**[NIDIS Colorado River Pilot Scoping Workshop]{.smallcaps}**

**[Oct. 1-2, 2008]{.smallcaps}**

**Attendee short biographies**

**[Leslie Armstrong]{.smallcaps}**

U.S. Geological Survey

Leslie Armstrong is the Deputy Director for the Central Region of the
U.S. Geological Survey, an earth science bureau of the Department of the
Interior. Over the past 27 years, Leslie's professional endeavors have
focused on mapping, earth observation remote sensing, conservation,
military and civilian operational support services and geospatial
program development. From 1993 to 2004, Leslie served as the National
Park Service GIS Program Manager, Denver, Colorado.  She came to the
National Park Service in 1991 from the Defense Mapping Agency, after ten
years experience in Latin American mapping and modernization programs.

**[Paula Belcher]{.smallcaps}**

Hydrologist for the Kremmling Field Office of the Bureau of Land
Management

Our office manages public lands in Middle Park (Grand County), in
addition to lands in Jackson, Larimer, Eagle, and Summit Counties. We
permit outfitters on the Upper Colorado River and are a participant in
the Blue River Working Group. We not only have an interest in reservoir
operations but also in adjusting grazing permits for drought conditions.
Generally we give a warning letter in Dec. or Jan. that drought
conditions are expected. If they continue, we meet with grazing
permittees to adjust livestock numbers and/or season of use for the
upcoming season, or have the permittee agree to non-use. Turnouts are
generally mid to late May, and permittees have to make decisions as
early as possible to lessen the financial impact and have some options.

**[Jayne Belnap\
]{.smallcaps}**U.S. Geological Survey

Research Ecologist.  Jayne studies the effects of soil surface
disturbance on soil fertility, both via erosion and altered nutrient
cycles; how soils control plant distributions, including invasive
species; and soil/plant factors that control dust production.

**[Levi Brekke]{.smallcaps}**

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

Levi has been working with Reclamation since 2003 and currently works at
the Technical Service Center in Denver. His work focuses on reservoir
systems analysis, technical team coordination, and conducting research
on climate information applications.

**[Curt Brown]{.smallcaps}**

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Director of Research and Development

Curt is responsible for administering a multidisciplinary portfolio of
water resources research and development that is focused on applied
solutions for Reclamation\'s water and environmental compliance managers
and our stakeholders.

**[Don Campbell]{.smallcaps}**

Associate Director for Hydrologic Studies of the USGS Colorado Water
Science Center

We have about 60 hydrologists who work on a broad range of hydrologic
investigations in collaboration with water managers throughout Colorado
and the West. I coordinate those efforts with our partners including
other federal, state, and local agencies, universities, and other
disciplines within USGS (Geography, Geology, Biology). For much of my
career I conducted research on the hydrology and biogeochemistry of
alpine and subalpine environments.

**[Lisa Darby]{.smallcaps}**

NOAA/ESRL

NIDIS Program Office

Lisa has worked as a meteorologist at NOAA for nearly 20 years. Until
recently joining the NIDIS Program Office, Lisa was a member of the ESRL
Optical Remote Sensing group, specializing in the use of Doppler lidar
to study mesoscale wind features in complex terrain and coastal
settings. Lisa also works for the International Arctic Systems for
Observing the Atmosphere (IASOA) International Polar Year project.

**[Nolan Doesken]{.smallcaps}**

Colorado State University

Nolan Doesken is currently the State Climatologist for Colorado. Nolan
has worked for the Colorado Climate Center at Colorado State University
since 1977. The main emphasis of his work is monitoring climatic
conditions statewide \-- including drought \-- and communicating this
information to wide audiences in Colorado.

[**Robert R. Gillies**]{.smallcaps}

Director of the Utah Climate Center at Utah State University (USU) and
State Climatologist for the State of Utah

He is an associate professor in meteorology in the Department of Plants,
Soils and Climate (PSC), College of Agricultural Sciences at USU.  Prior
to the position of Director, he held a joint position in PSC and the
Department of Watershed Sciences in the College of Natural Resources at
USU. Dr. Gillies came to USU from The Pennsylvania State University.
After completing his PhD in meteorology and remote sensing, Dr. Gillies
continued his research as a research associate in the Department of
Meteorology and the Earth System Science Center at Penn State. Dr
Gillies was a member of Gov. Jon Huntsman's scientific panel that
compiled a report on climate change as it pertains to Utah for the Blue
Ribbon Advisory Panel.

