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