Contact Us
For media inquiries or general Aqueduct inquiries, contact Robert Kimball
To learn more about the Aqueduct Alliance, join the Aqueduct Alliance, or learn about our partners and supporters, contact Charles Iceland
To learn more about the design and development of the Aqueduct database and its derivative tools, contact Tien Shiao
Meet the Aqueduct Team
Betsy Otto
Director, Aqueduct Project
botto@wri.org
+1 (202) 729-7615
Betsy Otto is the Director of the Aqueduct project in the Markets and Enterprise Program at the World Resources Institute. Betsy leads the Aqueduct project and works with the Aqueduct team to build out the tool and use it to engage business, NGOs and governments for positive change in managing water resources worldwide. Betsy also works with staff across WRI on its broader water-related work.
Betsy brings strong experience in water management, ecosystem protection, and urban water systems. She has a background in business consulting, and over 20 years experience working on water issues with the non-profit, business and government communities. Over the past two decades she has worked to promote sound land and water planning, ecologically-based riverfront revitalization efforts in cities, and urban water infrastructure systems that incorporate upstream ecosystem services, green infrastructure designs in cities, and integrate drinking water, stormwater and wastewater management. Most recently at American Rivers in Washington, DC, Betsy developed successful clean water and water supply programs, and worked closely with mayors, utilities, federal agencies and Congress to promote smart water policies and drive public and private investment toward more sustainable water infrastructure solutions.
Betsy earned a Masters in Water Resources Management from the University of Wisconsin’s Nelson Institute, MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School, and a BA in Economics from the University of Illinois. From 2006-2007, she was a Loeb Fellow at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, where she studied international water management, urban infrastructure, and water and sanitation issues.
Betsy loves cycling, flatwater kayaking, history, and watching water pour over Great Falls on the Potomac river.
Kirsty Jenkinson
Director, Markets & Enterprise Program
kjenkinson@wri.org
+1 (202) 729-7748
Kirsty leads the Markets and Enterprise Program, which focuses on harnessing markets and enterprise to expand opportunity and protect the environment. One objective of this program is to influence how companies and financial markets identify, evaluate, and manage environmental risks and opportunities; Aqueduct is a project within this objective.
A British national, Kirsty spent the first six years of her career at Goldman Sachs in London working in Fixed Income sales and research analyzing corporate securities. She moved to UK-based fund manager, F&C Asset Management, in 2001 to pursue her long-term career goal: encouraging the creation of sustainable, responsible, successful businesses and financial markets. At F&C, Kirsty was a Director in the Governance & Sustainable Investment team and was at the forefront of analyzing how environmental, social and governance issues impact business. Using the influence of F&C’s $150bn of investments, the Governance & Sustainable Investment team encouraged companies around the world to address a diverse range of issues, including climate change, biodiversity loss, corruption, human rights and corporate governance. Kirsty holds a M.A. in International History from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland.
Charles Iceland
Senior Associate
ciceland@wri.org
+1 (202) 729-7746
Charles currently manages the Aqueduct Alliance.
Charles previously partnered with several major multinational corporations, including Mondi Group, Rio Tinto, Akzo Nobel, and BC Hydro, to develop, road test, and apply an innovative methodology for assessing corporate risks and opportunities stemming from ecosystem change.
He is author or contributing author of The Corporate Ecosystem Services Review; Ecosystem Services: A Guide for Decision Makers; Identifying Important Ecosystem Goods & Services in Puget Sound; and Trees in the Greenhouse: Why Climate Change is Transforming the Forest Products Business.
Charles previously worked at the World Environment Center, where he developed innovative supply chain environmental management pilot programs for Alcoa, Johnson & Johnson, Dow Chemical, and General Motors. Prior to this, he worked at the Office of the United States Trade Representative, the United States House of Representatives, and the Peterson Institute for International Economics. He also worked in the banking and finance sector for several years and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). Charles earned his undergraduate degree from Yale University and a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University.
Robert Kimball
Communications and Outreach
rkimball@wri.org
+1 (202) 729-7687
Robert (Rob) works to coordinate outreach and communications around Aqueduct.. He also assists with the working groups charged with designing, testing, and applying Aqueduct’s database and tools for a variety of audiences.
Rob previously worked in government relations, advocating for the funding and implementation of environmentally sound water infrastructure solutions in communities across the United States. He has also done research and advocacy on wildlife conservation issues ranging from multinational species conservation finance to illegal online trafficking in animal products. Rob holds a B.A. in political science from American University in Washington D.C.
Tien Shiao
Associate
tshiao@wri.org
+1 (202) 729-7772
Tien Shiao is responsible for the design and development of the Aqueduct database and derivative tools.
Prior to WRI, Tien worked for four years at Battelle Memorial Institute, a research and technology firm based in Columbus, Ohio. As an environmental engineer, she led several technology assessment projects for municipalities to remove arsenic from drinking water. She also enjoyed her summer experience as a fellow at the Yale Entrepreneurial Institute investigating market opportunities for a patent-pending drinking water technology.
Tien is a native Taiwanese but grew up in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, and Malaysia. She holds a Master of Environmental Management from Yale University, a Master in Environmental Engineering from Northwestern University, and a Bachelor in Civil and Environmental Engineering from University of Michigan- Ann Arbor.
Paul Reig
Associate
preig@wri.org
+1 (202) 729-7643
Paul Reig is responsible for the design and development of the Aqueduct database and derivative tools.
Prior to joining WRI, Paul spent close to four years managing water resources conservation construction projects in the US. As project manager, he implemented 23 water resources ecosystem restoration and management projects throughout the US States of Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina. Paul also spent time in Latin America working with international energy and mining corporations, assisting them in their efforts to incorporate socioeconomic development and environmental sustainability strategies into their projects.
Paul grew up in Barcelona, and holds a Master in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) from McGill University in Montreal, a BS and MS in Environmental and Agricultural Biology from the University of Navarra, in Pamplona, Spain, as well as a Certificate in Project Management from Georgetown University.
Francis Gassert
Research Assistant
fgassert@wri.org
+1 (202) 729-7776
Francis Gassert is a Research Assistant for the Aqueduct project within WRI’s Markets and Enterprise Program. He is responsible for managing Aqueduct’s data collection and analysis, and specializes in GIS, computational workflows, and indicator development.
Prior to joining WRI, Francis worked as a research assistant evaluating socioeconomic impacts of large dam development in the Three Rivers region of Yunnan, China, and supporting the development of a decision making tool for hydropower development. He has also interned in commodities analysis at Barclays Capital and in video game development at Foundation 9’s Imaginengine studio. Francis holds a B.A. in environmental studies from Colby College with a background in economics and environmental policy.
