Alex Yescas is the West Region Water Resources Leader for HDR, based in San Diego, with more than 26 years of experience delivering complex water resources, floodplain, and stormwater infrastructure projects for across the western United States. He is widely recognized for leading award-winning stormwater and floodplain implementation projects, with a strong emphasis on turning planning and regulatory requirements into constructible, high-impact solutions. His experience includes major, multi-benefit stormwater programs such as the City of San Diego’s Think Blue Infrastructure WIFIA Stormwater Program, Los Angeles County’s Safe, Clean Water Green Infrastructure Projects, as well as statewide flood risk initiatives for the California Department of Water Resources, supporting resilient infrastructure that improves water quality, reduces flood risk, and advances watershed health.
Alexander Oliver, GISP, is a GIS Analyst and Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) Subject Matter Expert with over ten years of experience supporting environmental monitoring, stormwater quality programs, and digital solutions for complex infrastructure and remediation projects. He specializes in integrating GIS, UAS-based reality capture, and web-based platforms to support stormwater Best Management Practice (BMP) assessments, training, and compliance workflows.
Alex has led GIS and UAS efforts on stormwater and water quality initiatives across Hawaiʻi, the continental U.S., and Canada, including stormwater BMP training programs, landfill monitoring, watershed assessments, and large-scale water quality monitoring projects. His work includes developing high-resolution orthomosaics and 3D site models, designing mobile data collection workflows, automating QA/QC processes, and delivering interactive web maps, dashboards, and virtual site walkthroughs to support field crews, trainers, and decision-makers.
He currently serves as the Digital Solutions and UAS Integrations Lead for Jacobs Solutions, where he develops immersive 3D training environments, conducts UAS surveys, and supports staff training on GIS-enabled stormwater inspection and documentation workflows. Alex holds a B.S. in Geology and Geophysics from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and is currently pursuing an M.S. in Geoinformatics and GIS at the Colorado School of Mines.
Andrew Salveson is a is an internationally recognized expert in tertiary and purified recycled water implementation. Andy has been working on recycled water projects since 1998 and is part of teams implementing projects as small as <0.2 mgd and greater than >250 mgd. Andy’s work focuses upon California, Hawai’i, and select international efforts in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia. Within the last 5 years, Andy and his team have been investigating the concept of Stormwater to Potable (S2P) projects at local and regional levels. Over the last 28 years of his 32-year career, Andy has been involved in each phase/component of recycled water projects, planning, research, design, startup, program management, permitting, and public engagement.
Andy has over 26 years of experience in green stormwater infrastructure (GSI), stormwater management, water resources, and sustainable site design applications. He focuses on GSI planning, design and implementation; performance evaluations of source control projects; green streets and parks; innovative stormwater management; LEED; hydrologic analyses/modeling; plan reviews; stormwater manuals; and watershed studies. Andy was a technical co-author for the Michigan Low Impact Development Manual, the Pennsylvania Stormwater Manual, and for chapters in the WEF Green Infrastructure Implementation manual and the ASCE book Permeable Pavements. He has a MSCE from the University of Virginia and is a professional engineer, an Environmental and Water Resources Institute (EWRI) Fellow, a LEED Accredited Professional in Building Design and Construction, and a Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC).
Ariana Chong is an environmental scientist, Certified Inspector of Sediment and Erosion Control (CISEC), and Green Infrastructure Professional (GIP) at Jacobs with 16 years of experience in Hawaii. She specializes in storm water and environmental regulatory compliance. She currently leads the third-party oversight inspections team for the City and County of Honolulu. She performs inspections at public and private sector construction projects to ensure compliance with the City’s Water Quality Rules and NPDES regulations. Her involvement has also included the development of technical training material in support of the City’s NPDES MS4 training program.
Arielle is a staff scientist in Kennedy Jenks’ Honolulu office and joined the team in February 2024. She conducts stormwater inspections at City and private facilities for the City and County of Honolulu DFM SWQ and leads the water quality section to help City facilities stay in compliance. Arielle earned her bachelor’s degree in environmental science from Hawaiʻi Pacific University. Outside of work, she’s usually on a yoga mat—helping people relax or break a sweat—or frolicking in the mountains with her dog, stopping to smell the flowers along the way.
