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

Environmental justice raised over data centers targeting rural NM – KRWG Public Media
GreenLatinos believes states should approach regulation of artificial intelligence data centers from a mindset of community protection and adopt a high bar for regulation. [from

Colorado River Water Access Calls for this Sensible Solution | Opinion – Arizona Institute for Resilience
The old ways of managing the shrinking Colorado River aren't helping Arizona. But there is a way all of the compact states could find a
