Two new members have been confirmed on the Sacramento Valley Conservancy Board of Trustees.
Leo Winternitz has more than 40 years experience working with California water issues including water resource management, collaborative processes and environmental aquatic restoration. He previously worked for GEI Consultants Inc. as a senior project manager and currently serves as a board member and vice-chair for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy and as an environmental caucus member to the Sacramento Water Forum. Prior to joining GEI, Leo held several positions in the California water resources arena, most recently as Delta Program Director and Senior Advisor for The Nature Conservancy. Prior to this, Leo served as Deputy Director for the CALFED Bay-Delta Program, which focused on water and environmental management activities in the Sacramento-San Joaquin region. He also served as the Executive Director for the Sacramento Water Forum, a diverse group of 40 stakeholder organizations representing business, agriculture, citizens’ groups, environmentalists, and water managers who have collaboratively negotiated a regional water supply and environmental protection agreement for the American River watershed to the year 2030. Leo has also served in public office as a director and past-president of the Arcade Water District and served as a board member and past-president of the American River Parkway Foundation. Leo lives in Carmichael with his wife Brenda and in his free time enjoys visits with his three daughters and five grandchildren, bird watching, kayaking, hiking and camping.
Karen Kayfetz is the Product Stewardship Branch Chief at CalRecycle, where she leads a dedicated team of environmental scientists in the pursuit of a more sustainable circular economy for California. Her work focuses on implementing public policies that hold businesses accountable for the end-of-life management of their products and packaging. Throughout her career in environmental stewardship, she has dedicated herself to fostering transparency and inclusiveness in government processes, distilling complex scientific concepts for diverse audiences, and developing science-based policies to further environmental conservation and protection. Karen holds an MSc in Marine Biology from San Francisco State University and a BSc in Ecology and Environmental Biology from Brown University.
