Parker selected as CWRRI director

After a nationwide search, we are pleased to announce that Doug Parker has been selected to serve as the inaugural director of the California Water Resources Research Institute (CWRRI), effective Oct. 1. He will also serve as leader for the Water Quality, Quantity and Security strategic initiative.

Parker is currently director of the Mid-Atlantic Water Program, an associate professor of agricultural & resource economics and Cooperative Extension specialist at the University of Maryland. His research focuses on environmental economics, economics of non-point source water pollution control, and economics of regulation and water quality in the Chesapeake Bay.

Before joining the University of Maryland in 1997, Parker served as an assistant Cooperative Extension specialist at UC Berkeley from 1993 to 1997.

We are excited to have Doug back at UC. He brings a unique blend of skills and experience that we need to bring together the resources of the UC system to solve the complex issues surrounding California’s water.

CWRRI is a special program within ANR, enabled by the federal Water Resources Research Act, with the mission of supporting research and extension activities that contribute to the efficient management of California’s water resources.

As CWRRI director, Parker will coordinate water-related research, extension and education efforts across the 10 UC campuses and across the ANR system. He will bring together local, state and federal stakeholders to identify issues and sources of political and financial support for water-related research. He will also organize and lead constituency-based advisory boards. To improve the understanding of water issues, Parker will serve as a key spokesperson on California water issues, working with federal, state, regional, nonprofit and campus stakeholders on advocacy and outreach programs.

He earned bachelor’s degrees in economics and environmental studies at UC Santa Barbara and a Ph.D. in agricultural and resource economics at UC Berkeley.

Parker will be based in Oakland and report to Barbara Allen-Diaz, AVP - Academic Programs and Strategic Initiatives.

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This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.

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