Ashey Endo, Ph.D., P.E. is an environmental engineer at CDM Smith with 8 years of experience in water resources planning and drinking water systems. Ashley has an interdisciplinary background in civil, environmental, and industrial engineering. She has experience in risk and resilience planning, decision analysis, service line inventories, storm water training, and data driven analysis.
Cale Yamada is a staff engineer with Kennedy/Jenks Consultants, serving as a stormwater compliance inspector for the City & County of Honolulu’s MS4 program for over a decade. He focuses on practical implementation of regulatory requirements for municipal facilities.
For the last 20 years, Cami has focused on people’s interactions with the natural world as an environmental planner. She has developed multiple watershed management and master plans with significant community outreach and collaborative plan making. Her recent work is the intersection of behavior change and storm water best management practices and related topics. Cami has an undergraduate degree in environmental science, a master’s degree in environmental studies, and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand. In her free time she enjoys cheering for her son’s soccer team and travelling (including taking pics of green storm water infrastructure).
Chandra Kanemaru is a community leader in Honolulu’s Salt Lake area, serving as the Good Neighbor Program Coordinator and Operation Clean Sweep Team Lead for Country Club Village AOAO, as well as Secretary and Environment/Health Chair for Neighborhood Board #18. She also volunteers as CCV’s newsletter editor and community liaison. Her work centers on mālama ʻāina, keiki and kupuna‑inclusive outreach, and strong collaboration with community partners and agencies to steward the Salt Lake Waterway revitalization. Chandra will present CCV’s resident‑led, partnership‑driven model for strengthening stormwater quality, resilience, and BMP implementation through coordinated, place‑based engagement.
Colin Steer is the Regional Engineer for ADS covering the states of Hawaii, Oregon, Washington. He leads field design and stormwater Best Management Practices for the Pacific Northwest sales team. Colin has eight years of experience in stormwater and regularly conducts similar training for civil engineers across the Pacific Northwest. He graduated from Arizona State University in 2016 with a BSME in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on Computational Fluid Dynamics.
Cyrus Howe serves as Hawaiʻi Green Growth’s Operations Manager and leads project development for the Ala Wai Watershed Collaboration (AWWC), a public-private partnership of diverse stakeholders who work together to mālama the ʻāina and the lives of those who call the watershed home. This year the group has embarked on the mission to produce a comprehensive watershed management plan in coordination with the Board of Water Supply and the community. Cyrus also leads HGG's Follow the Drop Program in partnership with 3Rwater and Roth Ecological Design. In partnership with public and private property owners, this program mitigates flood risk, brown water runoff, and poor aquifer recharge through nature-based green stormwater infrastructure, such as rain gardens at schools.
Damon Sump is the National Sales Manager – West for Profile Products. He has more than 30 years of experience in the landscape and erosion control industries, with a background spanning market development, sales, marketing, operations, and management. A long-time Oregon resident, Damon now focuses on consulting for ECS projects and collaborating with distributors and contractors to deliver innovative reclamation and erosion control solutions.
Daniel Apt is founder and President of Olaunu, a stormwater and water resources consulting firm based in San Clemente, California. He has over 30 years of experience in stormwater management and water quality and specializes in Green Stormwater Infrastructure, stormwater capture and use, integrated water resources and watershed planning, stormwater funding, and stormwater credits. His GSI and stormwater capture experience includes planning, design, construction oversight, inspection, monitoring, plan check, maintenance specifications, technical guidance, and training. Daniel currently serves as the Certification Committee Chair of the National Green Infrastructure Certification Program (NGICP). Daniel received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Irvine and his Master’s degree from the University of Miami.
Dolan Eversole currently serves as the Waikīkī Beach management coordinator through the University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant College Program, in partnership with the Waikīkī Beach Special Improvement District Association. Eversole served as the NOAA Coastal Storms Program, Pacific Islands Regional Coordinator from 2010 to 2015, covering all the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Island (USAPI) territories including American Samoa, Guam, CNMI, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia. The Coastal Storms Program (CSP) provides outreach and coordination support to the region by supporting vulnerability assessments, and by identifying technological and socio-economic solutions to reduce their vulnerability through measures that improve adaptation and community resilience.
Eversole is a Coastal Geologist by training having earned his degrees in geology and geophysics at UH Manoa. He has completed coursework for the University of Hawaiʻi’s certificate in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance offered through the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at UH Manoa. Eversole served from 2003 to 2010 as a technical and policy advisor to the Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands (OCCL), of the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) on coastal issues including coastal hazard mitigation, coastal management policy, coastal resource conservation, emergency management and climate change adaptation. In addition to his technical and regional experience, Eversole draws from years of experience as an ocean recreation enthusiast and ocean lifeguard that has complimented his position as a coastal geomorphologist working within the state of Hawaiʻi.
