2024 Water Summit Speakers

Sierra Alberts has represented the State of Indiana in environmental matters for over 24 years. Sierra’s practice is within Office of Water Quality at the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM). She represents IDEM in administrative appeals, provides legal counsel, and works with the Indiana attorney general’s office on civil litigation matters. Sierra is also the section chief of the Office of Criminal Investigations. Sierra has worked with the Indiana attorney general’s office, where she defended and prosecuted environmental matters for state agencies including IDEM, the Indiana State Department of Health, and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources in matters before administrative, state, and federal courts. Before she came to the state in 1999, Sierra was a deputy prosecuting attorney with the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office. Sierra received her Doctor of Jurisprudence from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Spanish with a minor in Business Administration from the University of Indianapolis.

Mark Basch is Head of the Water Rights & Use Section in the Division of Water at the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Mark is a hydrogeologist with a bachelor’s degree in geology from Ball State University and a master’s degree in geology from Indiana University. He has worked for the DNR Division of Water since 1984.

State Representative Chris Campbell was first elected to the Indiana House of Representatives on Nov. 6, 2018. She represents House District 26 in Tippecanoe County. Representative Campbell is the ranking minority member of the Government and Regulatory Affairs Committee and is a member of the budget-writing Ways and Means Committee as well as the Insurance Committee. She works in Lafayette as an audiologist and serves on the Executive Board of Indiana Speech and Hearing Association. She also volunteers throughout her community, and has served on the West Lafayette Library Board. Working and the West Lafayette Redevelopment Commission.

Ginger Davis, a Licensed Professional Geologist, is a research hydrogeologist at Indiana Geological and Water Survey working to understand and share information of surface and ground water resources in Indiana. Ginger previously worked at several Soil and Water Conservation Districts, as a Hydrogeologist with DNR Division of Water, as a consultant, and has taught geology at IvyTech. Ginger has master’s degrees in both geology and civil engineering from IU and Norwich University focused on water resources. She currently chairs the AWWA Source Water Protection Committee and holds professional certifications in sediment and erosion control, floodplain management, watershed leadership, and natural resource training.

Charles Gill has worked in the wastewater and water industries for 18 years. After serving 7 years in the United States Navy, he began his water career working with Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD) in Yorktown, Virginia in 2006. Charles earned his Wastewater Operator Journeyworker Certification and his Associates in Business Administration through Strayer University. In 2015 Charles came home to Indiana to take his current position as the Manager of the Greenfield Water Utility. He is the Apprenticeship Director, a WT3 Water Operator, Workforce Committee Chairperson, Graduate of IWEA LDI class, and a Certified Public Supervisor through Ball State University

Dr. Beth Hall is the Director of the Indiana State Climate Office, Midwestern Regional Climate Center, and manager of the Purdue Mesonet. With over 25 years of climate services experience, she has dedicated her efforts toward identifying opportunities for climate data to be used as decision-support tools and resources for a variety of sectors including agriculture, urban flood management, and public health. Her research interests focus on climate applications and operational climate tools for stakeholders and decision-support needs. Dr. Hall is a faculty member in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Science at Purdue University.

Chris Janak is a partner at Bose McKinney & Evans LLP and chair of its Utilities Group and Governmental Services Group. He has served as special and local counsel for many for-profit and nonprofit utilities, counties, regional districts, conservancy districts, municipalities, and other governmental entities in Indiana. In recent years, Chris has represented clients in a number of precedent setting cases involving local and governmental powers, contractual matters, utility rates, territorial disputes, utility procedures, utilities’ powers and duties, public service providers’ jurisdictions, and the rights and powers of municipalities. Currently, he is general counsel to the American Water Works Association.

Dawn Keyler has been employed with Wessler Engineering as a Project Analyst since March of 2020. She serves as the Chair of the INAWWA Emergency Preparedness and Security Committee, as well as a member of the operations committee for the InWARN organization. She is a member of the Indiana Executive Council on Cyber Security for the Water Sector. She is a certified trainer for the American Water Works Association Water Sector Cybersecurity Risk Management Tool. She is an experienced Project Analyst with a demonstrated history of working in the civil engineering and non-profit industries and a strong knowledge of government and engineering procedures. She has an Associate of Science degree from the University of Indianapolis.

