Presentations from past Urban Waters National Training Workshops are provided below. Please scroll to bottom of page for presentations from 2016 Urban Waters National Training Workshop.
2018 Presentations
Click here to download a summary of the 2018 Urban Waters National Training Workshop, which provides an overview of each of the sessions and key discussion topics.
Speaker presentations from the 2018 Urban Waters National Training Workshop are provided below. Please note: presentations were optional, so not all speakers will have a presentation included below. Sessions are listed in order of the Workshop’s agenda. Click here to view photos from the workshop.
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
Welcome and National Training Workshop Overview
- Vernice Miller-Travis, Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice and Equitable Development, Skeo
- Bob Benson, Acting Branch Chief, Partnerships Program Branch, Oceans, Wetlands and Communities Division, Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds, Office of Water/USEPA
Kickoff Federal Panel
- John Goodin, Acting Director, Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds, Office of Water/USEPA
- Owen McDonough, Senior Science Advisor, Office of Water/USEPA
- Ryan Nichols, Advisor, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Water & Science/USDOI
Environmental Justice Community Revitalization Council Panel
- Brittany Bolen, Associate Administrator, Office of Policy/USEPA
- Matthew Dalbey, Director, Office of Community Revitalization/Office of Policy/USEPA
- Matthew Tejada, Director, Office of Environmental Justice/Office of Policy/USEPA
Charting the Future of the Urban Waters Movement
- Vernice Miller-Travis, Skeo (moderator)
- Jalonne White-Newsome, Senior Program Officer, Kresge Foundation/Environment Program
- Melissa McCann, Director, Arizona State University’s University City Exchange
- Diana Toledo, Leadership Development Director, River Network
Ambassador Ceremony
- Benita Best-Wong, Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Water/USEPA
Thursday, October 18, 2018
Plenary: How to Leverage Funding for Urban Waters Projects, Events and Activities
- Patrick O’Rouke, Natural Resources Specialist, Georgia Power
- Jill Erickson, Urban Waters Ambassador, Middle Blue River Urban Waters Partnership
- Jody Olson, Director Federal Relations, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
- Steve Heacock, Board Member, Grand Rapids Whitewater
Session 1A: Building Parks and Public Spaces for Resilient Communities
- Kevin O’Hara, Vice President of Urban and Government Affairs, National Recreation and Park Association
- Sara Powell, Urban Waters Ambassador, Bronx/Harlem Rivers Urban Waters Partnership
- Stephan Nofield, Deputy Chief of Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Programs, National Lead for Rivers, Trails and Conservation Programs, US National Park Service/DOI
- Shaun Preston, Camp Small-Yard Master, Baltimore City Forestry Division
Session 2A: Sustaining Effective and Inclusive Local Urban Waters Partnerships
- Tracy Stanton, Urban Waters Ambassador, Green-Duwamish Urban Waters Partnership, Seattle, WA
- Sonia Rangel, Chief Operations Officer, Corazon Latino Inc.