Ed Othmer, PE, CPESC, CPSWQ, QSP/D ToR, QISP ToR, ENV SP is Vice President Emeritus, North America Wet Weather Sector for Stantec and has more than 30 years of engineering experience as a stormwater practitioner. Ed is a registered civil engineer in California and maintains a variety of other certifications. Ed received his Master’s in Civil Engineering from Tufts University. During the past 10 years, Ed has focused his expertise on helping clients develop ways to capture and use stormwater and urban runoff as a resource, and apply an asset management approach to their stormwater program.
Ed teaches stormwater classes for many organizations including the UCSD Extension Program. Ed also serves as the Past President and Board Member of the Industrial Environmental Association, Past Chair of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce Sustainability & Industry Committee, a San Diego State University Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering Faculty Advisory Board Member, and Friends of the Los Angeles River Board Member.
Evelyn is an environmental planner, supporting environmental review, community outreach, and collaborative planning efforts. Her ongoing work focuses on storm water best management practices, including large-scale public outreach and engagement. Evelyn holds a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning and a graduate certificate in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa.
Gabrielle (Gabby) Tapat is a graduate research assistant with the Natural Resources and Environmental Management (NREM) Department at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She works in the Tsang Stream Lab and the USGS Pacific Islands Water Science Center. Gabby’s research interests include geospatial analysis and monitoring and assessing water quality in streams. Her thesis topic explores the association between landscape changes and the water quality post Lahaina wildfire.
Irene Nichols-Ferguson has been working as an environmental planner for the last year and a half, with a variety of experiences ranging from environmental review and permitting regarding affordable housing to solar energy facilities. Her work with the City’s Storm Water Program includes public education and outreach and the design of Green Storm Water Infrastructure. Irene has an undergraduate degree in environmental engineering from Oregon State University and previous work experience in environmental remediation. In her free time, she enjoys spending quality time with her cats and travelling.
Jason is a highly experienced landscape architect and leads Jacobs’ Oregon Water Resources Group, in Portland, OR. He has more than 18 years of experience and has been involved as a project manager for a variety of projects throughout the U.S. and internationally, focused on developing urban green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) and nature-based solutions design, planning, and operations and maintenance solutions for public and private clients at watershed and site scales. Prior to joining Jacobs in 2022, Jason had been supporting the U.S. EPA’s National Stormwater Program through technical assistance tools and regulatory development.
Lauren Roth Venu has over 25 years of experience in nature-based solutions. She is the Founder of Roth Ecological Design Intl (REDI), a Honolulu-based firm specializing in integrated water resource management and green infrastructure planning and design. More recently, she founded 3Rwater, which developed the Follow the Drop mobile app and data platform—helping cities collect stormwater data while activating communities to become more climate-ready and engaged in managing stormwater.
Lauren holds an undergraduate degree in Water Resources from the University of Colorado Boulder and an MSc in Oceanography from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Prior to founding REDI and 3Rwater, she worked under Dr. John Todd, inventor of the Living Machine, an innovative nature-based system for treating wastewater and other polluted waters.
Over her career, Lauren has served in numerous advisory roles for the State of Hawaiʻi and the City and County of Honolulu, supporting sustainable water management. She is a National Green Infrastructure Certification Program trainer and currently serves as a Founding Advisor for the World Bank’s Youth Water Accelerator program.
Millicent Cowley-Crawford is a senior expert in stormwater, drainage, flood management, and water resources with over 25 years of experience in State government and private practice. She is the Regional Stormwater Lead for California and Hawaii at Carollo Engineers. She supports clients in identifying funding, preparing detailed hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, adapting to sea level rise and climate change, asset management and master planning, performing levee, canal, and channel inspections and risk assessments, identifying and prioritizing mitigation, disaster response and recovery, and complying with the National Flood Insurance Program. As a certified floodplain manager, she helps communities understand and manage flood control risk and prepare capital planning and design of critical infrastructure to meet a wide variety of project needs.
