Lauren Ris was selected this summer to be the Director of the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) after seven years as the Deputy Director. The CWCB represents each major water basin in the state and other state agencies in a joint effort to use water wisely and protect Colorado's water for future generations. As Director, Ris will play a leading role in the development and implementation of water policy across the state of Colorado.
The GWC reached out to Lauren to learn more about her journey to the CWCB.
For folks that don鈥檛 know, how would you describe the work of the Colorado Water Conservation Board? And, what do you do as their director?
The Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) is an agency within the state鈥檚 Department of Natural Resources. The CWCB is the primary water policy agency for Colorado. We work with stakeholders across the state to make informed decisions on a number of issues affecting water supply planning, funding, watershed restoration, interstate agreements and negotiations, and instream flow. . I like to think that we are the cheerleaders for tough conversations at CWCB. We are guided broadly by the , which also adopted by the CWCB in 2023 which is a plan composed of 50 different action items in response to 5 potential futures to address water supply gaps and the technical foundation of water in Colorado.
When did you start thinking about water? Were there any particularly formative experiences you had that made you want to dedicate your career to water in Colorado?
Water is truly the basis for everything. I fell into my career in water when I became involved with salmon recovery in the Pacific Northwest. Looking back, there are a lot of similar dynamics between stakeholders in salmon recovery as there are in Colorado water issues. I always appreciated how water scarcity in Colorado brought things into sharp focus and often forced collaboration to find solutions.聽
Tell me about your career path; what roles prepared you for your new role as director of the CWCB?
My work in the Pacific Northwest prepared me for balancing stakeholder dynamics here in Colorado. After that, I worked in the Fisheries Unit for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in D.C. When I returned to my home state of Colorado, I started working with the Getches-Wilkinson Center as the Red Lodge Clearinghouse Program Manager, which gave me an understanding of the water stakeholders in Colorado. I then worked in the state legislature and as a water policy advisor for the Department of Natural Resources. Working in the legislature was important for me to understand how the government works in water, and it has been helpful because I work really closely with government now. Before being appointed as the Director for CWCB, I was the deputy of the agency for about seven years.
How did your time at the GWC shape your career trajectory?
My time at the GWC with Mark Squillace and Doug Kenney, gave me the opportunity to get a good lay of the land and foundation in聽 Colorado water law and understand who all the different players are. During my year and a half at the Center, I was lucky enough to audit classes from Professor Wilkinson and Dean Getches.
It has been exciting to see you, as well as Becky Mitchell, step into leadership roles in natural resources in Colorado. How has your experience been as a woman in a traditionally male-dominated field?
Early in my career, I was the only woman in the room, but that has changed so much in the last few years. At the CWCB, half of the board is now women. So many women have been role models and mentors to me, but the ones that come to mind right now are Becky Mitchell (Colorado River Commissioner), Patty Wells (former General Council for Denver Water), Kelly Romero-Heeney (Assistant Director for Water at DNR), and Jayla Poppleton (Executive Director at Water Education Colorado).
Who else have been role models for you? Who inspires you to continue dedicating your life to this work?
In addition to all that I have previously mentioned, Russ George (who created the basin roundtable structure and compact committee), Mike King (a former DNR director and mentor), and John Stulp (Water Policy Advisor for Governor Hickenlooper) have been great role models to me. What inspires me most though are the people on the ground doing the work and coming to the table with solutions.
What are the biggest priorities for the CWCB in the years to come? How do you intend to make progress on those efforts?
The biggest priorities for the CWCB in the years to come are action oriented. My first priority is to make sure that we are implementing the actions we鈥檝e committed to in the Water Plan. There are critical actions in every category, but I鈥檓 hopeful that we can make big strides in municipal and agricultural conservation and efficiency. I also want to improve our access to the public and increase transparency around how we make decisions and reach out to constituencies in Colorado that tend to be under represented in conversations around water. Additionally, I want to make sure that we鈥檙e sharing our lessons and projects that are successful because success breeds success.