Co-Chairs

The Coalition’s Co-Chairs provide strategic direction to the Coalition and work closely with Coalition staff. Five individuals serve as co-chairs of the Coalition, with their organizations meant to represent the breadth of the Coalition and be reflective of our membership. 

Nsedu (Nse) Obot Witherspoon (Lead Co-Chair) – Executive Director, Children’s Environmental Health Network

Nse is the Executive Director of the Children’s Environmental Health Network (CEHN), an organization she has been working with for 20 years now. Her background is public health, maternal and child health, environmental justice, and strategic collaborations.  CEHN is a national non-profit organization that has been working for close to 30 years to protect all children from environmental hazards. CEHN works actively to support peer-reviewed science in the field, to effectively translate that science into education, training, and action platforms, works toward child protective state and national policy development, and provides leadership on a variety of state and national coalitions. CEHN is dedicated to protecting especially the most vulnerable of children, ensuring that they get the start that they need and deserve.

Beth Roach – Clean Water Director, Sierra Club

Beth is the Water Director for Sierra Club National, Tribal Council Vice Chair for the Nottoway Indian Tribe of Virginia, and Co-founder of the Alliance of Native Seedkeeprs. Her background is in storytelling, community organizing, environmental justice, and being in the right relationship with all of her relatives. Beth advocates for water and climate justice at the intersection of decolonization and restoration of tribal rights.

Gary Belan – Senior Director, Water Supply Program, American Rivers

Gary Belan leads American Rivers’ clean water supply team. Gary has worked at American Rivers for the past 18 years promoting and implementing water management solutions across the U.S. as a means of reducing stormwater pollution, flooding, and water use stress on rivers. Gary is a specialist in stormwater management and planning, with expertise in green infrastructure. He has written a number of publications and articles on water management and green infrastructure and continues to engage on practical applications to advance natural infrastructure practices. Gary received a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Virginia, his M.A. in Environmental Policy from American University and a Master’s Certificate in Non-profit Management from Georgetown University. He is based in Washington D.C.

Glenn Watkins – Senior Policy Specialist, National Wildlife Federation

Glenn works to advance NWF’s policy and legislative priorities relating to Clean Water Act defense, ecosystem restoration, and wetland and watershed protections. Prior to joining NWF, Glenn worked for the Natural Resources Defense Council, on water policy and government affairs. Glenn holds a B.A. in Environmental Policy from Hamilton College.

Mariana Del Valle Prieto Cervantes – Water Equity and Ocean Program Manager, GreenLatinos

Mariana Del Valle Prieto Cervantes is GreenLatinos Water Equity and Ocean Program Manager. GreenLatinos is an active comunidad of Latino/a/ax leaders driven to secure our political, economic, culture and environmental liberation. Mariana has committed her life to help advocate for the Latinx community in the environmental movement. At GreenLatinos Mariana focuses on water equity priorities at the national level. With these policy priorities in mind, Mariana works to educate policymakers, stakeholders and the public-at-large to positively impact change for clean and affordable water, with our comunidades in mind.

Steering Committee

The Steering Committee is made up of organizations who are interested in serving as an oversight body for the Coalition. The Steering Committee is the main voting body of the Coalition and acts as the Coalition’s “think tank” for implementing the Strategic Plan, Long-Term Policy Agenda, and yearly Work Plans, as well as creating the Coalition’s annual budget.

Current Steering Committee Members Include:

  • Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments
  • American Rivers
  • American Sustainable Business Council
  • Children’s Environmental Health Network
  • Clean Water Action
  • Clean Water Network
  • Earthjustice
  • Environment America
  • GreenLatinos
  • League of Conservation Voters
  • National Latino Farmers and Ranchers
  • National Parks Conservation Association
  • National Religious Partnership for the Environment
  • Natural Resources Defense Council
  • National Wildlife Federation
  • River Network
  • Rural Coalition
  • Sierra Club
  • Southern Environmental Law Center
  • The Center for Water Security and Cooperation
  • Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership
  • Trout Unlimited

If your organization is a member of the Coalition and interested in joining the Steering Committee, fill out this form and Coalition staff will be in touch!

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