Noelle Cole is the branch chief for policy planning in the Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting’s (DPP) Planning Division with over fifteen years of professional planning experience. Noelle served as the project manager for the 2025 comprehensive update of the Primary Urban Center Development Plan, and is the DPP lead on the Adapt Waikīkī 2050 plan phases I & II, a pilot project of the City’s One Water initiative. Noelle has been at the DPP since 2015 and received Master of City Planning and Master of Landscape Architecture degrees from the University of California at Berkeley College of Environmental Design.
Ryan is HDR’s Minnesota-Wisconsin stormwater lead and green stormwater infrastructure technical expert. As a water resource engineer he specializes in planning, design, and long-term maintenance of urban stormwater, green infrastructure and natural resource systems. This experience includes wide-ranging involvement in the inception and adaptation of Philadelphia Water Department’s Green Cities Clean Waters program, where he stablished and led teams related to green stormwater infrastructure planning and design, as well as the maintenance of over 2,000 urban BMPs. Ryan has authored publicly adopted stormwater management siting and design manuals, developed green infrastructure asset management systems, and contributed to the establishment of Philadelphia’s maintenance and workforce development program for green stormwater infrastructure that has now grown to over 50 full-time staff. Ryan additionally serves as HDR’s primary member of the Green Infrastructure Leadership Exchange — a collaborative network focused on promoting the use of green stormwater infrastructure to enhance community resiliency and sustainability.
Sean joined the City’s Storm Water Quality Division in November 2023 as a civil engineer for the Compliance and Inspections Branch. In this role, he assists in overseeing the Municipal Facilities program, ensuring that City-owned industrial and non-industrial facilities operate in compliance with storm water regulations. His work involves coordinating inspections and continuous implementation and improvements of Best Management Practices (BMPs) at these facilities. In addition, he also contributes to the Post Construction program by conducting site inspections and enforcement on storm water quality requirements and implementation of BMPs at public/private facilities.
Selena Qiu is an Environmental Planner and GIS professional with Jacobs based in Honolulu, with over 15 years of experience in environmental planning, infrastructure planning, permitting, and geospatial analysis. Her work focuses on integrating GIS data and planning insights to support complex infrastructure and water resource projects. Selena currently contributes to major infrastructure planning efforts in both technical and management roles, including serving as a Deputy Project Manager and GIS task lead for stormwater initiatives, where her work emphasizes data development, quality assessment, and preparation of geospatial datasets to support hydrologic and hydraulic modeling. She is also a Certified Inspector of Sediment and Erosion Control (CISEC) and supports stormwater BMP compliance through third-party inspections.
Shane Tom is a biologist specializing in the use of native Hawaiian plants to support resilient, nature based infrastructure. His project work includes integrating ecological principles into Engineering With Nature initiatives such as erosion control, dune restoration, and other green infrastructure applications. He is committed to advancing plant based solutions that strengthen ecological function and long term site resilience.
Sunshine Saucedo is the Hawaii and Southern California Stormwater Planning Lead at Carollo Engineers. With seven years of experience, she specializes in integrated water planning and design, including stormwater capture, groundwater replenishment, PFAS treatment, sea level rise adaptation, and One Water initiatives. She has supported and led multiple stormwater feasibility projects under LA County’s Safe Clean Water Program, in addition to work on a range of infrastructure efforts. A proud ʻIolani School alumna, Sunshine holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Loyola Marymount University and an M.S. in Environmental Engineering and Water Resources from UCLA.
Dr. Gibson is the science and planning manager for Mālama Maunalua. She is a trained ecohydrologist and phycologist. She was raised in Kailua-Kona and Kapahulu, an upbringing which cultivated her love for Hawaiʻi’s linked ecosystems, people, and culture. She earned her PhD in marine botany with a focus on ecohydrology and limu at UH Mānoa, has worked on watershed science and biocultural systems science throughout Hawaiʻi and the Pacific with the Water Resource Research Center, and completed a postdoctoral wetland fellowship with the Heʻeia National Estuarine Research Reserve. Veronica is dedicated to restoring and conserving wai (fresh water), healthy watersheds, estuarine and marine ecosystems and the biocultural practices and values associated with these systems.
Dr. Yinphan Tsang is a hydrologist with a passion for connecting hydrology and ecosystems through multidisciplinary science. Her research explores how surface and subsurface water processes influence stream and river ecosystems, drawing on field data, statistical approaches, and predictive modeling to uncover the interactions between water, landscapes, and life.
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