**[Andrew Gilmore]{.smallcaps}**

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

Andrew Gilmore works for the Bureau of Reclamation, first in the Upper
Colorado Regional Office, and now in the Eastern Colorado Area Office.
Specializing in modeling and water data analysis, he has worked on
Colorado River issues for 8 years.

**[Katrina Grantz]{.smallcaps}**

Bureau of Reclamation

Katrina is a hydraulic engineer in the water operations group of the
Upper Colorado Regional Office of the Bureau of Reclamation. She is a
reservoir operator and works on mid- and long-term planning models.
Prior to her work at Reclamation, Katrina conducted research at the
University of Colorado; her research focused on stochastic hydrology and
hydroclimatology and decision support modeling.

**[Stephen Gray]{.smallcaps}**

University of Wyoming

Stephen Gray is the Wyoming state climatologist and director of the
Water Resources Data System (WRDS). Together, the WRDS and the Wyoming
state climate office are the single largest providers of water and
climate-related data in the state of Wyoming.

**[Michael Hayes]{.smallcaps}**\
National Drought Mitigation Center

Mike has worked at the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) since
it was formed in 1995.  In August 2007, he became the Director of the
NDMC.  The NDMC has grown to a staff of 22 people, and its mission is to
reduce societal vulnerability to drought both nationally and
internationally.  Mike's research and outreach interests include the
identification of appropriate and successful drought planning and
mitigation strategies at the national, state, tribal, regional, and
local levels.

**[Chuck Hennig]{.smallcaps}**

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

Reclamation\'s Research Coordinator and Reclamation\'s NIDIS
Implementation Team member.

**[Fiona Horsfall]{.smallcaps}**

Director, Climate Test Bed, Climate Prediction Center, NCEP/NWS

The CTB facilitates accelerating research advances into operations for
improved climate predictions.  This includes model improvements,
developing a strategy for multi-model ensemble prediction systems, and
climate forecast products.  These improved predictions and forecast
products either directly or indirectly support drought monitoring and
forecasting, including through NCEP contributions to the drought portal.

**[Eric Kuhn]{.smallcaps}**

General Manager of the Colorado River Water Conservation District

Eric started employment with the River District in 1981 as Assistant
Secretary-Engineer. His responsibilities since then have included
technical management of River District activities such as Taylor Draw
Dam and Reservoir, Wolford Mountain Reservoir, water marketing,
interstate water issues, and integrated project operations. He has
served on the Engineering Advisory Committee of the Upper Colorado River
Compact Commission since 1981. In July 1996 Eric assumed his current
duties as General Manager of the Colorado River Water Conservation
District. From 1994 through 2001, Eric served on the Colorado Water
Conservation Board representing the Colorado River mainstem. In 2006,
Eric was appointed by Governor Owens as an at-large representative on
the Colorado Interbasin Compact Committee.

**[Bryon Lawrence]{.smallcaps}**

NWS

Bryon Lawrence is the NWS Hydrologic Program Focal Point for Western
Colorado and Eastern Utah. He works with community water-interests to
produce value-added water-resource products.  These are used to make
water supply decisions for consumptive and non-consumptive agricultural,
industrial, municipal, and recreational uses. As part of the NWS goal to
prevent flood-related losses of life and property, Bryon is in charge of
developing techniques and best practices for identifying potential flood
situations so that advisories can be issued in a timely fashion.

**[Ted S. Melis]{.smallcaps}**

Deputy Chief, Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center, U.S.
Geological Survey

Currently, Ted provides oversight to the monitoring and research
activities in areas of physical, biological and socio-cultural resources
areas at the GCMRC. The information derived from these science
activities is intended to support the information needs of the Glen
Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program; a Federal Advisory Committee
chartered stakeholder-based program. The adaptive management program was
created in response to the 1992 Grand Canyon Protection Act.

**[Tim Owen]{.smallcaps}**

NOAA

Tim Owen is Executive Officer for NOAA\'s National Climatic Data Center.
He is responsible for coordinating interdivisional activities of the
Center. Mr. Owen is also engaged in a number of projects, including
NIDIS, the Unified Synthesis Product of the CCSP, and various NESDIS
teams.

