The 2023 Water in the West Symposium brought together speakers and audiences from across sectors to share best practices and connect professionals around the theme Next Gen Water: From AI to Gen Z. The Symposium sold out with over 200 attendees and was hosted at the CSU Spur Hydro building for the first time.
Click the hyperlinks below to view video of the sessions.
THURSDAY, NOV. 9, 2023
8:30-9 A.M.
WELCOME
Jocelyn Hittle — Colorado State University System
Mayor Mike Johnston — City of Denver
Patrese Atine — Colorado State University
Chancellor Tony Frank — Colorado State University System
Governor Jared Polis — State of Colorado
9-9:45 A.M.
REMARKS
Secretary Tom Vilsack — U.S. Department of Agriculture
9:45-10:30 A.M.
NEXT GEN WORKFORCE: ENGAGING GEN Z & ALPHA
Joe Fuller — Harvard Business School
10:30-10:45 A.M.
BREAK
10:45-11:45 A.M.
NEXT GEN WATER: EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE
Moderated by Jayla Poppleton — Water Education Colorado
Barbara Martin — American Water Works Association
Maria Mazin — Denver Museum of Nature & Science
Meredith Moon — Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation
Jose Valero — Denver Water
11:45 A.M.-12:30 P.M.
NEXT GEN WATER: FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
Moderated by James Pritchett — Colorado State University
Simon Martinez — Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Farm & Ranch Enterprise
LaKisha Odom — Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research
Aric Olson — AvidWater/Rivulis
12:30-1:40 P.M.
LUNCH
Hydro 2nd floor
1:40-2:30 P.M.
NEXT GEN WATER: OUTDOOR INDUSTRY
Moderated by A. Alonso Aguirre — Colorado State University
Taishya Adams — Mukuyu Collective LLC
Conor Hall — State of Colorado
David Leinweber — Anglers Covey
2:30-3:15 P.M.
NEXT GEN WATER: INDIGENOUS AND TRIBAL WATER DIALOGUE
Moderated by Ernest House, Jr. — Keystone Policy Center
Mike Preston — Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Water Resources Committee
Kathryn Redhorse — Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs
3:15-3:30 P.M.
BREAK
3:30-4:15 P.M.
DISRUPTION AND OPPORTUNITY: AI AND MACHINE LEARNING
Lou DiLorenzo — Deloitte Consulting, LLP
4:15-5 P.M.
SHAPING NEXT GEN WATER: AI, ESG, AND CAPITAL “P” POLITICS
Moderated by Alan Salazar — Denver Water
Zoran Kapelan — Delft University of Technology
Michelle Katz — Ceres
Lauren Ris — Colorado Water Conservation Board
5 P.M.
5:05 P.M.
TOURS AND HAPPY HOUR
Hydro lobby

Hours
Monday-Friday: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
2nd Saturday of every month: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (closed all other Saturdays)
Closed Sundays
Location
4777 National Western Dr.,
Denver, CO 80216
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TONY FRANK
Chancellor, CSU System
Dr. Tony Frank is the Chancellor of the CSU System. He previously served for 11 years as the 14th president of CSU in Fort Collins. Dr. Frank earned his undergraduate degree in biology from Wartburg College, followed by a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Illinois, and a Ph.D. and residencies in pathology and toxicology at Purdue. Prior to his appointment as CSU’s president in 2008, he served as the University’s provost and executive vice president, vice president for research, chairman of the Pathology Department, and Associate Dean for Research in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. He was appointed to a dual role as Chancellor in 2015 and became full-time System chancellor in July 2019.
Dr. Frank serves on a number of state and national boards, has authored and co-authored numerous scientific publications, and has been honored with state and national awards for his leadership in higher education.
Dr. Frank and his wife, Dr. Patti Helper, have three daughters.


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.
JOCELYN HITTLE
Associate Vice President for CSU Spur, Colorado State University
Jocelyn Hittle is primarily focused on the CSU Spur campus at the National Western Center, and on supporting sustainability goals across CSU’s campuses. She sits on the Denver Mayor’s Sustainability Advisory Council, on the Advisory Committee for the Coors Western Art Show, and is a technical advisor for the AASHE STARS program.
Prior to joining CSU, Jocelyn was the Associate Director of PlaceMatters, a national urban planning think tank, and worked for the Orton Family Foundation. She has a degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Princeton, and a Masters in Environmental Management from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.
Jocelyn grew up in Colorado and spends her free time in the mountains or exploring Denver.

We’ll see you Saturday!
2nd Saturday at CSU Spur is 10 a.m.-2 p.m. this Saturday (June 14), and we’re hosting a plant and pollinator celebration with all kinds of family-friendly activities, including a plant sale with CSU Extension, cooking with herbs in the Ardent Mills Teaching and Culinary Center, pollinator activities on the green roof, and the inaugural People’s Market at the Center.