PAST SYMPOSIA:
The 2025 CSU Spur Water in the West Symposium was hosted Nov. 13 in the Hydro building at CSU Spur. The Symposium focused on handling change and complexity via the theme Uncharted Waters: Navigating Change and Building Resiliency. Information on WITW 2026 coming soon.
Recordings from all past symposia, including 2025, are available in the “past symposia” menu directly above.
The Water in the West Symposium is a unique offering in water conferences, bringing together diverse stakeholders to share solutions to water challenges across sectors and creating collaborative problem-solving opportunities.
Water in the West is cohosted by the Colorado Water Center.
THURSDAY, NOV. 13, 2025
8-9 A.M.
BREAKFAST + CHECK IN
9-9:15 A.M.
WELCOME
Karen Schlatter — Colorado Water Center
Elizabeth Babcock — Denver’s Office of Climate Action, Sustainability and Resiliency
9:15-9:45 A.M.
NAVIGATING CHANGE AND UNCERTAINTY
Alex Budak — University of California Berkeley
9:45-10:30 A.M.
SHIFTING KNOWLEDGE: DECISIONS IN CHANGING TIMES
Moderated by Kathleen Galvin — CSU College of Liberal Arts
Kate Watkins — Colorado State Demographer
Greg Fisher — Denver Water
James Henderson — Colorado Farm Bureau
10:30-10:45 A.M.
BREAK
10:45-11:15 A.M.
THE FUTURE OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN AN ERA OF CHANGE
Tony Frank — Colorado State University System
11:15 A.M.-12 P.M.
MANAGING TEAMS IN CHANGING TIMES
Mara Waller — CSU College of Business
12-1:30 P.M.
LUNCH
1:30-2:30 P.M.
FINDING CHANGE: MANAGING SHIFTING FUNDING SOURCES
Moderated by Jared Romero — Walton Family Foundation
Julie Davies O’Shea — Farmers Conservation Alliance
Emma Troller — Blue Forest
Peter Culp — Culp & Kelly
2:30-2:45 P.M.
BREAK
2:45-3 P.M.
LIGHTNING ROUND WITH DENVER RESILIENT LANDSCAPES
Christina Sohn — Superbloom
3-3:45 P.M.
NAVIGATING AI’S IMPACT ON THE WATER SECTOR
Moderated by Boris Nikolaev — CSU College of Business
Gigi Karmous-Edwards — Karmous Edwards Consulting
Lindsay Rogers — Western Resource Advocates
3:45-4 P.M.
CLOSING REMARKS
Karen Schlatter — Colorado Water Center
4-5:30 P.M.
RECEPTION
Thank you to our 2025 sponsors
CONTENT SPONSORS
WIFI SPONSORS
CONNECTIVITY SPONSOR
NONPROFIT SPONSORS
The Water in the West Symposium is an annual event bringing together speakers and audiences from across sectors — from utilities and government agencies, to businesses and agriculture — to share best practices and connect professionals around water and the solutions to water challenges around the world.
Interested in sponsoring the 2026 Symposium? Check out the sponsorship guide.
KAREN SCHLATTER
Director, Colorado Water Center
Karen Schlatter was appointed director of the Colorado Water Center at Colorado State University in 2025, after joining the Center as associate director in 2023. Schlatter brings academic, nonprofit, and public sector experience in managing complex water challenges with a deep commitment to building partnerships and the ability to engage in conversations across Colorado’s water community. She joined CSU from the University of Florida Water Institute where her work included facilitating multi-stakeholder/academic teams to achieve shared goals around water management through collaborative, interdisciplinary research. Prior to her role at UF, she served as associate director of the Colorado River Delta Program at the Sonoran Institute, where she focused on building cross-sector and international partnerships to support large-scale ecological restoration, effective binational water management, and community engagement in the Colorado River Delta region. Schlatter earned a Bachelor of Science in biology from McGill University and a Master of Science in environmental studies from the University of Colorado Boulder. She served as an agricultural extension volunteer in the Peace Corps in Paraguay.
TOM VILSACK
Chief Executive Officer, World Food Prize Foundation
Effective March 1, 2025, Thomas J. Vilsack, former United States Secretary of Agriculture and Governor of Iowa, will become the first Chief Executive Officer for the World Food Prize Foundation. In this new role, Governor Vilsack will focus on expanding the Foundation’s global network, and will further position the Foundation as a leader in addressing global food and nutrition insecurity, continuing his lifetime of public service.
In 1998, he became the first Democrat to be elected as the Governor of Iowa in more than 30 years. During his two terms as Governor, he created an $800 million, 10-year economic development incentive program—the Iowa Values Fund. His administration worked with schools, medical providers, businesses, faith-based organizations and other entities to expand healthcare coverage to more than 90,000 previously uninsured children.
He became the 30th and 32nd United States Secretary of Agriculture, from 2008-2017 and 2021-2025, respectively. Only five people in U.S. history have served in the Cabinet longer, and during his tenures, the United States Department of Agriculture set records for U.S. agricultural exports and provided food assistance to millions of Americans. He helped expand food and nutrition access through summer feeding programs for children and additional support for fruit and vegetable purchases through the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program. As Secretary, he worked to develop new and superior markets for small and mid-sized farms, allowing those operations to remain viable and in turn, strengthening and growing rural communities.
Governor Vilsack has long been connected to the World Food Prize Foundation, having served on both the Council of Advisors and the Board of Directors. His insights and acumen were vital in shaping our mission and initiatives. His leadership and experience will be instrumental in expanding the Foundation’s international reach and continuing the mission of elevating innovations and inspiring action to sustainably increase the quality, quantity and availability of food for all.
It’s our anniversary!
It’s our anniversary! CSU Spur has been fully open to the public, sharing hands-on, family-friendly activities around food, water, and health for two years. Join us on Saturday, Jan. 11, for 2nd Saturday activities, including desserts, a mariachi performance, face painters, horses on treadmills, veterinarians in surgery, scientists in labs, and more. The celebration is from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and CSU Spur will be open 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; no registration required, all public activities are free.
2nd Saturday at CSU Spur is presented by Canvas Credit Union.
We’ll see you Saturday!
2nd Saturday at CSU Spur is 10 a.m.-2 p.m. this Saturday (June 13), and this month, the theme is Eco Explorers. Discover the connections between plants, animals, water, and people through hands-on activities, interactive exhibits, opportunities to connect with community partners, the Market at the Center, and more!