Linda S. Lee is a Distinguished Professor at Purdue University with a joint appointment in the Colleges of Agriculture and Engineering. She is also Assistant Dean of Research and Graduate Education in the College of Agriculture and Program Head for the Ecological Sciences and Engineering Interdisciplinary Graduate Program. She joined Purdue in 1993 with degrees in chemistry (BS), environmental engineering (MS) and soil chemistry/contaminant hydrology (PhD) from the University of Florida. Professor Lee is a leader in environmental chemistry, fate, remediation and mitigation of persistent contaminants and supports exposure effect studies, with PFAS challenges driving much of her research for the last two decades. She also serves on advisory groups addressing water quality, water treatment residuals, and consumer product policies.

Dr. Sally Letsinger is a Senior Research Scientist in the Department of Geography at Indiana University-Bloomington. She has over 30 years of experience studying Indiana’s water resources. Dr. Letsinger received her Ph.D. in geological sciences from Indiana University. She was the Principal Investigator for the Southeast Central Indiana water study in 2023 and is currently a member of the leadership team coordinating the two latest regional water studies – North Central Indiana and the Wabash Headwaters region.

Dr. Garth Lindner is the manager of the Resource Assessment Section with the Indiana DNR Division of Water. He is also an adjunct faculty member at the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University. Garth holds a BA and MS, both from Indiana University and a PhD from the University of Maryland-Baltimore County in the fields of Geography and Environmental Sciences. This education and experience include a broad interdisciplinary background in water resources and natural resource conservation, with special interests in watershed hydrology, hydrogeology, and fluvial processes.

Jim McGoff is Chief Operating Officer and Director of Environmental Programs of the Indiana Finance Authority and has also served as the Finance Authority's General Counsel. Prior to joining State government, Jim was a partner in the Indianapolis law firm Bingham McHale LLP (currently, Dentons, LLP), where he was a member of the firm's public finance practice group, representing the State of Indiana and many Indiana cities and towns with their municipal borrowing needs. He is a past member of the US EPA Environmental Financial Advisory Board (2016-2021), US EPA SRF State Workshop, and the Council of Infrastructure Financing Authorities, serving as President from 2020-2022. Jim was also a member of the Great Lakes Protection Fund - Advisory Board. Mr. McGoff is a past member of the National Association of Bond Lawyers, Indiana and American Bar Associations, and is a Certified Public Accountant (Inactive). He graduated with a degree in Accounting from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business and earned a J.D. from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law.

Tim McLelland started as Manager with the Hamilton to New Baltimore Groundwater Consortium in 2000, and has held that position since. As the Groundwater Consortium Manager, he is responsible for a unique collaborative approach to Source Water Protection efforts by multiple public water systems and two private companies located in Southwest Ohio. Like many local communities, the Consortium has to address existing polluted sites, along with sites that have the potential to pollute groundwater. Members of the Consortium have successfully implemented a cost-effective way to address each aspect of Source Water Protection management as a unified group throughout several communities. Prior to the Consortium, Mr. McLelland spent approximately 8 years of combined experience with hazardous materials and waste cleanup as well as Environmental Consulting. He has a BS from Morehead State University in Environmental Science with a Geology Concentration and Earth Science minor.

Matt Meersman developed a strong connection to the water growing up near the St. Joseph River in South Bend, IN. In the summer he played in the river during the week and traveled two hours away to his family's lake cottage on the weekend. His mind was blown when he realized the lake was connected to the river and the water was all the same. He now works as the Director of the St. Joseph River Basin Commission and serves as the President of the Friends of the St. Joe River Association. His passion for the water comes from a love of being on and in it. When he is not working on watershed projects, you will find him paddling canoes and kayaks on lakes and rivers throughout the Great Lakes region and beyond.