- Ann-Marie Mitroff, River Program Director, Groundwork Hudson Valley, Co-coordinator, Urban Waters Learning Network, Groundwork USA
- Adele Cardenas, Urban Waters Regional Coordinator, Region 6/USEPA
Session 3A: Signature Project Case Study: 11th Street Bridge Project
- Jessica Smith, Communications and Community Engagement Manager, 11th Street Bridge Park Project
Session 1B: Green Jobs: Building Futures
- Jayme Brown, Jobs Plus Program Manager, HUD
- Jeff Carroll, Vice-President, Humanim Construction Enterprises
- Eric Letsinger, CEO, Quantified Ventures (co-presenter with Jeff)
- Erika Symmonds, Director, Workforce Development, GRID Alternatives
- Adriana Caldarelli, Director, National Green Infrastructure Certification Program, Water Environment Foundation
Session 2B: Achieving Water Equity: Challenges, Tools and Approaches
- Everette Bradford, Program Analyst, DC Dept. of Energy and Environment (DOEE)/Equity Taskforce
- Darryl Haddock, Ambassador, Proctor Creek Urban Waters Federal Partnership, West Atlanta Watershed Alliance
- Jill Witkowski Heaps, Director of Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic/Assistant Professor of Law at Vermont Law School, Vice-Chair, National Environmental Justice Advisory Council
Session 3B: Role of Public Water Utilities: Partnering with EJ Communities
- Tracy Mehan III, Executive Director of Government Affairs, American Water Works Association
- Michael Davis, Director of Environmental Justice and Service Equity Division, Seattle Public Utilities
- Andy Kricun, Executive Director/Chief Engineer, Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority
Plenary: How to Measure and Show Success
- Justin Yee, Urban Waters Ambassador, Los Angeles CA Urban Waters Partnership
- Jennifer Lee, Director of Policy and Planning, Puget Sound Partnership
- Erin Garnaas-Holmes, Urban Waters Ambassador, Anacostia DC Urban Waters Partnership
Session 1C: Green Infrastructure and Stormwater Management
- Chris Bason, Executive Director, Delaware Center for Inland Bays
- Harris Trobman, Green Infrastructure Project Specialist, University of District of Columbia
- Stacey Eriksen, Urban Waters Regional Coordinator, EPA Region 8
- Heather Ambrose, Project Manager, Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services
- James Duncker, Hydrologist, USGS – Central Midwest Water Science Center
Session 2C: Upstream-to-Downstream: Nutrient Challenges
- Jeff Seltzer, Associate Director, Water Quality Division (WQD), DC DDOE
- Amelia Letnes, Water Quality Trading Technical Expert, Office of Wastewater Management/OW/USEPA
- Danielle Stephan, Watershed Based Permitting Technical Expert, Office of Wastewater Management/OW/USEPA
- Adam Schnieders, Water Quality Resource Coordinator, Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Session 3C: Lessons Learned: Best Practices for Public-Private Partnerships
- Brian Van Wye, Associate Director, Regulatory Review Division, DC DOEE
- Patrick O’Rouke, Natural Resources Specialist, Georgia Power
- Adam Ortiz, Director, Prince George’s County Department of Environment
- Tedd Grain, Executive Director, Local Initiatives Support Corporation of Indianapolis
Friday, October 19, 2018
Session 1D: Building Capacity for Natural Disaster Planning, Response and Recovery
- Monty C. Dozier, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
- Brandon Sweezea, Mitigation Programs Specialist, Grants Implementation Branch, Mitigation Division, FEMA
- Brenda Torres, Director, San Juan Bay Estuary Program
Session 2D: Engaging States in Urban Waters Partnerships
- Hamid Karimi, Ph.D., Deputy Director, Natural Resources Administration, DC DOEE
- Anna Kasko, Senior Regulatory and Compliance Engineer, Maryland Department of the Environment
- Gregorio Sandi, Chesapeake Bay Restoration Section Head, Maryland Department of the Environment
- Adam Schnieders, Water Quality Resource Coordinator, Iowa Department of Natural Resources
- Jacqueline Guild, Director of the Office of Environmental Policy, City of Annapolis
- Claire Robinson, President and Managing Director, Amigos De Los Rios, CA
Session 3D: Economic Development and Equitable Land Development
- Mike Galvin, Urban Waters Ambassador, Baltimore Urban Waters Partnership
- Mandy Griego, Leader, Middle Rio Grand Urban Waters Partnership and HUD Analyst
- Adam Kent, Senior Program Officer, LISC DC
- Harold Pettigrew, Executive Director, Washington Area Community Investment Fund
Plenary: The Need for Partnerships and the Future of the Urban Waters Movement
- Roy Simon, Federal Analyst, USEPA
- Ryan Nichols, Advisor, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Water & Science/USDOI
Strategic Roundtable Discussions
- Vernice Miller-Travis, Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice and Equitable Development, Skeo
Report Out
- Vernice Miller-Travis, Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice and Equitable Development, Skeo
Bringing it Home and Closing Remarks
- Bob Benson, Acting Branch Chief, Partnerships Program Branch, Oceans, Wetlands and Communities Division, Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds, Office of Water/USEPA
- Vernice Miller-Travis, Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice and Equitable Development, Skeo
2016 Presentations
Speaker presentations for the 2016 Urban Waters National Training Workshop are provided below, please note presentations were optional so not all speakers will have a presentation included below. Sessions are listed in order of the Workshop’s agenda.
