Steve Fitzgerald is the Chief Engineer for the Harris County Flood
Control District in Houston, Texas. With his 25 years of experience, he
provides institutional knowledge and technical integrity to the
day-to-day operations of the District. He is program manager for all
Federal Corps of Engineers projects; updates the Harris County Flood
Control District\'s Policy, Criteria, and Procedure Manual; and is
currently a member of the Corps of Engineers\' Hurricane Katrina New
Orleans Interagency Performance Evaluation Task (IPET) Force serving as
a co-lead of the Interior Drainage/Flooding Team. He is also the flood
watch leader for the Harris County Flood Control District, which
monitors and evaluates actual flood events. He received a B.S. in Civil
Engineering from Stanford University and an M.S. in Civil Engineering
from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

David T. Ford is President of David Ford Consulting Engineers, Inc. of
Sacramento, California. He is an internationally recognized expert in
hydrologic engineering and flood management. Ford holds a Ph.D. from the
University of Texas at Austin, and B.S. and M.S. degrees in civil
engineering. He is a registered professional engineer in 10 states. Ford
is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Association of
State Floodplain Managers, National Hydrologic Warning Council, American
Academy of Water Resources Engineers, and the National Research
Council\'s Committee on Hydrologic Science.

Peter Gabrielsen is the Chief of Hydrologic Services for the Eastern
Region of NOAA\'s National Weather Service (NWS). The Eastern Region
comprises a 16- state area in the eastern third of the United States and
is made up of 23 forecast offices and 3 river forecast centers. He is
involved in many aspects of water resource and environmental science. He
has led teams addressing national NWS issues including precipitation
forecasting, operational policy on forecast dissemination, forecast
office operations, and national and international coordination and
collaboration. Gabrielsen is one of the NWS leaders implementing the
Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Services and has championed the program
with partners and customers such as the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office, NOS
Coastal Services Center, Susquehanna River Basin Commission, Delaware
River Basin Commission and Environment Canada. He has received numerous
awards during his career including two Bronze Medals and a Modernization
Award. Gabrielsen holds a B.S. and M.S. in Environmental and Resource
Engineering from the State University of New York College of
Environmental Science and Forestry.

Robert M. Hirsch serves as Associate Director for Water and is
responsible for all U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water Science
Programs. These programs encompass research and monitoring of the
Nation's ground water and surface water resources. He has served as the
leader of USGS Water Programs since 1994, and represents the interests
of the USGS in scientific, technical, and leadership aspects of
hydrology, and serves as the Director's principal advisor on
water-related issues. In his capacity as spokesperson for the USGS and
its water resources mission, Hirsch holds the title of Chief
Hydrologist. He also serves as the co-chair of the Subcommittee on Water
Availability and Quality of the Committee on Environment and Natural
Resources of the National Science and Technology Council. Hirsch is a
Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and an
active member of the American Geophysical Union and the American Water
Resources Association.