About the Foundation

HISTORY/BACKGROUND

Delta Vision was created by Executive Order of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on September 17, 2006 to find a durable vision for sustainable management of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, so it could continue to support environmental and economic functions critical to the people of California.

In February 2007, the governor appointed the independent Delta Vision "Blue Ribbon" Task Force chaired by Phil Isenberg, with members Monica Florian, Thomas McKernan, Sunne Wright McPeak, Raymond Seed, Richard M. Frank and William K. Reilly. The Task Force was assisted in its work by a 43-member Stakeholder Coordination Group representing a broad range of interests, appointed by Secretary for Resources Mike Chrisman. Delta Vision was also supported by Delta Science Advisors who drew upon a large community of scientists to inform the work of the Task Force.

Although it builds upon science work done through the CALFED Bay-Delta Program, Delta Vision broadened the focus of past Delta efforts to recommend actions that will address the full array of natural resource, infrastructure, land use and governance issues necessary to achieve a sustainable Delta.

Delta Vision was based on a growing consensus among scientists, supported by recent legislation and other information, indicating that current conditions in the Delta are not sustainable, and a new blueprint is required to secure California's water supply and protect this unique ecosystem.

In December 2007 The Delta Vision Task Force issued its report, Our Vision for the California Delta which identified its vision for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. In October 2008, the Task Force released its Delta Vision Strategic Plan.

With our official work concluded, members of the Task Force remain committed to the vision of our Strategic Plan - providing a reliable water supply for all Californians while protecting the Delta's extraordinary environmental resources.

In March 2009, we formed the Delta Vision Foundation as an independent body to continue to advance the integrated set of recommendations and strategies proposed in the Delta Vision Strategic Plan. Support for the Delta Vision Foundation is provided by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.

MEMBER BIOS

Phil Isenberg, Chair

Since 2005, Isenberg has served as president of Isenberg/O'Haren Government Relations. He served in the California State Assembly, where he was a member of the Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee. Isenberg served as chair of the California Marine Life Protection Act Blue Ribbon Task Force and on the board of directors of the 21st Century Insurance Group from 2004 to 2006, and is a current member or the American Civil Liberties Union, Sierra Club and the Sacramento Valley Conservancy.

Monica Florian

Florian most recently served as senior vice president for the Irvine Company from 1978 to 2004. Prior to that, she was assistant planning director for the City of Huntington Beach and associate planner for the County of Riverside. Florian is a former member of the Nature Reserve of Orange County, the Upper Newport Bay Watershed Executive Committee and the California Council for Environmental and Economic Balance.

Richard Frank

Frank is executive director of the California Center for Environmental Law and Policy at Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to that, he worked for nearly a decade at the state Department of Justice office, ultimately reaching the rank of chief deputy attorney general for Legal Affairs. He previously held the positions of chief assistant attorney general, senior assistant attorney general, supervising deputy attorney general and deputy attorney general. He is a member of the Environmental Law Section of the California State Bar and the Planning and Conservation League.

Thomas McKernan

McKernan is chief executive officer of the Automobile Club of Southern California, where he has worked since 1966. He is on the boards and past chair of the California Business Roundtable and the California State Chamber of Commerce. He is currently chair and serves on the boards of Blue Shield of California and Forest Lawn Memorial Parks Association.

Sunne Wright McPeak

McPeak is president and chief executive officer of the California Emerging Technology Fund. From 2003 to 2006, she served as secretary of the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, and prior to that was president and chief executive officer of the Bay Area Council, where she established and led major regional initiatives. She has also served as president and chief executive officer of the Bay Area Economic Forum.

William Reilly

Reilly is a founding partner of Aqua International Partners, under the Texas Pacific Group, an investment company, where he has also served as a senior advisor. From 1989 to 1993, Mr. Reilly served as the seventh administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and earlier in his career, was president of both the World Wildlife Fund and Conservation Foundation.

Raymond Seed, Ph.D.

Dr. Seed has been a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of California, Berkeley for 20 years. Previously, he was an assistant professor of civil engineering for Stanford University. Dr. Seed is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineers.

John Kirlin, Executive Director

John Kirlin brings more than 30 years of experience in policy analysis, administration and financing related to complex public policy issues, primarily in California. He has served as an environmental policy advisor to the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and held faculty positions at the University of Southern California for nearly 30 years and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis for five years.