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Plenary – Perspectives on Urban Waters Partnerships and Future Directions
Opening Remarks: Benita Best-Wong, Director, US EPA Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds/OW
- Leslie Jones, Deputy Undersecretary for Natural Resources and Environment, USDA
- Harriet Tregoning, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Community Planning and Development, Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Mayor Jaqueline Goodall, Forest Heights, MD
- Martin Suuberg, Commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
- Stan Meiburg, Acting Deputy Administrator, US EPA
- Cynthia Martinez, Chief of the National Wildlife Refuge System, US Fish and Wildlife Service
- Dr. Na’Taki Osbourne Jelks, Chair, West Atlanta Watershed Alliance
- Scott Steen, President & CEO, American Forests;
Moderator: Benita Best-Wong, Director, US EPA Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds/OW
Engaging Elected Officials
- Sven-Erik Kaiser, US EPA Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations
Session 1A: Crash Course in Understanding Environmental Justice – EJ 1.0
- Mustafa Ali, US EPA Administrator’s Office
- Dr. Marva King, US EPA Office of Environmental Justice
- Matthew Tejada, US EPA Office of Environmental Justice
- Moderator: Vernice Miller-Travis, Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice, Skeo
Session 2A: Can Green Infrastructure Provide Community-Based Solutions?
- Richard Dolesh, National Recreation and Parks Association
- Erik Meyers, Conservation Fund
- David Washington, Prince George’s County Clean Water Partnership
- Tony Torrence, Community Improvement Association and Proctor Creek Stewardship Council
- Moderator: Sheila Frace, Deputy Director, US EPA Office of Wastewater Management/OW
Session 3A: How Do You Build Effective Public Private Partnerships to Support Your Work?
- Judson Greif, US Water Alliance
- Dave Ives, US Economic Development Administration
- Jeff Lerner, American Forests
- Lesly Melendez, Groundwork Lawrence
- Sharon Bradley, Bradley Site Design
- Moderator: David Lloyd, Director, US EPA Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization/OLEM
Session 1B: Conversations with the Funding Partners of National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
- Carrie Clingan, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
- Leslie Cox, Southern Company
- Mike Shaw, Wildlife Habitat Council
- Angelina Yost, US Fish and Wildlife Service
- Moderator: Dan Jirón, Associate Chief of US Forest Service
Session 2B: Effective Strategies for Working with Environmental Justice Communities – EJ 2.0
- Derrick Evans, Gulf Coast Community Initiative
- Brenda Thomas, Marlborough Community Coalition
- Sabrina Johnson, US EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality
- Robert Garcia, City Project
- Moderator: Michael Wenstrom, US EPA Region 8
Session 3B: Successful Partnering between National NGOs and Local Partners (Table Top Conversations)
Representatives from National NGOs including American Forests, American Rivers, Arbor Day Foundation, Conservation Fund, Earth Force; National Recreation and Parks Association, National Wildlife Federation, River Network, Trust for Public Land, U.S. Water Alliance and Wilderness Inquiry
Moderator: Dave Evans, Deputy Director, US EPA Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds/OW
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
Plenary – Partnering with Community-based Organizations – Lessons from Philanthropy
- Opening Remarks: Jeff Reinbold, Assistant Director for Partnerships and Civic Engagement, National Park Service, Department of the Interior
- David Beckman, President, Pisces Foundation
- Lois DeBacker, Managing Director, Kresge Foundation
- Moderator: Mark Van Putten, President and CEO, Wege Foundation
Session 1C: Making a dollar go further: Ambassadors and the Triple Bottom Line
- Carol Armstrong, City of Los Angeles Mayor’s River Works
- Dr. Jalonne White-Newsome, Kresge Foundation
- Lisa Pelstring, Department of the Interior and more to come!
