olga Cano

HUD

Cheyenne Holliday

Verde

Maritza Mendoza

Empower DC

Jessica Dandridge-Smith

The Water Collaborative

Sarah Traore

The University of Texas at Austin

Sanjiv Sinha

Corvias Infrastructure Solutions, LLC.

Rob Larson

Grand Valley State University

Jose Luis Ortiz y Muniz

Greenroots Institute

Michael Méndez

UC Irvine

Guadalupe F

Bayou City Waterkeeper

Bridget Ray

Washington State Department of Commerce

Ruthie Redmond

UC Berkeley

Daniela Sherrill

ASU / AZ Water for All

Lucero Sanchez

San Diego Coastkeeper

Val Schull

GreenLatinos

Newsha Ajami

Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability

Rene Henery

Trout Unlimited/ University of Nevada, Reno

Alastair Bitsóí

Near the Water Media & Communications Group

Ean Tafoya

GreenLatinos

Mallika Nocco

University of Wisconsin–Madison

Sandi Matsumoto

The Nature Conservancy

Crystal Davis

National Parks Conservation Association

Usman Mahmood

Bayou City Waterkeeper

Heather Tanana

University of Denver Sturm College of Law

Elizabeth Ruiz

CA State Water Resources Control Board

Carlos Moran

Northeast Trees

Chakena Sims

NRDC

Angel Santiago Fernandez-Bou

Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS)

Pita Juarez

Comms Consultant

Nureen Faiza Anisha

Oregon State University

José M. Rodríguez-Flores

California State University, Monterey Bay

Nahal G. Ipakchi

BluePoint Planning

Vicky Espinoza

CaliWaterAg

Xochitl Bervera

Near Futures Projects/Water is Life Oysters

Temiloluwa Akinyemi

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Nicole Nelson

Equity Legal Services, Inc

Daniel Cordalis

Native American Rights Fund

Ani Jayakaran

Washington State University

Oluwole (OJ) McFoy

Houston Public Works

Martin Griffin

Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District

Briana Muñoz

Pacific Coast Carbon LLC

Nasim Pica

WSP in the U.S.

Nikki Tulley

University of Arizona

Cate Caldwell

Illinois Environmental Council

Sapna Mulki

Environmental Policy Innovation Center

Andrea León-Grossmann

Vote Solar

Julia Fay Bernal

Pueblo Action Alliance

Emma Robbins

The Chapter House

Nataly Escobedo Garcia

Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability

Walt Walker

TYLin

Carlos Calderon

West Michigan Environmental Action Council

Alai Reyes-Santos

Alaí Community Consulting

Direlle Calica

Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI)

Diana Piña Yitbarek

NC Department of Environmental Quality

Thea Louis

MSC Industrial Supply Co.

Rhysea Agrawal

The Xylom

Jahan Taganova

City and County of Denver

Dezaraye Bagalayos

Allensworth Progressive Association

Jeremy Orr

Earthjustice

Huda Alkaff

Wisconsin Green Muslims

Marc Oliver Quijano

Jacobs

Jessica Thrasher

Colorado State University

Vinicius Taguchi

North Carolina State University

Ayanna Jolivet Mccloud

Bayou City Waterkeeper

Susana De Anda

Community Water Center

Gia Moreno

Hood Community Council

Angela Guyadeen

NRDC

Paula Buchanan

National Center for Domestic Preparedness (NCDP), Columbia Climate School

Chakena Sims

NRDC

Ngodoo Atume

UC Agriculture and Natural Resources

John Echohawk

Native American Rights Fund

Marce Gutiérrez-Graudiņš

Azul

Harshini Ratnayaka

Save the Dunes

Rachele Lopez

Justice Outside

Joaquin Esquivel

California State Water Resources Control Board

Arsum Pathak

National Wildlife Federation

Jazmin Ricks

University of Pennsylvania

Nieves Vazquez

Water For People

Pedro Hernandez

GreenLatinos

Jasmine Walker

Ohio Environmental Council

Cathie Chavez-Morris

Equidad Group

Rhea Drozdenko

Connecticut River Conservancy

Chriscilia Cox

SUMA Consulting LLC

Beth Roach

Sierra Club

trending topics

These are the top topics that reporters, decision makers, and partners are looking for experts to speak about.

Video Library

Watch water experts share their stories and perspectives with reporters, event audiences, podcast hosts, and more.

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.

explore the Color of Water directory

experts across the country

Register to Join our Expert Directory

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!

Are you a current member?

Update your color of water profile.

Can’t access your email?  Get in touch with us!

Are you a journalist?

Download the directory and opt-in to get pitches featuring Color of Water stories.

What are Color of Water members talking about?