Celebrate the Colorado Water Center’s
60th Anniversary
The Colorado Water Center celebrated 60 years of impact in Colorado, the West, and beyond on March 26, 2026.
Thanks to all who joined us on March 26 to celebrate 60 years of the Colorado Water Center!
Sixty Years of Water Research, Education, and Outreach
An evening of celebration
On March 26, 2026, the Colorado Water Center celebrated its 60th Anniversary at the Lory Student Center at CSU Fort Collins. The evening featured two different opportunities to celebrate the milestone:
- 4-6:00 p.m. – A Colorado Water Center Reception was free and open to the public and featured the 60th Anniversary Celebration Program with remarks from President Parsons and awards given to past directors and committee members.
- 6-8:00 p.m. – A Water Tables Fundraiser was hosted in partnership with the CSU Water Resources Archive. This event featured a ticketed, plated dinner with water experts as table hosts and proceeds going to support the Colorado Water Center and the Water Resources Archive.
Thank you to all who attended these events!
Check out photos from the 60th events
Colorado Water Center Anniversary Reception Photo Booth
Water Tables 2026 ‘Red Carpet Portraits’
Colorado Water Center Anniversary & Water Tables Photo Gallery
2026 Water Expert Table Hosts
The Colorado Water Center and CSU Libraries’ Water Resources Archive greatly appreciates the following water experts who joined the Water Tables Fundraiser to converse with attendees as 2026 table hosts:
| Name | Organization |
|---|---|
| Jeni James Arndt | Commissioner, Colorado Water Quality Control Commission; Former Mayor of Fort Collins; Former State Representative (District 53) |
| Samantha Barncastle Salopek | Executive Director, Family Farm Alliance |
| Jordana Barrack | Executive Director, Mighty Arrow Family Foundation |
| Brenda Burman | General Manager, Central Arizona Project; Former Commissioner, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation |
| Anne Castle | Former U.S. Federal Commissioner & Chair, Upper Colorado River Commission; Senior Fellow at the Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy, and the Environment at the University of Colorado Law School |
| Nathan Coombs | Colorado Water Conservation Board Member; Manager, Conejos Water Conservancy District, 4th Generation Farmer |
| Deb Daniel | General Manager, Republican River Water Conservation District |
| Heather Dutton | Manager, San Luis Valley Water Conservancy District |
| Carlos Fernández | State Director, Colorado, The Nature Conservancy |
| Dan Gibbs | Executive Director, Colorado Department of Natural Resources |
| Jennifer Gimbel | Senior Water Policy Scholar, Colorado Water Center; Former Assistant Secretary for Water and Science, U.S. Department of the Interior |
| Eugene Kelly | Director, Agricultural Experiment Station; Professor of Pedology, Colorado State University |
| Jim Lochhead | Retired CEO/Manager, Denver Water |
| Becky Mitchell | Commissioner for Colorado, Upper Colorado River Commission |
| Andy Mueller | General Manager, Colorado River Water Conservation District |
| David Robbins | Partner / Attorney, Hill & Robbins P.C.; Alternate / Legal Counsel, Upper Colorado River Commission |
| Nicole Rowan | Director, Water Quality Control Division, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment |
| Heather Sackett | Managing Editor, Aspen Journalism |
| Russ Schumacher | Colorado State Climatologist; Professor, Colorado State University; Director, Colorado Climate Center |
| Tanya Trujillo | Deputy State Engineer and Water Policy Adviser for the Office of the Governor (NM); Former Assistant Secretary for Water & Science, U.S. Dept. of the Interior |
| Jason Ullmann | State Engineer & Director, Colorado Division of Water Resources |
| Bruce Whitehead | Former Colorado State Senator; Former Executive Director, Southwestern Water Conservation District |
| Brad Wind | General Manager, Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District |
2026 Water Tables Sponsors
$15,000 Sponsor
$10,000 Sponsor
$5,000 Sponsors
$2,500 Sponsors
$1,000 Sponsors
Other questions about upcoming events?
Contact the Colorado Water Center team.