**[Andy Pineda]{.smallcaps}**

Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District

Water Resources Department Manager

Andy's job at Northern Water entails various aspects of water resources
engineering including water supply availability, water rights
investigations, water rights litigation, and water resources system
modeling. One of his department\'s main functions is to provide the
Board of Directors and C-BT Project allottees a seasonal forecast and

assessment of the region\'s water availability.

**[Michelle Schmidt]{.smallcaps}**

NWS

Michelle Schmidt is the Hydrologist in Charge at the Colorado Basin
River Forecast Center (CBRFC), located in Salt Lake City.  The CBRFC is
one of NOAA\'s National Weather Service\'s 13 River Forecast Centers,
and is responsible for river, flood and water supply forecasts for the
Colorado and Eastern Great Basins.

**[Ron Thomasson]{.smallcaps}**

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

Ron has worked for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation as a water resources
engineer for eight years.  His responsibilities include developing the
annual operating plan for the Colorado-Big Thompson Project and the
day-to-day operations of Green Mountain Reservoir.  

**[Jim Verdin]{.smallcaps}**

U.S. Geological Survey

Jim Verdin is Deputy Director of the NIDIS Program Office at NOAA/ESRL
in Boulder. He also leads USGS support to the Famine Early Warning
Systems Network, which covers Africa, Afghanistan, Central America, and
Haiti.  His background is in the use of satellite remote sensing to
monitor the onset, duration, and extent of drought events.

**[Reagan M. Waskom]{.smallcaps}**

Director, Colorado Water Institute

Director, CSU Water Center

Senior Research Scientist, Dept. of Soil & Crop Sciences

Colorado State University

Reagan Waskom currently serves as the Director of the Colorado Water
Institute and as Director of the Colorado State University Water Center.
Dr. Waskom is a member of the Department of Soil & Crop Sciences faculty
with a joint appointment to the Department of Civil and Environmental
Engineering at CSU. In addition, Reagan currently serves as the National
Chair and Regional Director of the USDA-CSREES Integrated Water Program.
Dr. Waskom has worked on various water related research, education and
outreach programs in Colorado for the past 22 years.

**[Robin Webb]{.smallcaps}**

NOAA

Robin Webb is the Climate Analysis Branch Chief within the NOAA OAR ESRL
Physical Sciences Division in Boulder, Colorado. His interests include
the reconstruction of past climate from paleoenvironmental proxies, the
use of climate models to investigate mechanisms of the climate
variability and change, and the development of climate products and
services to support policy and decision making.

**[Kevin Werner]{.smallcaps}**

NWS

Kevin Werner is the Service Coordination Hydrologist at the Colorado
Basin River Forecast Center (CBRFC), located in Salt Lake City.  The
CBRFC is one of NOAA\'s National Weather Service\'s 13 River Forecast
Centers, and is responsible for river, flood and water supply forecasts
for the Colorado and Eastern Great Basins. The Service Coordination
Hydrologist is a primary focal point for interaction with forecast
users.

**[Olga Wilhelmi]{.smallcaps}**

Institute for the Study of Society and Environment at the National
Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)

Olga Wilhelmi's research focuses on environment and society
interactions; extreme weather and climate events; and the use of GIS in
atmospheric sciences. She is particularly interested in combining
quantitative and qualitative research methods in a GIS framework for
assessing societal risk and vulnerability to extreme weather events and
climate change. Olga is a principal investigator and a leader of NCAR
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) strategic initiative - an
interdisciplinary research effort that integrates atmospheric,
environmental and social sciences through spatial analysis and
interoperability of georeferenced information.

**[Steve Wolff]{.smallcaps}**

Colorado River Coordinator

Wyoming State Engineer\'s Office

Program Manager for Wyoming\'s Colorado River Compact Administration
Program, located in the Interstate Streams Division of the Wyoming State
Engineer\'s Office. Program\'s purpose is; 1) assure compliance with the
Colorado River Compact and Upper Colorado River Compact, 2) develop and
implement a basin-wide plan for determining consumptive use in
accordance with the Compacts, and 3) coordinate a basin-wide effort to
enhance the State\'s data collection efforts in the basin.

**[Karl Wunderlich]{.smallcaps}**

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

Karl Wunderlich is just recently employed at the Bureau of Reclamation
as a Program Analyst focused on policy issues surrounding water resource
planning and related concerns.  Previously, he spent eleven years
working for either Western Area Power Administration (economist) or
Reclamation\'s Power Resource Office (policy analyst) dealing with
hydropower matters.