APW Advisory Council

The Advisory Council is committed, not only to sustaining the Arizona Project WET program, but growing it.  All Council members have participated (both as individuals and as agencies) in some aspect of the APW program since 2001. Since the first strategic plan put in place by the Advisory Council in 2004, the APW program has grown both in scope and numbers served. As experts in the field of water resource management and conservation, Advisory Council members believe that the APW program is the most comprehensive, effective water education available.  APW is a vital component of the represented organizations’ efforts to achieve long-term water sustainability in Arizona, by educating students about the importance of wise water management and conservation.

Joaquim Delgado

Joaquim Delgado is a hydrologist by training and a “teacher wannabe” by choice. He feels privileged to have coordinated Tucson Water’s Outreach Program for the past eight years. Joaquim considers the opportunity of fostering a greater stewardship of water in the desert with kids from “K to Gray” to be priceless.

Born and raised in the Cape Verde Islands (West Africa), he returned to his homeland upon graduation. After two years managing the construction of several water and sanitation facilities sponsored; by UNICEF, he was recruited to manage four Peace Corps programs in Cape Verde. During his four-year tenure as Associate Director for Programming, he managed hundreds of Volunteers serving this tiny African Nation. Upon returning to the US in the mid-nineties, he first served as an AmeriCorps Member and later as AmeriCorps Project Coordinator for an IBM-sponsored initiative that provided computers to at-risk youth attending the Alternative Education Program for Tucson Unified School District. Joaquim was then hired as a Graduate Assistant for Water Education for Arizona Project WET. This two-year assignment paved the way for his dream job with Tucson Water.

Janey Kaufmann

Janey Kaufmann of the Scottsdale Unified School District is the Science Specialist overseeing all science operations, preK-12. Janey, the retiring president of National Science Education Leadership Association (NSELA), has served in leadership positions for many years. She currently serves as the NSELA/Helios Education Foundation Project Director, the NSELA Professional Development Coordinator and is a member of the NSTA Professional Development Committee. Janey has received many awards and honors for excellence in science teaching and leadership. Recently named overall Conference Chair for NSTA Phoenix Area Conference of 2012, Janey looks forward to bringing leaders together in Arizona to experience quality professional development. She holds degrees from Indiana University and Western Michigan University.

Cathy Rymer

Cathy Rymer is a second-generation Arizona native and has an education degree and biology major from Arizona State University. Cathy worked in the private sector before joining the University of Arizona Maricopa County Extension office where she helped manage the urban horticulture program. For the last nine years Cathy has worked in water conservation and currently works for the City of Chandler providing educational information and technical assistance through landscaping workshops for residents, publishing monthly conservation tips, supplying conservation programs for schools, as well as analyzing water use for homeowner associations and businesses. She is also a Certified Arborist, Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditor, Master Gardener and Project WET facilitator.

Mary Lu Nunley

Mary Lu Nunley is the Public Information Specialist for Phoenix’s Water Conservation Office. She joined the office after serving as Community Outreach Specialist at a nonprofit agency in Tucson. She holds a bachelors degree in journalism form the University of Arizona. Mary Lu has more than 20 years of experience in community outreach as a staff member for the Office of the Governor and Congressman Jim Kolbe.

John Rasmussen

John Rasmussen is the Coordinator of the Yavapai County Water Advisory Committee (WAC). Prior to joining the WAC, John worked as the hydrologist for the Klamath Basin Reclamation Project in southern Oregon and northern California. John has a MS in geophysics from the University of Oregon and a BA in geology from Whitman College. He has taught geology at an Oregon Community College. He is a registered geologist in Oregon and has worked as a consultant in the environmental, hydrologic, geophysical and geotechnical fields. John realizes that water is a keystone issue of our time and is privileged by the opportunity to work with so many dedicated people in order to fulfill a core mission of wise long-term water resources management, communication and collaboration.

Barbara Wright

Dr. Barbara Wright is the Director of Curriculum and Instruction for the Casa Grande Elementary School District, where she has worked since 2003. Prior to taking this position, she taught middle school science and was an elementary school principal. She holds three degrees from the University of Arizona, a B.A. in Elementary Education, a M.A. in Educational Psychology, and an Ed. D. in Educational Leadership. As part of her role at the district office, Dr. Wright coordinates the English Language Learner programs, guides the district and state assessment systems, and ensures the district offers a rigorous and reliable curriculum. Beyond her role at CGESD, Dr. Wright serves on the Board of Directors for the Greater Casa Grande Chamber of Commerce, the Casa Grande Library Board and is the President for the Kiwanis of Casa Grande.

