Water Energy Committee

Bill McDonnell leads MWD's water conservation efforts in the commercial and industrial sectors and represents MWD in various forums on matters concerning the interrelationships of California's water and energy resources and infrastructure.  He also manages a variety of programs, including MWD's Innovative Conservation Program that awards grants to developers of new water savings appliances and measures.

In his current capacity, Dr. Karajeh is managing more than 50 water feasibility, research and development, demonstration and pilot, and construction projects in California. He focuses on community-based, integrated regional water management to ensure sustainable water resource use, better water quality, environmental stewardship, efficient urban development, protection of agriculture, and a strong economy. In addition, he is the DWR’s specialist in water recycling and desalination. Karajeh also manages the Proposition 50 Desalination Grants Program, and has served as the executive officer for the Governor's Recycled Water Task Force. In 2003, he served as a technical advisor to the California Desalination Task Force.

[bio forthcoming...]

During his 29 years with DWR, Mr. Guivetchi has worked on numerous projects with the Central District, the Bay-Delta Office, the Division of Environmental Services, and the Division of Planning and Local Assistance. In his current assignment, he managed the DWR staff work and the public comment process for the California Water Plan, Update 2005. He is also working on the 2009 update to the water plan, the Delta Vision initiative to develop a vision and strategic plan for sustainable management of the Delta and Suisun, and the FloodSafe initiative to develop a sustainable flood management system and reduce flood risk.

Ms. Kawasaki holds key positions in California water, energy and the environment. She was appointed to the California Bay-Delta Public Advisory Committee by the Governor and the U.S. Secretary of Interior, and by the Mayor of Los Angeles as Assistant General Manager for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Previously, she served as General Manager of the City of Los Angeles Community Development Department. She established the Los Angeles City Environmental Affairs Department in 1990. She is co-chair of Friends of Manzanar, a member of the Women's Foundation Donor Circle, and serves on the Enterprise Foundation Leadership Council. She is also a Director of The Public Sustainability Partnership.

Lorraine White is the Program Manager for the California Energy Commission’s Integrated Energy Policy Report Proceeding. She also represents the Commission on a multi-agency committee that is helping the California Air Resources Board develop strategies to reduce water sector carbon impacts. Since joining the Energy Commission in 1992, Ms. White has held positions as a water resource analyst and project manager in the Energy Commission’s power plant siting regulatory program, energy program and policy analyst, and, most recently, energy policy advisor to Chairman Jackalyne Pfannenstiel. Previously she was a legislative analyst with California Assemblywoman Marguerite Archie-Hudson and Assemblyman Phil Isenberg. Ms. White holds a BS in Biochemistry from University of California at Davis and was a California Assembly Fellow.

At IEUA, Ms. Davis combines policy development with oversight of the Planning and Water Resources Department. Previously, Ms. Davis served as the Executive Director for Californians and the Land and the Mono Lake Committee. Under her leadership, the Mono Lake campaign culminated in the State Water Resources Control Board’s unanimous decision to protect Mono Lake. Ms. Davis serves as co-chair of the CALFED Watershed Subcommittee and is a member of CALFED’s Bay-Delta Public Advisory Committee. She is also President of the Board for Earth Island Institute and a board member for the Mono Lake Committee, the WateReuse Foundation, the WateReuse Association’s California section, the Urban Water Institute, and The Sierra Fund.

Meena Westford has worked for Reclamation for the last 16 years. She is experienced in managing regional, state, and local planning projects that involve potable and recycled water use, storm water augmentation, conjunctive use management, and watershed restoration planning. She specializes in integrated regional management planning, water use efficiency implementation, and drought management planning. Ms. Westford was a participant in the California Department of Water Resource’s Recycled Water Task Force and the Governor’s Landscape Task Force. In 2007, she was selected to participate in the Reclamation's Leadership Development Program. Ms. Westford is also temporarily serving as assistant regional director for Reclamation’s Upper Colorado Region.

Mr. Sapudar has worked in the water resources field for about 20 years. His experience includes the private sector; the State Water Resources Control Board in the areas of aquatic sediment, surface water, and groundwater quality; and the Department of Water Resources in source water quality assessment. Most recently, Mr. Sapudar performed water resources analyses for power plant licensing. Mr. Sapudar is the water and energy efficiency lead and research project manager for PIER’s Industrial/Agricultural/Water End-Use Energy Efficiency Program.

Dr. Robert C. Wilkinson, Director of the Water Policy Program at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of California, focuses on water, climate change, and environmental policy issues.  Dr. Wilkinson advises the California Energy Commission, US DOE National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the US EPA, and other state and federal agencies on water and climate research.  Recently, he coordinated the climate impacts assessment of the California Region for the US Global Change Research Program and the White House Office of Science and Technology.  Dr. Wilkinson also served on the public advisory committee for California's 2005 State Water Plan and the Governor's Task Force on Desalination.