Team

Jim Crowley has over 30 years of experience working in all aspects of water, wastewater, and power development projects. These projects include integrated water resource strategies, capital improvement plans, financial analysis, hydropower analysis, energy market strategies, conservation program analysis, master plans, capacity evaluations, renovations, expansions, and operations support to assist utilities in developing and implementing capital improvement projects. Mr. Crowley also has a depth of experience in management consulting, assisting utilities in America and around the world in assessing, evaluating, developing, and implementing strategic efforts to optimize both annual operations and long-term capital costs.

In addition to his role at Zanjero, Mr. Crowley is a co-founder of Verified Water, a complete end-to-end water credit program that makes participating in high-quality sustainability actions easier and more flexible for participants. Learn more…

Michael Preszler is a Partner at Zanjero serving as a Strategic Water Advisor with a 30 year-long and proven track record as an advisor to complex water resources projects. He has directed and/or carried out legal and technical aspects of major water right projects including hydrology, groundwater, streamflow and watershed simulation modeling. He has a deep appreciation and understanding of watershed management, water rights, state and Federal legislation, and regulation concerning water rights and water quality. Michael Preszler is skilled in all phases of planning and management of multi-disciplinary projects including economic, natural resources, water rights, regulatory compliance, permitting, litigation support, settlement negotiations, water accounting, political, social, and administrative concerns relating to the use and conservation of water.

In addition to his role at Zanjero, Mr. Preszler is a co-founder of Verified Water, a complete end-to-end water credit program that makes participating in high-quality sustainability actions easier and more flexible for participants. Learn more…

Mr. Tully, co-founder of Tully & Young, is a licensed attorney in California with over 25 years of experience in surface and subsurface hydrology, law and policy.  Mr. Tully consults with public agencies and private clients on developing and implementing water resource management plans and individual water projects.  In this context, Mr. Tully has conducted water rights investigations; assessed contractual water obligations; negotiated water transfers; prepared water settlements; evaluated surface and subsurface water supplies; prepared regulatory, legal, and political assessments; researched historical water rights and supplies; and conducted and coordinated high-level stakeholder interactions. Mr. Tully wrote an Amicus Brief to the California Supreme Court in the case Barstow v. Mojave on the fundamental underpinnings of California Water Rights law.

In addition to his role at Zanjero, Mr. Tully is a co-founder of Verified Water, a complete end-to-end water credit program that makes participating in high-quality sustainability actions easier and more flexible for participants. Learn more…

Mr. Young is a registered civil engineer with 30 years of experience in strategic water resource management and planning. Mr. Young helps clients develop workable solutions that meet their fundamental water planning objectives, with experience and skill gained from his work throughout California and other western states. Mr. Young provides expertise to local agricultural and urban water purveyors, public agencies, non-profits and private interests on matters ranging from SGMA compliance, to water asset management and water rights reporting, to aiding clients with the purchase or sale of water assets, to drafting legally supportable documents for use in CEQA and NEPA compliance efforts. Through all of this work, Mr. Young focuses on providing objective-based facts that help his clients make informed decisions regarding the reliable management of their vital water resources.

In addition to his role at Zanjero, Mr. Young is a co-founder of Verified Water, a complete end-to-end water credit program that makes participating in high-quality sustainability actions easier and more flexible for participants. Learn more…

Ms. Carlson is the Marketing and Community Engagement Director at Zanjero with expertise in strategic communications, integrated marketing campaigns, and community engagement programs. She has nearly 20 years of experience working with public agencies and nonprofits at a local, regional, and statewide scale to develop innovative solutions for complex problems in health and human services, transportation, wildfire preparedness, water resources management and more. She draws from a broad toolkit to create strategic programs, including research, branding, messaging, partnership development, stakeholder outreach, content creation, and media planning. In recent years, Katie has honed a particular focus in building community-level collaboratives to address issues arising out of the pandemic. She has been recognized in this work for being able to successfully align diverse interests and stakeholders around shared goals and objectives. For each program and project she undertakes, Katie offers creative problem solving and adept communication, combining strategic vision and execution to maximize results.

In addition to her role at Zanjero, Ms. Carlson is the Director of Marketing for Verified Water, a complete end-to-end water credit program that makes participating in high-quality sustainability actions easier and more flexible for participants. Learn more…

Mr. Davis is a Water Resource Planner and Sustainability Consultant with extensive experience in technical writing and data compilation for the development and creation of Urban Water Management Plans and conservation program analyses.  He has business and technical experience in various aspects of urban water management planning, land use planning, and wetland restoration. Mr. Davis has deep knowledge of conservation and resource planning and strategy through his university studies, post graduate programs, and project work experience.  Mr. Davis was instrumental in preparation of numerous UWMPs and feasibility analyses for public and private sector sustainability programs. He brings with him extensive project management, business development and strategy experience in both natural resources and technology sectors.

