Color Of Water

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

Oday Salim

University of Michigan Law School

Newsha Ajami

Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability

Carolan Sonderegger

For Love of Water

Parsa Saffarinia

University of California, Davis

Alastair Bitsóí

Navajo Nation Office of the President and Vice President

Veronica Garibay

Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability

Khalid Osman

Stanford University

Maria Elena Kennedy

Kennedy Communications, Inc

Bridget Ray

Washington State Department of Commerce

Dira Johanif

Charles River Climate Compact

Ruthie Redmond

UC Berkeley

Esteban Ortiz

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

Huda Alkaff

Wisconsin Green Muslims

Daniel Cordalis

Native American Rights Fund

Ani Jayakaran

Washington State University

Nicole Chavas

Greenprint Partners

Victor Galvan

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

Pallavi Bharadwaj

SEG

Jasmine Walker

Ohio Environmental Council

Briana Muñoz

Pacific Coast Carbon LLC

Nataly Escobedo Garcia

Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability

Patricia Lindsay-Harvey

Willingboro Municipal Utilities Authority

Jazmin Ricks

University of Pennsylvania

Sonali Abraham

Pacific Institute

Andrian Lee

BCM Environmental and Land Law, PLLC

Temiloluwa Akinyemi

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Angel Santiago Fernandez-Bou

Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS)

Jessica Thrasher

Colorado State University

Emily Warren Armitano

Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation

Crystal Sanders-Alvarado

Seaworthy

Daniela Sherrill

ASU / AZ Water for All

Nureen Faiza Anisha

Oregon State University

Vicky Espinoza

CaliWaterAg

Alai Reyes-Santos

University of Oregon

Dezaraye Bagalayos

Allensworth Progressive Association

Julian Gonzalez

Earthjustice

Nicole Nelson

Equity Legal Services, Inc

Cyatharine Alias

Center for Neighborhood Technology

Nahal G. Ipakchi

BluePoint Planning

Cate Mingoya-LaFortune

Groundwork USA

Direlle Calica

Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI)

