A veteran journalist, Jenn directs the development of Western
Water news, the Layperson’s Guide series on key water
topics, the Foundation’s Colorado River project, poster maps and
tours, and various workshops and conferences. She oversees the
Water Leader programs and leads
fund-raising, external communications, and website and social
media efforts.
In December 2016, she led an international journalism
workshop on water issues for UNESCO (United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization). Held in Tehran, the
workshop included participants from Iran, Pakistan, Turkmenistan,
Oman and Malaysia. You can read her blog about the experience
here.
Chris serves as the primary editor of the Foundation’s
publications, including Western Water news, the
series of Laypersons Guides on key water topics, maps and other
publications, and manages our weekday water news feed,
Aquafornia.
A veteran journalist, Chris was a longtime environment
reporter for the Sacramento Bee where he produced several
award-winning articles that led to government and industry
reforms. Prior to joining the Foundation in 2023, he served
as managing editor of the Ventura County Star, contributing
editor to Water Deeply and as communications director for the UC
Davis Center for Watershed Sciences.
Brian works with a dedicated team of workshop facilitators to
provide engaging, hands–on Project WET (Water Education Today)
professional development trainings for educators who teach K-12
across California.
Brian coordinates supplies and support to assist facilitators in
organizing workshops, writes the California Project WET
newsletter to provide guidance for educators in using Project WET
activities that engage students in current water issues and
topics. He personally leads a number of workshops each year.
Patrick, a veteran of the non-profit world, re-joined the Water
Education Foundation in 2024 as its Deputy Executive Director.
In his role, Patrick is responsible for operations and boosting
revenue streams that allow the Foundation staff to achieve our
important mission and maximize our impact in California and the
West.
Marnette is a multimedia journalist who curates the Foundation’s
Aquafornia daily water
news roundup. She has worked as a digital editor, producer and
reporter for various publications across California — from San
Diego to Los Angeles, Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Her work covering immigration, higher education and local news
has appeared in KQED, Capital Public Radio, The World, CalMatters
and other news outlets.
A University of Florida graduate, Spencer has covered widely
different beats in his 25 years as a journalist, from baseball to
opera and, now, water. He enjoyed a long stint as a sportswriter
for MLB.com before landing feature-writing jobs for news
publications on the Cayman Islands and in Sarasota, Florida.
Nick manages many of our workshops, conferences and tours of key
water regions across California and the Southwest, bringing
attendees up close to dams and other water infrastructure,
wildlife areas, farms and other sites involved in water.
Marilyn is involved in various aspects of the Water Education
Foundation, assisting with programs and member benefits while
ensuring everything operates smoothly on a daily basis.
Before joining the Foundation in the summer of 2024, Marilyn
built a successful career in software engineering. She later
transitioned to the nonprofit sector, where she applied her
organizational, managerial and technological skills to help
these organizations operate more efficiently.
As programs specialist, Kayla assists with the planning and/or
execution of such programs as Water Leaders, tours and
conferences.
She joined the Foundation in 2021 as an administrative
coordinator and quickly rose to operations manager. When she
started an MBA program at San Diego State University in 2024, she
transitioned to part-time work as a programs specialist.
Alastair Bland is a freelance writer from Sonoma County who has
written for the Foundation’s Western
Water news and previously curated the Foundation’s
Aquafornia daily water news
roundup.
He has worked as a freelance writer since 2004, covering a wide
range of topics including water, climate change, fisheries,
marine conservation and research, and agriculture.
