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

Day laborers face hardships in the aftermath of Altadena fire, study reveals – CaloNews.com
A new report shows that many day laborers who worked in debris cleanup and recovery after the January 2025 wildfire in Altadena often worked through

American data centers in just seven states are reportedly using more water than all the cities in California – TechRadar
Data centers in seven states consume 10.4 million acre-feet of water [from TechRadar]

The Great Mayfly Swarms of Lake Erie – National Parks Conservation Association
Summer mayflies along Lake Erie’s coastline may be nasty and annoying, but they share glad tidings about environmental recovery. NPCA played a role. [from National