Kabir Thatte

The Vessel Collective

Pablo Ortiz

Union of Concerned Scientists

Fernando Ramirez

Bridges 2023 International

Wendy “Poppy” Ferris-George

Ferris Institute

Afia Zakiya

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

Rob Larson

Grand Valley State University

Frank Ruiz

The Office of U.S. Representative Raul Ruiz

Xochitl Bervera

Near Futures Projects/Water is Life Oysters

Mahtaab Bagherzadeh

NWF/Clean Water for All

Sandi Matsumoto

The Nature Conservancy

André Sanchez

California Wilderness Coalition

Cathie Chavez-Morris

Equidad Group

Gia Moreno

Hood Community Council

Jahan Taganova

City and County of Denver

Damian Shapes Padilla

Spirit Rock Consulting

Walt Walker

TYLin

Marc Oliver Quijano

Jacobs

Beth Roach

Sierra Club

Rhysea Agrawal

The Xylom

John Echohawk

Native American Rights Fund

Paula Buchanan

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

Jacob Bernal

American Rivers

Usman Mahmood

Bayou City Waterkeeper

Andrea León-Grossmann

Vote Solar

Emma Robbins

The Chapter House

Talia London

The Common Acre

Alyssa Senturk

California Water Data Consortium

José M. Rodríguez-Flores

California State University, Monterey Bay

Angela Mooney D’Arcy

Sacred Places Institute for Indigenous Peoples

Roland Jones

CIS

Ashwin Dhanasekar

Brown and Caldwell

Oluwole (OJ) McFoy

Houston Public Works

Tanner Yess

Groundwork USA

Billie Li

Wright-Pierce

Mallika Nocco

University of Wisconsin–Madison

Analise Rivero

California Trout

Maisah Khan

Regenerative Agriculture Foundation

Jo Banner

The Descendants Project

Alondra Hernandez-Bose

WEAT

Sydney Garcia

The Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation

Keiko Wilkins

University of Hawaii at Manoa

Tony Bridges

The Maryland General Assembly

Aria Harris

TYLin

Rhea Drozdenko

Connecticut River Conservancy

Carlos Moran

Northeast Trees

Joaquin Esquivel

California State Water Resources Control Board

Pedro Hernandez

GreenLatinos

Martin Griffin

Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District

Priscila Alves

University of Maryland

Kedar Dabhadkar

Lam Research

Marccus Hendricks

University of Maryland - College Park

Crystal Davis

National Parks Conservation Association

Ngodoo Atume

UC Agriculture and Natural Resources

Shandin Pete

University of British Columbia

Angela Guyadeen

NRDC

Gabe Vasquez

US Congress

Lucero Sanchez

San Diego Coastkeeper

Charles Cassagnol

Western Ecology, LLC

Rene Henery

Trout Unlimited/ University of Nevada, Reno

Portia Shepherd

Blackbelt Women Rising

Joy Banner

The Descendants Project

Jeremy Orr

Earthjustice

Olga Cano

HUD

Nieves Vazquez

Water For People

Cindy Donis

East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice

Olga Morales Pate

Rural Community Assistance Partnership Incorporated

Silvia R. Gonzalez

UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute

Brenda Coley

Milwaukee Water Commons

Mariana Del Valle Prieto Cervantes

GreenLatinos

Ciara Horne

SBG Digital

Shama Perveen

Ceres

Nusrat Molla

Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment at Princeton University

Carlos Calderon

West Michigan Environmental Action Council

Breanna Gonzalez

Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

Monica Driggers

Massachusetts Rivers Alliance

Ean Tafoya

GreenLatinos

Sarah Traore

The University of Texas at Austin

Rachele Lopez

Justice Outside

Benu Amun Ra

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

Heather Tanana

University of Denver Sturm College of Law

Chauncey Foster

we.grow.eco

Jose Luis Ortiz y Muniz

Greenroots Institute

Sanjiv Sinha

Corvias Infrastructure Solutions, LLC.

Susana De Anda

Community Water Center

Bleu Adams

IndigeHub

Sapna Mulki

Environmental Policy Innovation Center

Diana Piña Yitbarek

NC Department of Environmental Quality

Marce Gutiérrez-Graudiņš

Azul

Arohi Sharma

Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)

Lenise Marrero

Brown and Caldwell

Kimbaya Carriere

Nuxalk First Nation

Ehab Meselhe

Tulane University

Cheyenne Holliday

Verde

Nikki Tulley

University of Arizona

Jessica Dandridge-Smith

The Water Collaborative

Cate Caldwell

Illinois Environmental Council

Chakena Sims

NRDC

Ayanna Jolivet Mccloud

Bayou City Waterkeeper

Allen Townsend

World Wildlife Fund

Tiffany Sevilla

Greenprint Partners

Nadine Robertson

Veolia North America

Cheyanne Harris

Brown and Caldwell

Chriscilia Cox

SUMA Consulting LLC

Jahan Taganova

City and County of Denver

Elizabeth Ruiz

CA State Water Resources Control Board

Harshini Ratnayaka

Save the Dunes

Ed Marin

Louisville Water

Sidney Opiyo

University of California, Santa Cruz

Alex Ortiz

Austin Water and Wastewater Commission

Julia Fay Bernal

Pueblo Action Alliance

Felice Green

Milwaukee Water Commons

Tanasia Swift

Billion Oyster Project

Nathaniel I Kollie

University of California Santa Cruz

Alyssa Senturk

California Water Data Consortium

Bre’Shaun Reddick

Alliance for the Great Lakes

Chakena Sims

NRDC

Sri Vedachalam

Cisolutions

Thea Louis

MSC Industrial Supply Co.

Ayako Tischler

Xylem

Arsum Pathak

National Wildlife Federation

Val Schull

GreenLatinos

Charming Evelyn

OceanWell Water

Quentin Stubbs

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Nasim Pica

WSP in the U.S.

Pita Juarez

Comms Consultant

Angela M Chalk

Healthy Community Resources Services

Danielle Rivera

University of California Berkeley

Adriana Renteria

State Water Board

Michael Méndez

UC Irvine

Jaiden Willeto

Northern Arizona University / K'é Infoshop

Vinicius Taguchi

North Carolina State University

Maritza Mendoza

Empower DC

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?