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State Water Contractors Announces New Science Manager

Parul Dubey on September 5, 2018 - in News, People

Sacramento, CA – The State Water Contractors (SWC) is pleased to announce the hire of Darcy Austin in the organization’s newly created role of Science Manager. As Science Manager, Ms. Austin will oversee the SWC Science Program, including continued partnership with other organizations dedicated to research-based management, engagement in collaborative science activities, and investment in cutting-edge technologies and research approaches to advance our collective knowledge on Delta ecosystems.

The SWC is part of the scientific community, directly investing over $2 million annually in science and research. Together with state and federal agencies, academic institutions and experts in the private sector, the SWC and its members are contributing to California’s knowledge bank on estuarine and freshwater environments and best practices in water supply management.

“Advancing science is crucial for California’s water future,” said Jennifer Pierre, General Manager of the SWC. “The creation of this new position and our ability to attract such a qualified leader in Darcy marks an exciting new chapter for our organization.”

With more than 20 years of public- and private-sector experience in water, Ms. Austin joins the SWC from the Delta Stewardship Council’s Delta Science Program, where she managed the science-based adaptive management unit. Prior to that, Ms. Austin served as the Acting Chief of Science Communications for the United States Geological Survey’s (USGS) California Water Science Center. She has a master’s of public health degree in environmental health from California State University, San Diego, and a bachelor’s of science in biology from Colorado State University.

In her role, Ms. Austin will be responsible for soliciting proposals for research and supporting authoring articles to be published in professional, scholarly and scientific journals. In addition, she will be selecting and managing consultant contracts, giving presentations to scientific and technical audiences, policymakers, boards of directors and stakeholders, and working collaboratively with biologists and scientists from other resource and regulatory agencies and stakeholder groups.

“I am passionate about science and its role in facilitating management decisions, and I have a deep appreciation for the Delta,” said Darcy Austin, Science Manager of the SWC. “This position will allow me to use my skills and expertise to increase and expand the role science plays in informing the way we manage our state’s most precious resource.”

The SWC is committed to discovering more about California’s unique ecosystems in order to solve the state’s toughest water supply challenges and strike a balance between meeting the water needs of 25 million Californians, more than 750,000 acres of farmland, and protecting fish and wildlife species that make the state’s waterways their home.

“California’s scientific community is making new discoveries every day to further our understanding of the Delta, its tributaries and native fish and wildlife species,” added Pierre. “We’re honored to be part of this community — and we are thrilled to have Ms. Austin on our team. She is a dynamic, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic scientist and project manager with a proven track record, and she will be instrumental in driving our daily efforts in science.”

For more information on the SWC’s work to advance science, please visit the SWC Science webpage

The State Water Contractors is a statewide, non-profit association of 27 public agencies from Northern, Central and Southern California that purchase water under contract from the California State Water Project. Collectively the State Water Contractors deliver water to more than 25 million residents throughout the state and more than 750,000 acres of agricultural land. For more information on the State Water Contractors, please visit www.swc.org

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