Water

David Conrad, Senior Water Resources Specialist, Washington, DC
Conrad has been with the National Wildlife Federation for 18 years. Conrad’s major areas of activity have included the water resources development programs of the Army Corps of Engineers and federal river protection and floodplain management programs. He has been involved in legislation and a range of policy-related activities regarding flood hazard mitigation and floodplain management—with a focus on helping communities seeking assistance to relocate high-risk residences and businesses out of flood-prone areas, and expanding opportunities for nonstructural flood damage reduction. He has also been actively involved in Congress’ Water Resources Development Acts, authorizing projects and programs for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Conrad has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Sciences from the University of Virginia.

Malia Hale, Director, National Restoration and Water Resource Campaigns, Washington, DC
Hale joined the National Wildlife Federation in May 1999, advancing the Federation’s Everglades restoration campaign. Her activities included working with grassroots across the country to educate and motivate citizens to support restoring the Everglades. Her other areas include leading the Federation’s national restoration campaign that seeks to promote and raise national awareness of restoration programs across the country, as well as helping manage other national campaigns to reauthorize the farm bill, modernize the Army Corps of Engineers, and reduce mercury from our environment. Prior to joining the National Wildlife Federation, Hale worked as District Director and Legislative Assistant for U.S. Congresswoman Patsy Mink (HI), and managed a wide range of environmental legislation, including national parks, endangered species, and marine mammal protection. Hale holds a law degree from the University of Puget Sound, and an undergraduate degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Dr. Norman Johns, Water Resources Specialist, Austin, TX
Johns is a water resources scientist in the Austin office for NWF’s Texas Living Waters Project. Johns has approximately 25 years of experience in the fields of environmental resources research and management which he taps to provide NWF with science-based input on a wide variety of water resource topics. These include water conservation and sustainable water supply planning, effects of groundwater pumping on springs and endangered species, and the effects of dams and other water infrastructure on river and estuary habitats and wildlife. He has a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Florida. He received master’s degrees from the Civil and Environmental Engineering Program and the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. John’s also earned a doctorate in geography from the University of Texas at Austin.

Susan Kaderka, Regional Executive Director, Austin, TX.
As the director of the National Wildlife Federation's Gulf States Natural Resource Center in Austin since 1999, Kaderka developed and launched the Texas Living Waters project, which over the past six years has reformed Texas water law to better protect instream flows, improve groundwater management and foster aggressive water conservation. She has also been a vocal advocate for the restoration of Louisiana’s deteriorating coastal wetlands, serving since 2003 on the Louisiana Governor’s Advisory Commission for Coastal Restoration and Conservation. More recently she has been involved in educating river advocates and watershed groups on how global warming is expected to impact river ecosystems in the U.S. Kaderka has more than 15 years experience in environmental program management, in both the non-profit and state government sectors, as well as five years experience as a policy analyst and director of policy research for the Texas Legislature. She holds a Master's degree in Journalism from the University of Texas.

Dr. Michael Murray, Staff Scientist, Ann Arbor, MI
Murray’s work has focused on the scientific and policy aspects of toxic chemicals in the Great Lakes region and more broadly, including mercury sources, fate and transport, ecological and human health effects, and control options; water quality criteria and total maximum daily load plans; and the development and communication of fish consumption advisories. His work has more recently expanded to other areas, including aquatic invasive species, food web disruption, and climate change in the Great Lakes region. Murray received master and doctorate degrees in water chemistry from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He has authored or co-authored a number of peer-reviewed papers and book chapters, as well as numerous reports. In addition to duties with NWF, Murray has been an adjunct lecturer in environmental health sciences at the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health, where he has taught courses in environmental chemistry and water quality management.

Andy Buchsbaum, Regional Executive Director, Ann Harbor, MI
Major projects of the Center include water management reform; reduction of persistent, bioaccumulative toxic substances, through NWF’s Clean the Rain Campaign; enforcement of water quality standards; and place-based restoration projects, focusing on Lake Superior and Detroit. Buchsbaum has testified on a wide range of Great Lakes issues before state, regional and national government bodies, including the International Joint Commission, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the Michigan legislature, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, and the Indiana Department of the Environment. He also is the chair of the Education Committee for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Centennial Celebration at the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge in September, 2003. Buchsbaum has a B.A., Magna Cum Laude in Government from Harvard College; J.D. from Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California; and a Master of Laws from Georgetown University Law Center. For the past five years, he has taught environmental law courses at the University of Michigan Law School.

Molly Flanagan, Great Lakes Advocate, Ann Harbor, MI
Flanagan is the Great Lakes Water Resources Program Manager for the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). She directs NWF’s water resources campaign working to ensure strong natural resource protections for the waters of the Great Lakes region. In her work, Flanagan designs and implements advocacy and political strategies to forward NWF’s efforts to reform water resource policies in the Great Lakes, including efforts to pass the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Water Resources Compact into law. To this end, she leads a coalition of conservation organizations in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York and works closely with agency and elected officials across the basin. Flanagan currently serves on the Board of the Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat Network and Fund and is a member of the Board of Directors of Great Lakes United as the Lake Erie Director. Flanagan graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BA in Environmental Studies from Denison University.

Myron Hess, Counsel, Gulf States, Austin, TX
Hess manages the Texas Water Program in the Austin office of the National Wildlife Federation. This program recently scored a major victory when the Texas Legislature passed a law establishing a comprehensive process for determining water needs for environmental purposes and for setting aside available water to begin to meet those needs. Throughout his 20+ years of work as an attorney, Myron's practice has been concentrated primarily in the areas of water quality and quantity and endangered species protection in Texas. Myron obtained his law degree from the University of Texas. Prior to taking his current position in 1998, Myron worked in private practice and as an environmental attorney for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. He obtained his undergraduate degree in wildlife and fisheries sciences from Texas A&M University.