Crystal Thompson

Crystal Thompson was hired by Central Arizona Project in 1996 and is responsible for Community Relations programs and projects including public events, facility tours, public presentations, education, grants, sponsorships and the web site. Prior to CAP, Crystal worked for The Mirage in Las Vegas, NV as the Assistant Manager of Communications and Services. She has a bachelor's in communications from Pepperdine University and a master's of business administration from Arizona State University.

Dale Ohnmeiss

Dale received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Arizona in Microbiology with a minor in chemistry. He is currently working on his Masters Degree in Public Administration. He is a certified Utility Manager both in Water and Wastewater through National Rural Water’s Water Academy. Dale has worked in both medical and environmental testing laboratories for 6 years before accepting a position with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. He started as a compliance and enforcement officer in the drinking water program and worked his way up to Unit Manager within the Drinking Water Section. He managed several environmental programs for ADEQ including Operator Certification, Source water Protection, Capacity Development, Drinking Water Rule Development, Public Outreach Workshops, Guidance Document Development and he has worked on several national and state workgroups including the perchlorate steering committee, arsenic master plan, vulnerability assessments, contingency planning and risk assessment methodology. He has been cross trained in emergency management and has assisted the state in training rural water utilities in emergency preparedness. After 10 years with ADEQ Dale accepted a position with the Arizona Rural Water Association as a Source Water Protection Specialist and after a couple of years working in the position he was recognized nationally in 2005 as the recipient of the National Rural Water Peer Leadership Award in Source water Protection. This honor was voted on by his peers in other states. He also assisted the Association doing double duty work as their Executive Director for 5 years. This was on top of his normal 40 hour work week. After 11 years with Arizona Rural Water Association the federal grants supporting source water protection were cut by Congress so Dale moved on to working with the city of Scottsdale as a water conservation specialist with the Office of Water Resources. He started this new position in January of 2012 and enjoys working for the city. He is also a big supporter of project WET and has visited schools as a volunteer. Dale also participates in Arizona Municipal Water Users Association, Water Use it Wisely campaign, Smartscape and helps organize city wide workshops on water conservation topics.

Amy G.

Amy is the K-12 science coordinator for Gilbert Public Schools. Prior to being the science coordinator, she was a high school chemistry teacher for 16 years in Gilbert. Amy graduated from the University of Arizona with a B.S. in Education in 1995 and earned my Master's degree from Northern Arizona University in 2004. She received National Board Certification in Chemistry in 2004.

Lacey Wieser

Lacey Wieser has been the Science Education Program Specialist at the Arizona Department of Education since 2003. Lacey provides standards-based professional development and supports the development, implementation, and assessment of the Arizona Science Standard. Prior to working at the ADE, Lacey taught high school biology courses. Lacey earned degrees in entomology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Louisiana State University.

Tom Harrell

Tom Harrell is the Water Resources Coordinator for Arizona Water Company (AWC). AWC serves over 83,000 customers in 18 communities throughout Arizona. He is originally from Northern California and received a Bachelors degree from the School of Agribusiness and Environmental Resources at Arizona State University. Tom previously worked at the Arizona Corporation Commission and has been with AWC for nine years. Prior to overseeing AWC’s water conservation program, Tom held the position of Safety Coordinator. In addition to water conservation, Tom administers AWC’s fleet and customer service programs.

Alison Smith

Alison Smith is the Community Outreach Coordinator for Educational Services at Salt River Project (SRP). SRP is the largest raw water provider in the Phoenix metropolitan area and the nation's third largest public power utility, delivering one million acre-feet of water annually and serving more than 900,000 electric customers. Alison holds a Bachelor of Science in Educational Studies (minor in Special Education) and a Master of Education in Teaching and Learning (emphasis in English for speakers of other languages), both from the University of Oregon. Go Ducks! Alison was a 4th grade teacher at Excelencia Elementary School in the Creighton School District, receiving numerous awards and honors for her teaching. Alison is passionate about education, and the innovative teaching of science and math. In her position at SRP, Alison is the liaison to SRP's community educational partners and coordinates SRP's educational materials and programs.