Local resident, global perspective

After graduating from Penn State University, I moved to California in 1999 to pursue a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at Stanford University. In 2005, I headed south to UC Irvine for a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research fellowship on climate change. That was the beginning of a career dedicated to understanding and mitigating the consequences of climate change for people and our environment. For the past 17 years, I've been privileged to live in the beautiful community of Woodbridge in Irvine along with my wife and two teenage kids. Woodbridge owes its vitality--green landscaping, swimming pools, two lakes--to the water supplied by the Irvine Ranch Water District.

Scientist for clean water

I'm proud of my professional career at UC Irvine. It's prepared me well to serve as your representative on IRWD's Board of Directors. I lead a world-class research program focused on drought impacts in southern California watersheds. To prepare the next generation of environmental problem solvers, I teach students transferable skills in data analysis, critical thinking, communication, and leadership. I direct a research center at UC Irvine on science and society, and I've managed over $33 million in grant funding. My accomplishments have been recognized with fellowships from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Ecological Society of America, and the American Academy of Microbiology.

Keeping rates affordable

Everyone deserves clean, affordable water. As your IRWD Director, I will invest in water-saving rebates, climate-smart infrastructure, and financial assistance for ratepayers in need. Keeping water affordable means reducing dependence on water imported from Northern California and the Colorado River. Water from these sources costs 50% more than local groundwater and 4 times more than captured native rainwater. Incentives for conservation, such as rebates for drought-tolerant landscaping, will reduce our need for expensive imported water.

Community leader

I've served as a Sustainability Commissioner with the City of Irvine since 2021. On the Commission, I fought to keep plastics and contaminants out of our water. I proposed a policy, adopted by the City Council, to phase out gas-powered lawn equipment that generates noise and air pollution. I coauthored the Irvine ACHIEVES resolution which provides a roadmap for eliminating the city's greenhouse gas emissions. As part of that roadmap, I'm helping draft Irvine's first Climate Action and Adaptation Plan to bolster climate readiness while reducing climate-warming emissions.