- Moderator: Pauline Louie, Los Angeles River Watershed Ambassador
Session 2C: Addressing Public Health Challenges
- Dr. Hector Villanueva, HealthmedPro, Puerto Rico
- Florence Fulk, US EPA Office of Research and Development
- Dr. Erica Holloman, Southeast CARE Community Coalition
- Hannah Kett, Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition
- Moderator: Peter Grevatt, Director, US EPA Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water/OW
Session 3C: Crash Course in Understanding Environmental Justice – EJ 1.0
(this is a repeat offering to ensure everyone can participate in one of these sessions.)
- Mustafa Ali, US EPA Administrator’s Office
- Dr. Marva King, US EPA Office of Environmental Justice
- Matthew Tejada, US EPA Office of Environmental Justice
- Moderator: Michael Wenstrom, US EPA Region 8
Participants Choice
Session 1D: Building an Effective Program: How’d they do it? Lessons Learned
- Dennis Chestnut, Groundwork Anacostia
- Michelle Melendez, First Choice Community Health
- Claire Robinson, Amigos de Los Rios
- Deborah Scott, Georgia Stand-Up
- Moderator: Corita Waters, National Park Service
Session 2D: How to Build a Broader, More Diverse, More Culturally Competent Coalition
- Jamie Baxter, Chesapeake Bay Funders Network
- Chante Coleman, Choose Clean Water Coalition
- Elise Bruner, Blue Water Baltimore
- Angie Rosser, West Virginia Rivers Coalition
- Moderator: Vernice Miller-Travis, Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice, Skeo
Session 3D: Lessons from Other Place-Based Partnerships
- Naomi Friedman, Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Dr. Marva King, US EPA CARE Initiative
- Sally Sears, Southfork Conservancy
- Yudith Nieto, Moving Forward Network
- Javier E. Laureano, San Juan Bay Estuary Program
- Moderator: Tara McGuinness, OMB Community Solutions
Session 1E: What Social Science Research is Telling Us – Nexus Between Health, Nature and Community Quality of Life (North)
- Michelle Kondo, US Forest Service
- Natalie Johnson, Northwest Indiana Urban Waters Ambassador
- Dwane Jones, University of the District of Columbia
- Cassandra Johnson Gaither, US Forest Service Southern Research Station
- Moderator: Carl Lucero, the Director of Landscape Restoration and Ecosystem Services Research, US Forest Service
Session 2E: Citizen Science, Monitoring and Engaging Youth (South)
- Fred Tutman, Patuxent River Keeper
- Lynn Youngblood, Blue River Watershed Association
- Michelle Luebke, Bronx River Alliance
- Moderator: Betsy Southerland, Director, US EPA Office of Science and Technology/OW
Session 3E: The Need for Partnerships and Collaboration
- Lance Davisson, National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council
- Ed Reyes, former Los Angeles City Councilor
- Joe Rieger, Elizabeth River Project
- Lorisa Smith, Missouri Department of Natural Resources
- Moderator: Donna Myers, Chief, Office of Water Quality, US Geological Survey
Thursday, July 28, 2016
Plenary – Authentic Community Engagement
- Opening Remarks: Adam Kent, Local Initiatives Support Corporation
- Michael Brady, South Bronx Overall Development Corp. (SOBRO) Port Morris – Harlem River, Bronx, NY
- Katrina Lashley, Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum
- Deborah Scott, Georgia Stand-Up
- Mathy Stanislaus, US EPA Assistant Administrator for the Office of Land and Emergency Management
- Moderator: Vernice Miller-Travis, Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice, Skeo