In addition to his role at Zanjero, Mr. Galen is the Director of Business Development for Verified Water, a complete end-to-end water credit program that makes participating in high-quality sustainability actions easier and more flexible for participants. Learn more…

Mr. Heather is a Water Resources Engineer at Zanjero. Mr. Heather is a Certified Engineer in Training with experience in water rights investigations and research, water accounting, water use efficiency strategic planning, water quality data collection, Geographic Information System (GIS), interpretations of geophysical well logs, electrical power market participation, regulatory, legislative, and judicial compliance, as well as surface and groundwater adjudications. Mr. Heather has both participated and managed projects, and his understanding of time and resource allocation have been implemented in all projects. Mr. Heather is highly skilled in communication and organization and provides great strategic and technical assistance in all phases of the planning, management, and/or implementation of various water resource projects.

Ms. McCarl is an experienced professional with a background in marketing and project management. She provides both substantive client work and executive level support at Tully & Young.  The client work includes conducting project research, preparing, and editing project documents, coordinating client communications, and conducting QA/QC.  Her executive support includes accounting and bookkeeping work, preparation of corporate financial documents, and management of client contracts. 

Mr. Olof graduated from U.C. Davis with a degree in Civil Engineering and a minor in Construction Engineering and Management and maintains an Advanced Operator Certificate for Infowater modeling software.  Mr. Olof is a California Certified Engineer-In-Training and has completed the national exam to become a California professional civil engineer.  Mr. Olof’s education and experience in water resources engineering and planning, water quality management, water rights and regulations, hydrology, modeling, water demand analysis, and cartography provide an ideal foundation for solving complex water problems.  Combining experience in rural small businesses, residential construction, ranching, forestry, farming, and the California wine industry gives Mr. Olof practical tools and a unique perspective on water issues.  Mr. Olof has helped clients assess and solve water resource management and planning challenges by pre-emptively identifying complex water issues and providing feasible solutions.

Mr. Ramirez is a water resource planner with experience in state-wide water planning, water resource management, SGMA and groundwater management, regulatory compliance, and environmental fieldwork. Recently joining us from Merced County, Adriel has experience implementing Groundwater Sustainability Plans, investigating and approving groundwater well and on-site wastewater treatment system permits, developing regulations, assessing data, performing field work, preparing reports, and communicating with clients.  Adriel continues to grow Zanjero’s ability to advise, manage, and solve the resource management issues faced by our clients. He is also currently pursuing a Master of Science in Water Resource Management from Fresno State, further expanding his skills and ability to advise clients.

Dr. Omar Samara is a water resources planner at Zanjero with a decade of experience in agricultural and sustainability technology engineering. He completed his Ph.D. in 2024 at the University of California, Davis in Biological Systems Engineering with his dissertation titled “Evaluation of Agrivoltaic Systems for Enhanced Agricultural Resource Sustainability.” Beyond his expertise with engineering agrivoltaic systems, he has done significant work with evapotranspiration monitoring, crop modeling, agricultural implement design and operation, geographic information system analysis, experimental research and teaching among other things. He also holds a B.S. in Engineering Sciences from California State University, Bakersfield where he did research with solar powered drones. Beyond his academic credentials, Omar spent time working for and with large farms across California and spent time working on wastewater treatment. Omar aspires to bring his agriculture background to advise Zanjero’s clients on innovative, cutting-edge approaches to carry California forward as a leader in water resource sustainability.

Ms. Sanders is a water resource planner with experience in state-wide water planning, water resource management, CEQA and NEPA compliance, regulatory compliance, and environmental fieldwork. With experience navigating regulations, assessing data, performing field work, preparing reports, and communicating with clients, Ms. Sanders skills add to Zanjero’s ability to advise, manage, and solve the resource management issues faced by our clients. Ms. Sanders is also currently leveraging her UC Davis degree in Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning to pursue a masters in Environmental and Water Law from McGeorge School of Law, further expanding her ability to advise clients. Her time spent volunteering locally and globally also brings intangible experiences that help our clients balance the freshwater needs of nature and humanity.

Katrina Starbird brings experience in groundwater management, hydropower operations analysis, and building resilience to environmental stress. Most recently, Katrina worked at ICF International, conducting climate vulnerability assessments of corporate supply chains, transportation infrastructure, and toxic waste sites. In earning her B.S. in Earth and Planetary Science and certificate in Energy Studies from Yale University, Katrina focused her studies on hydrology and researched sustainable groundwater implementation in California’s Central Valley. At Zanjero, Katrina will build on environmental planning knowledge accrued through her work for the Interstate Council on Water Policy, the National Hydropower Association, and the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.