CWC Members

Fern Steiner, of San Diego, has been an Attorney at Smith, Steiner, Vanderpool APC since 1987 and a Shareholder there since 1993. She was an Attorney at Richard D. Prochazka APC from 1984 to 1987 and an Attorney at Karmel and Rosenfeld from 1977 to 1984. Steiner is a trustee for San Diego Youth Services. She also served as director of the Metropolitan Water District from 2009 to 2019. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from John Marshall Law School.

Kimberly Gallagher, of Davis, has been Farm Operations Manager at Erdman Farms since 2014 and Owner and Operator of Gallagher Farming Company since 2009. She was a Science Teacher for the Davis Unified School District from 2012 to 2014 and an Independent Study Teacher for the Elk Grove Unified School District from 2004 to 2011. Gallagher is a director of the Colusa Glenn Subwatershed Program and the California Rice Commission. She earned a Master of Arts degree in Christian leadership from Fuller Theological Seminary, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Saint Mary’s College.

Tyrone Bland, of Altadena, has been Head of Government Affairs at Creative Artists Agency since 2020. He worked as a Senior Legal Representative in the Office of the Chief Legislative Analyst from 1998-2000, managing the legislative portfolio for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. He was Chair of the California Municipal Utilities Agency Water Task Force and served on the ACWA Legislative Affairs working group. As Special Assistant to the General Manager at the Long Beach Water Department from 1996 to 1998, he was senior advisor to the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners, and a board member of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Mr. Bland attended the University of California, Berkeley, and University of California, Los Angeles.

Daniel Curtin, of Sacramento, has served as director for the California Conference of Carpenters since 2001 and previously held the same position from 1992 to 1999. From 1999 to 2001, he served as chief deputy director for the Department of Industrial Relations. Prior to that, Curtin was a legislative advocate for the California Conference of Carpenters. He serves on the State Compensation Insurance Fund Board of Directors, the Economic Development Commission, and the Industrial Welfare Commission.

Davina Hurt, of Belmont, has been the California Climate Policy Director at Pacific Environment since 2025. She was an Attorney/Civic Advocate at Davina Hurt Esq. from 2005 to 2024; a Senior Counsel at Tyson and Mendes LLP in 2024; and held multiple positions with the City of Belmont from 2015 to 2025, including Mayor, Vice Mayor, Commissioner and City Councilmember. Notably, she served on the California Air Resources Board and was the Chair for both the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and Cities Counties Association of Government for San Mateo County board of directors. She was a Campaign Manager at the Democratic Volunteer Center from 2014 to 2015. Prior to that, Hurt was a law clerk at the Bay Area Legal Aid; Securities Case Assistant at Heller Ehrman White and McAuliffe LLP; and summer associate at Milberg, Weiss, Bershad, Hynes & Lerach, LLP. She earned a Juris Doctor Degree from Santa Clara University School of Law with a specialized certificate in international public law and a Bachelor of the Arts degree in History and Political Science from Baylor University.

Alex Makler, of Berkeley, is Executive Vice President, West for Calpine Corporation, a large independent power producer with generation facilities throughout the United States and Canada. He joined Calpine in 1999 as Associate Counsel and has had roles of increasing responsibility in legal and business management functions. He has substantial experience in infrastructure project development, construction, environmental permitting, Federal and state-level electricity and gas regulation, commercial contracting, and finance. Prior to Calpine, Makler worked for private law firms in New York, Houston, and San Francisco.  He has both a J.D. and a B.A. (Political Economy) from the University of California, Berkeley.

Sandra Matsumoto, of Davis, has been Director for the California Water Program at the Nature Conservancy since 2020, where she was Associate Director from 2015 to 2020 and Project Director from 2004 to 2015. She was Project Manager at the Los Angeles Community Design Center from 2003 to 2004 and a Project Analyst at Mintz Levin from 1997 to 1999. She is an advisor to the Public Policy Institute of California’s Water Policy Center, a board member of the Water Education Foundation and a board member of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy. Matsumoto earned a Master of Business Administration degree in finance from the University of California, Los Angeles Anderson School of Management.

Jose Juan Solorio, of Los Angeles, Santa Ana, and Wasco, was raised in a farmworker family in California’s Central Valley and understands that water nourishes our bodies, sustains our environment, and fuels our economy. He is currently CEO of Prosperity for All, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing best practices in leadership, artificial intelligence and high technology, and human-consciousness initiatives. He is CEO of Solorio Public Affairs and Marketing, a consulting firm with expertise in government relations, marketing, public communications, infrastructure, public safety, and education. Commissioner Solorio served as a Santa Ana City Council Member (2000-06 and 2016-20) and California State Assembly Member for the 69th District, representing Anaheim, Garden Grove, and Santa Ana (2006-12). His professional experience includes positions at Moulton Niguel Water District, Nossaman LLP, Orange County Transportation Authority, The Marketing Connection, and the Coalition for Children, Adolescents, and Parents. He earned a Master of Public Policy degree in government and business policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and a bachelor’s degree in Social Ecology from the University of California, Irvine. He has two sons who have recently graduated with degrees from Stanford University; the University of California, Berkeley; and Princeton University.

Laura Jensen, Executive Officer California Water Commission. Laura has served as the Water Commission’s Executive Officer since January 2025, and, prior to that, as the Commission’s Assistant Executive Officer from 2020 to 2024. Laura started working for the State in 2015 as an environmental scientist with the Department of Water Resources, and, from 2015 to 2020, Laura was the ecosystem restoration and community programs manager for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy. Before working for the State, Laura worked in the private sector for nine years, doing on-the-ground habitat conservation as a project manager with The Nature Conservancy. Laura is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Studies, and from Yale University, where she earned a Master of Environmental Management degree.