2026 AGENDA
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2026
5:30 p.m. Kickoff Mixer
THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2026
7:45 a.m. Women’s Affinity Breakfast Mixer
8:00 a.m. Check-in, Networking and General Breakfast Mixer
9:00 a.m. Welcome and Overview – SWIS Co-Chairs
- Brad Herrema, Shareholder, Natural Resources Department Chair, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
- Clay Landry, CEO, WestWater Research
9:10 a.m. Beyond Traditional Bonds: Blended Finance Strategies for Large-Scale Water Projects
Combining public agency resources, municipal bonds, bank placements, and private equity to finance water infrastructure projects too large for any single capital source.
- Theodore Cooke, Board Member, Committee Chair, Water Infrastructure Finance Authority (WIFA) of Arizona
- Thomas Liu, Managing Director, BofA Securities. Inc.
Moderator
- Christopher Allwin, CEO, Aetos Capital
9:45 a.m. Last Mile Water Solutions: Securing Supply for Community Development
Solving last-mile water delivery challenges for new developments – how community builders secure supply and infrastructure providers deliver solutions.
- Dustin Kinder, CEO, Maverick Water
- Jeff Gunderson, Senior Vice President – Land Operations, Lennar
- Daniel Lupton, Vice President – Southern Water Resources, INTERA
Moderator
- Adam Jokerst, Rocky Mountain Regional Director, WestWater Research
10:20 a.m. Networking Refreshment Break
10:40 a.m. Betting on Water: Evaluating and Managing Development Risk
Evaluating and managing risk in water rights development – regulatory uncertainty, market timing and patient capital requirements.
- Geoff Adamson, Chief Financial and Investment Officer, Upwell Water
- Ed Cross, General Partner, Evangeline Laguna
- Don Pattalock, President and CEO, Vidler Water Company
Moderator
- Sharlene Leurig, Texas Regional Director, WestWater Research
11:15 a.m. Affordability and Infrastructure Investment
Balancing rising infrastructure investment needs with rate affordability – asking customers to pay more while using less.
- Angela Bricmont, Chief Financial Officer, Denver Water
- Jennifer Capitolo, Executive Director, California Water Association
- Tanya Moniz-Witten, President, San Jose Water
Moderator
- Jessica Diaz, Shareholder, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
11:50 a.m. Keynote Lunch Presentation Featuring Patricia Mulroy
Lessons learned over decades in water leadership – what it takes to lead effectively.
Introduction
- Elisabeth Esposito, Shareholder, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
1:30 p.m. Closing Fund I: Lessons from Raising and Deploying Water Infrastructure Capital
Real practitioner insights from closing a $142.8M water infrastructure fund – what worked in fundraising, selecting strategic partners and early capital deployment.
- David Bird, Vice President – Project Finance & Development, Garney Construction
- Jeff Nelson, CEO, PERENfra
Moderator
- Harry Seely, Principal, WestWater Research
2:05 p.m. Conservation Meets Infrastructure: Funding Watershed-Scale Water Solutions
How foundation capital, utility resources, and conservation funding combine to finance watershed-scale solutions that build resilience for both ecosystems and water supply.
- Austin Rempel, Riparian Restoration Manager, The Nature Conservancy
- Ian Shelledy, Program Officer, Walton Family Foundation
- Esther Vincent, Environmental Services Director, Northern Water
Moderator
- Brett Bovee, Intermountain Regional Director, WestWater Research
2:40 p.m. Networking Refreshment Break
3:15 p.m. Water Infrastructure Leadership: Capital Priorities from Watershed to Urban Systems
How water leaders evaluate and prioritize capital deployment decisions across different organizational models – from watershed-scale river authorities to large urban utilities.
- Shivaji Deshmukh, General Manager, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
- Darrell Nichols, General Manager/CEO, Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority
Moderator
- Scott Slater, Shareholder, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck; Chairperson of the Board, Limoneira; Senior Advisor, Cadiz
3:50 p.m. Cross-Border Water Markets: Investment Opportunities and Regulatory Challenges in the Lower Basin
Legal and financial frameworks enabling interstate water exchanges between California, Arizona and Nevada – how utilities and investors navigate regulatory complexity, structure transactions, and deploy capital for cross-border supply solutions.
- Ana Schwab, Attorney, Best, Best & Krieger
Moderator
- Annick Miller, Senior Policy Advisor, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
4:25 p.m. Interview with Author Abrahm Lustgarten
“On the Move: The Overheating Earth and the Uprooting of America”
Discussion and Q&A on opportunities addressing future climate migration and water scarcity.
Moderator
- Brad Herrema, SWIS Co-Chair, Shareholder, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
5:10 p.m. Ocean Sunset Social
FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2026
8:00 a.m. Networking Breakfast
9:00 a.m. Institutional Capital Deployment in Water Infrastructure
How investment banks, infrastructure funds and global project developers evaluate, structure and deploy large-scale capital in water infrastructure investments.
- Joseph Abramson, Executive Director, Morgan Stanley
- Michael Albrecht, Managing Partner, Ridgewood Infrastructure
- Lihy Teuerstein, CEO, IDE Water Assets
9:35 a.m. Water Tech VC Track Record: What Investors Learned from Wins and Losses
Veteran water tech VCs discuss portfolio outcomes, exit experiences, market evolution and lessons learned from opening and closing funds.
- Peter Yolles, General Manager, Echo River Capital
Moderator
- Philip McDermott, Shareholder, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
10:10 a.m. Networking Refreshment Break + Check-Out Time
10:40 a.m. Water for Data Centers: Demand, Supply Challenges and Infrastructure Investment
How data center expansion is driving unprecedented water demand – securing supply, overcoming infrastructure constraints and financing solutions at scale.
- Christopher Gasson, Managing Director, Global Water Intel
- Bill Malarkey, Partner, Roland Berger
- Neil Sheehan, Market Director, Woolpert
- Gert Van der Walt, Central Region Water Manager, AWS
Moderator
- Oliver Browne, California Regional Director, WestWater Research
11:25 a.m. Fireside Chat Featuring M. Camille Touton
Water Leadership Beyond Government: Lessons, Transitions and SWIS Reflections
Former USBR Commissioner reflects on her government experience, building her new water advisory practice and observations from two days of water investment discussions at SWIS.
Moderator
- Chris Smith, Chief Operating Officer, WestWater Research
12:00 p.m. Closing Remarks
12:15 p.m. Last Call Networking Lunch | Event Concludes
