Board of Directors & Committees

CASQA is governed by an 11-member Board of Directors, consisting of 8 representatives from MS4s (organizations that hold an MS4 permit) and 3 representatives from non-MS4s (organizations that do not hold an MS4 permit). Directors are elected by the voting membership (organizations that hold an NPDES stormwater permit) and serve a two-year term, with a maximum of three consecutive terms.

Key Documents

Board of Directors

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Rob Carson

Rob Carson

Chair

Rob Carson is the program manager for the Marin Countywide Stormwater Pollution Prevention Program representing 12 municipal permittees under the statewide small MS4 general permit implementing the full range of permit compliance projects and programs. He has worked with municipal stormwater programs in the Bay Area since 2012 and before that managed water quality monitoring programs for a non-profit and the National Park Service. Rob is a Certified Professional in Storm Water Quality and a Qualified SWPPP Developer and holds a master’s degree in biology from Columbia University. He has served as a co-chair of the CASQA phase II subcommittee starting in 2020.

Ann Gillespie

Ann Fletcher

Vice Chair

Ann Fletcher is the Stormwater Program Coordinator for the County of San Luis Obispo and directs implementation of the County’s Phase II Municipal General Permit. Ann has a B.S. in Ecology and Systematic Biology from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and over 15 years of professional experience across a variety of surface water quality and coastal ecology projects. Prior to joining the public sector, she worked as an environmental scientist in the private and nonprofit sectors. She holds professional certifications to perform the duties of CPESC, QSD, QSP and QISP.

James Scanlin

James Scanlin

Treasurer

James is the Environmental Services Manager for the City of Newark. In this role James manages the city’s stormwater program as well as the waste management/recycling and sustainability programs. Prior to working in Newark, James was the Manager of the Alameda Countywide Clean Water Program for over 20 years. James received a B.S. in Resource Economics from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master of Public Administration from California State University, East Bay.

Christine Tolchin

Christine Tolchin

Secretary

Christine Tolchin is the Group Program Manager for the County of San Diego Watershed Protection Program. She oversees Watershed policy, program planning, MS4 reporting, stormwater compliance, and collaboration between the 21 Copermittees and other agencies in the San Diego region. She has worked on stormwater and conservation programs in San Diego County since 2005. Christine is a Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control, a Qualified SWPPP Developer, a Qualified Industrial Stormwater Practitioner, a Certified Project Manager, and holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Biological Sciences.

Ashli Desai

Ashli Desai

Director

Ashli is the President of Larry Walker Associates, an environmental engineering and science consulting firm specializing in water resources management. She has over 20 years of experience in assisting public agencies with Total Maximum Daily Loads, watershed planning, and stormwater management. Ashli supports municipalities in their efforts to address stormwater-related permitting and programmatic issues through an understanding of the interface between robust science, engineering, and emerging policy. Ashli received her B.S. in Earth Systems, Environmental Technology and M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering and Science from Stanford University.

Dalia Fadl

Dalia Fadl

Director

Dalia has a B.S. in Civil & Environmental Engineering from UC Berkeley and over 16 years of experience working as an engineer in the stormwater management and regulatory fields. In her current role, Dalia manages the Stormwater Division in the City of Rancho Cordova’s Public Works Department. Dalia has extensive knowledge and experience with stormwater quality regulations and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit compliance. She is a registered engineer in the State of California.

Brendan Ferry

Brendan Ferry

Director

Brendan is a Deputy Director for El Dorado County. He has worked professionally in the Tahoe Basin for the past 22 years, primarily focused in the water quality arena. Among his multitude of responsibilities, Brendan manages the County’s storm water program, which spans the Sierra Nevada mountains and includes a Phase I NPDES Permit in the Tahoe Basin in Region 6 and a Phase II NPDES Permit on the West Slope in Region 5. He has been a member of the International Erosion Control Association (IECA) since 2004 and a member of CASQA since 2013. Brendan holds CPESC, CPSWQ and QSD certifications.

Jared Shuman

Jared Shuman

Director

Jared Shuman is the Environmental Resources Manager at the Fresno Metropolitan Flood Control District, representing five Phase I municipal permittees. With nearly two decades of experience in stormwater quality management, he is dedicated to advancing regional, multi-benefit stormwater management solutions. Jared is a graduate of the Henry Samueli School of Engineering at UCLA and holds an MBA from the Craig School of Business at California State University, Fresno.

Chris Sommers

Chris Sommers

Director

Chris is a Vice President at EOA, Inc., a small environmental engineering and science consulting firm based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Chris has over 20 years of experience assisting California public agencies in stormwater and watershed management, with a focus on municipal stormwater, water quality monitoring, watershed assessment, Total Maximum Daily Loads, pollutant control programs, and program effectiveness evaluation. Chris holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from Indiana University and a Master of Science degree from Humboldt State University in Natural Resources Management.

Melanie Sotelo

Melanie Sotelo

Director

Melanie is an Associate Director of Environmental Services at CASC Engineering and Consulting, a civil and environmental engineering firm located in Southern California. Melanie has over 15 years of Phase I and Phase II stormwater program management experience, and has served as a consultant Stormwater Program Manager for a municipality in the Whitewater River Watershed since 2016. Additionally, Melanie has served as the Co-Chair of the Construction Subcommittee for the past several years. Melanie holds a B.S. in Environmental Science and M.S. in Environmental Engineering Systems from U.C. Riverside.

Jalaine Q. Verdiner

Jalaine Q. Verdiner

Director

Jalaine Q. Verdiner is a Principal Engineer with Los Angeles County Public Works, Stormwater Quality Division. She has over 25 years of experience in the public sector serving the residents of LA County in various capacities, most recently in the field of water resources and stormwater management. She oversees the planning of numerous stormwater quality solutions as well as the design of multi-benefit stormwater capture projects. In her current role, she manages the County and Los Angeles County Flood Control District’s compliance with the MS4 Permit which includes collaborating with other agencies in implementing stormwater programs and projects. Jalaine received her B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from California State University, Los Angeles, and her M.S. degree in Public Administration from California State University, Northridge.

Committees

The Board of Directors establishes committees to implement its duties of strategic direction and fiduciary oversight. Each Committee is comprised of Directors and other non-Directors appointed by the Board.

Audit

Oversees the annual audit of CASQA’s finances.
Chair: Rob Carson
Vice Chair: Jim Scanlin

Awards

Implements the CASQA Awards Program. Identifies and recognizes exemplary leadership, outstanding projects, activities, and contributions to the field of stormwater management.
Chair: Melanie Sotelo
Vice Chair: Christine Tolchin

Events and Communications

Advises on educational programming, including the Annual Conference and Seminar Series.
Chair: Melane Sotelo
Vice Chair: Christine Tolchin

Executive Program

Provides engagement forum for all CASQA subcommittee co-chairs.
Chair: Ann Fletcher
Vice Chair: Ashli Desai

Finance

Provides fiduciary oversight.
Chair: Jim Scanlin
Vice Chair: Jared Shuman

Governance

Implements general governance responsibilities (Executive Director review and compensation, Bylaws updates, Board development)
Chair: Rob Carson
Vice Chair: Chris Sommers

Membership

Ensures a robust membership to support the organization.
Chair: Chris Sommers
Vice Chair: Jalaine Verdiner

Strategic Planning

Advises the Board of Directors on the strategic direction of CASQA and supports the implementation of the Strategic Plan and Vision.
Chair: Ashli Desai
Vice Chair: Brendan Ferry

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