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H20h! Panel: Connecting Water Issues to Regional Policy You saw the film, Blue Gold. You read the book, Blue Covenant. You heard Maude Barlow…or can here if you missed it http://saphira.tns.utk.edu/~patw/bakercenter/ Now, bring it all together and learn what you can do! Feb. 9, 4:30 p.m. Toyota Auditorium Panelists Include: Paul Sloan, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Randall W. Gentry, Ph.D., Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment Dean Hill Rivkin, UT College of Law Renee Hoyas, Tennessee Clean Water Network Panelists will engage the audience in a discussion about how water issues presented in other H2Oh! events are relevant to our region; what state, local and community organizations are doing about these issues; what the challenges are to resolving those issues; and where we go from here? • Randall W. Gentry, Ph.D., Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment Dr. Gentry is the President & CEO, University of Tennessee Research Foundation, Director of the Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment, and the Director of the Southeastern Water Resources Institute. His research program is focused on the evaluation of groundwater hydrologic interfaces. The implementation of this research agenda has involved the evaluation of highly localized systems and more broad scale watershed processes. This research direction has allowed Randy to participate with and develop strong multi-disciplinary teams. • Dean Hill Rivkin, UT College of Law Dean Hill Rivkin is College of Law Distinguished Professor at UT Law School. He has practiced and taught environmental law for nearly 40 years. He has litigated a number of Clean Water Act cases throughout the region. His scholarship focuses on issues of environmental justice. Since 2000, he has served as Director of the AALS Equal Justice Project. Prof. Rivkin has also served as a visiting professor at the UCLA Law School, the University of Maryland Law School, and, in 2002 and 2004, at Harvard Law School. • Paul Sloan, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Since April 2005, Paul Sloan has served as Deputy Commissioner of Environment at the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. He heads the department’s Bureau of Environment and leads the senior management team responsible for safeguarding human health and the environment by protecting and improving the quality of Tennessee’s land, air and water. While at TDEC, he has worked closely with the Governor’s Office and other local, state and federal agencies on critical issues involving water resources, energy conservation, alternative fuels and sustainability in Tennessee. Paul has served as co-chairperson of Governor Phil Bredesen’s Alternative Fuels Working Group, member of the Governor’s Energy Task Force and member of the Tennessee Energy Efficient Schools Council. Paul was a founding board member of Cumberland Region Tomorrow, a former trustee of The Nature Conservancy and a board member of the Cumberland River Compact. He holds a law degree from Vanderbilt University and undergraduate degree from Williams College. • Renee Hoyas, Tennessee Clean Water Network Renée Victoria Hoyos became TCWN’s Executive Director in October 2003. Renée has most recently worked with the California Resources Agency and served as Special Assistant to Secretary Nichols for Watersheds and Outreach. While there, one of her major priorities was creating a watershed management policy and program to guide the State in its long-term development strategies. In addition to working in watershed management, she was also the environmental education and environmental justice coordinator, and the Agency’s point of contact for Wild and Scenic Rivers issues. Renée’s nonprofit experience includes a work with the Immigrant Legal Resource Center in San Francisco. Renée holds a Masters of Agriculture and Management degree (with concentration in nonprofit organization management) as well as a Masters of Avian Science degree, both from the University of California in Davis. Amy K. Gibson, Ph.D. Director of Communications and Public Programming Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy The University of Tennessee, Knoxville 865-974-3816 (o) 865-363-9605 (m)