AGENDA | Sustainable Water Investment Summit

2026 Agenda

*Unless stated otherwise, all summit functions will be held in the Catalina Ballroom.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2026

5:30 p.m. Kickoff Mixer | Catalina Terrace

7:30 p.m. Kickoff Mixer Concludes

THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2026

7:45 a.m. Morning Current: Connect & Inspire Mixer | Lunada Bay

Hosts

Dulcinea Hanuschak, Shareholder, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
Cassidy White, Senior Associate, WestWater Research

8:00 a.m. Check-in, Networking and General Breakfast Mixer | Catalina Terrace

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.

Speakers

Theodore Cooke, Board Member, Committee Chair, Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona
Thomas Liu, Managing Director, BofA Securities, Inc.

Moderator

Chris 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.

Speakers

Dustin Kinder, CEO, Maverick Water Group
Jeff Gunderson, Sr. VP - 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.

Speakers

Geoff Adamson, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Investment Officer, Upwell Water
Ed Cross, Partner, Laguna Water
Don Pattalock, President/CEO, Vidler Water Company, Inc.

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.

Speakers

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 | Catalina Lawn and Terrace

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.

Speakers

David Bird, VP 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.

Speakers

Austin Rempel, Riparian Restoration Program 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.

Speakers

Shivaji Deshmukh, General Manager, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
Darrell Nichols, General Manager/CEO, Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority
Alyson Watson, CEO & Board Chair, Woodard & Curran

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.

Speakers

Bill Hasencamp, Manager, Colorado River Resources, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
Ana Schwab, Partner and Director of Government Affairs, Best Best & Krieger
Patrick Sigl, Director of Water and Natural Resources Law, Salt River Project

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 | Catalina Terrace

7:10 p.m. Ocean Sunset Social Concludes

FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2026

8:00 a.m. Networking Breakfast | Catalina Terrace and Lawn

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.

Speakers

Joseph Abramson, Executive Director, Morgan Stanley
Mark Janay, Operating Partner, Ridgewood Infrastructure
Lihy Teuerstein, CEO, IDE Water Assets

Moderator

Chris Teryazos, President, Aetos Capital

9:35 a.m. The Water Investment Thesis: Risk, Returns, and Why Now

How climate urgency, infrastructure gaps, and shifting public expectations are driving capital into water — and what investors need to understand about risk, returns, and timing in the sector.

Speakers

Christopher Gasson, CEO, Global Water Intelligence
Nicole Neeman-Brady, Partner, TPG; Senior Advisor & Principal, Renewable Resources Group LLC; Board Member, Naturion
Peter Yolles, General Partner, Echo River Capital

Moderator

Phil 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.

Speakers

Bill Malarkey, Partner, Roland Berger
Neil Sheehan, Market Director - Mission Critical, Woolpert
Gert Van der Walt, Central Region Water Manager, AWS

Moderator

Oliver Browne, California Regional Director, WestWater Research

11:15 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