BPC Staff

John A. Coleman

Chief Executive Officer

510-768-8311 • john@bayplanningcoalition.org

In January 2011, John A. Coleman became the Executive Director of Bay Planning Coalition, a non-profit, public benefit, membership corporation, to advocate for the balanced regulation and use of Bay-Delta resources to ensure that commerce, recreation and the environment thrive in the region. The Coalition’s 175 members represent a broad spectrum of public and private Bay-Delta entities, including ports, maritime and shoreline industry, labor unions, local government, residential and commercial builders, recreational users and engineering, planning, environmental science, construction and legal professionals. The Coalition is governed by a 40-member Board of Directors. During his time with Bay Planning Coalition, Mr. Coleman has worked with the Bay Conservation and Development Commission on the Bay Plan Amendment and on their Strategic Plan update, and has greatly expanded the Coalition’s educational and advocacy presence locally and nationally, including introducing an annual Workshop Series, and continuing to build support in Sacramento and Washington, DC for the interests of the membership.

Coleman was elected to the Board of Directors of the East Bay Municipal Utility District in 1990 and has been continuously re-elected since that time. He represents Ward 2, which includes the communities of Alamo, Lafayette, and the Town of Danville; and portions of Pleasant Hill, San Ramon, and Walnut Creek. From 1996 to 2000, he served as President of EBMUD’s Board of Directors and was elected to serve as Vice President in 2009 and 2010. In 2011 and 2012, he was again elected to serve as President.

Coleman was elected as the President of the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) in December 2013.Coleman currently serves in the following capacities: Board Member of the Marine Exchange of the San Francisco Bay Region; Chair of the Upper Mokelumne River Watershed Authority (UMRWA); Board Member of the East Bay Leadership Council; Board Member of the Freeport Regional Water Authority (FRWA); member of the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority Advisory Committee; member of the Maritime Industry Advisory Board of the California State University Maritime Academy; member of the East Bay Economic Development Alliance Legislative Committee, and Board Member of DERWA, the joint powers authority for recycled water service provided by EBMUD and the Dublin-San Ramon Services District.

Additionally, Coleman’s past service includes: Chair of ACWA California Finance Water Task Force; Chair of ACWA’s Federal Affairs Committee; President of the board of the California Association of Sanitation Agencies (CASA); President of DERWA; member of National Water Resources Association (NWRA); member of WateReuse Association; member of ABAG’s CALFED Task Force; member of the Advisory Council for California Forward; Chair of Advisory Council for California Forward Water and Land Use Subcommittee; Deputy Director of External Affairs for the California Conservation Corps under Governors Wilson and Davis; President of the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce; Board Member of the National Association of Service & Conservation Corps; and member of the California Biodiversity Council.

Coleman is an Eagle Scout, and is past Scoutmaster of, and current Eagle Advisor to, Boy Scout Troop 243 in Lafayette. He has been elected to the Council Executive Board of the Boy Scouts’ Mt. Diablo Silverado Council. Coleman holds a Bachelor of Sciences in Natural Resources from the University of California, Berkeley, and a certificate in management from the University of the Pacific School of Business and Public Administration.

Ann Spaulding

Program Manager

ann@bayplanningcoalition.org

Ann Spaulding joined Bay Planning Coalition as Program Manager in September 2018. She has over 20 years of experience working with nonprofits, local government and environmental consulting firms, providing program management, stakeholder outreach, business development and government relations.

As Program Manager for Bay Planning Coalition, Ann Spaulding’s first project will be collaborating with Sonoma Water, NOAA and other agencies, to reach out to stakeholders and the public about the Advanced Quantitative Precipitation Information (AQPI) project. The goal of the AQPI is to better predict the changing weather conditions brought about by climate change and therefore help prevent catastrophic flooding and property damage.

Ms. Spaulding’s water-related and environmental consulting background began in 1992, with the promulgation of stormwater regulations and the need to inform and engage affected industry about compliance. In addition, Ann has served and is currently Water Task Force Co-Chair for the East Bay Leadership Council’s (EBLC), where she plans educational and policy discussion topics that include innovation and leadership in water supply planning , water recycling, potable reuse, storage sometimes leading to EBLC advocacy positions on important water legislation.

Ann’s areas of specialization are:

Communications and collaboration with institutions, stakeholders, agencies and elected officials.
Program development, coordination and management.
Stakeholder engagement and outreach.
Government relations, representation and policy analysis.
Business development strategy and implementation.

Cameron Carr

Director of Policy & Business Operations

cameron@bayplanningcoalition.org

Joining the BPC team in February 2022, Cameron continues to advance our organization’s interests with a strong understanding of the region’s agencies and policies. As a 2021 graduate of the University of San Diego with a BA in Political Science, he is well-informed on recent public policy issues and current government affairs with a focus on California politics. While attending USD, Cameron spent most of his free time organizing service trips with a California-based NGO to various countries in South America to provide medical and housing assistance, which jumpstarted his passion for policies that protect disadvantaged communities.

Growing up in California’s Central Valley surrounded by the agriculture and commodity industries, his background provides a valuable perspective to the BPC team. Aware of the importance of the Bay Area as a main connection for the Central Valley to broader markets, Cameron is excited to assist BPC members through advocacy efforts that encourage economic viability and adaptation.

Before joining BPC, Cameron worked in water policy at Merced Irrigation District, which controls a main reservoir connected to the San Joaquin River in the Central Valley. This exposure to the world of water politics in the Bay-Delta Watershed serves as a motivating factor for Cameron’s interest in sustainability efforts, as the effects of climate change directly impact water availability in the state.

Sophie Douglas

Director of Policy & Legislative Affairs

sophie@bayplanningcoalition.org

A sixth generation Bay Area native, Sophie is excited to be back in California after spending four years at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. She graduated in May 2022 with a degree in World Politics and a minor in Society & Environmental Issues and joined BPC shortly thereafter as a Policy Associate. While at OSU, Sophie interned for a State Representative in the Ohio Statehouse where she gained firsthand experience to the legislative process and aided in the passing of several key bills. She also interned for U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown in his Columbus office, assisting with constituent relations and case management. Luckily, she was able to meet with the Senator before the office was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sophie is coming to us directly from a statewide bi-partisan lobbying firm in Ohio where she has interned since 2020. There, she was able to work alongside the firm’s partners with multiple clients ranging from non-profits to large corporations.