Josh Messmer is the Morgan County administrator. He has served in that role for five years, and has been working on the county’s aquifer study with INTERA for approximately 18 months. Josh is a civil engineer with both his PE and SE licenses. Before becoming the Morgan County administrator, he served as the city engineer for the City of Martinsville and before that designed elevated water towers with Phoenix Fabricators & Erectors.

Jason Moeckel is currently the Manager for the Inventory, Monitoring and Analysis Section of the Division of Ecological and Water Resources at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. This section is responsible for collecting and analyzing information about Minnesota’s water and biological resources to inform management decisions. Jason previously managed Minnesota’s premier trout streams in Southeastern Minnesota, and served as Statewide Fisheries Operations Supervisor. Jason has an MS in Resource Conservation from the University of Montana and a BS in Environmental Studies from San Jose State University.

Damarys Mortenson is the USDA-NRCS Indiana state conservationist, headquartered in Indianapolis. She has worked for the agency for 32 years. Mortenson began her career with NRCS in 1992 as a soil conservationist trainee in Iowa and quickly moved through the ranks. She became a district conservationist and an assistant state conservationist, working in Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, and West Virginia. Damarys joined Indiana NRCS in November of 2023 as the tenth state conservationist. She is a native of Mayaguez, Puerto Rico where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Mechanization (Engineering) Technology from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez campus.

Christina Motilall is the Lead Public Affairs Specialist managing all communications for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR). Before joining OEJECR, Christina was an Environmental Protection Specialist in the EPA's Office of Atmospheric Programs’ Stratospheric Protection Division, and worked previously in the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics and the Office of Pesticide Programs. Prior to the EPA, she worked as an Energy and Environment fellow for a local think tank, and as an Environmental Scientist at a consulting firm in Minnesota. Christina is also an Adjunct Professor for Indiana University’s O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs teaching for the school’s DC Accelerator program. She also holds master’s degrees from IU O’Neill in Environmental Policy and Natural Resource Management and Environmental Chemistry, Toxicology, and Risk Assessment.

Vanessa Green Sinders became President and CEO of the Indiana Chamber on January 4, 2024. She is the Chamber’s first female president. She is the founder and principal of Green Sinders Consulting, which provides leadership development and coaching services, strategic advice, project execution, and crisis management services to clients. Prior to her role at the Indiana Chamber, she was Senior Vice President and Department Head for Government Affairs at the American Hotel & Lodging Association, and Senior Vice President for Government Affairs at Charter Communications/Spectrum. She holds a bachelor’s degree in government from Dartmouth College with a minor in economics.

Jennifer Thum is the Director of the Division of Soil Conservation in the Indiana State Department of Agriculture. In that role, she is also the Secretary of the State Soil Conservation Board. The Division of Soil Conservation works with all 92 Soil and Water Conservation Districts in the state, coordinates the Indiana Conservation Partnership, and leads the State Nutrient Reduction Strategy. In her previous roles in the Division, Jennifer oversaw the Western Lake Erie Basin Regional Conservation Partnership Program and the Kankakee Regional Conservation Partnership Program. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Michigan University and a Master’s in Public Administration from Norther Michigan University.

John Trypus, P.E., P.G., is Director of Underground Engineering and Construction at Citizens Energy Group in Indianapolis. In that role, he oversees capital work associated with Citizens’ water distribution and wastewater collection systems as well as the DigIndy Tunnel Project. John has 25 years of experience in the planning, design, and construction of utility projects. He holds a bachelor’s degree in geology from the University of South Florida and an MBA from Johns Hopkins University.

Les Zimmerman resides with Anna, his wife of 45 years on their farm in Vermillion County where he operated a wholesale tree nursery until his retirement in 2017. Their farm features no till, cover crops, buffers, pond and wetland development, timber stand improvement, and pollinator habitat. Les served fifteen years on the Vermillion Co. SWCD. He served eight years on the board of IASWCD. He chaired the oversight committee of the Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative for its first nine years. He is a current board member of the Vermillion Trails Alliance. Les continues to pursue his passion for conservation as the Legislative Affairs Manager of the IASWCD.