Water Conservation Committee

A mayor-appointed advisory group for the city that assists with policy recommendations and program development.

The City of Santa Fe Water Conservation Committee (WCC) assists with policy recommendations and evaluates specific programs related to water conservation. The WCC typically meets on the second Tuesday of every month. Please check the meeting schedule, as the date or location may be changed due to Holidays, Election Day, or conflicts with other meetings.

The City is currently seeking to fill two positions on the Committee. All community members can apply, but we especially encourage those in Districts 3 and 4 to apply to help bring more geographic balance and local insight to the work. TO APPLY FOR MEMBERSHIP EMAIL cychavez@santafenm.gov

Meet Our WCC Members

bio coming soon

Abby Feldman received her Masters in Landscape Architecture from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, where she was awarded the Jacob Weidenman prize for outstanding ability and talent in design. Abby has designed and managed a wide variety of projects ranging from community gardens to public parks. Her passion is focused on urban redevelopment and she is committed to the belief that every person deserves to benefit from interactions with natural environments enhanced by design. Her work straddles the tension between wild landscapes and highly constructed systems such as infrastructure. She has helped bring projects across the Southwest to life for over a decade.

bio coming soon

Rick and Margy, his wife and life partner of 40 years, fell captive to Santa Fe’s spell
during their honeymoon here in 1986. In 2008, after careers in Dallas and Houston,
they retired in 2008 to the Davis Mountains near Marfa, TX, and ultimately migrated
North to Santa Fe in 2018 to a strawbale home in the Arroyo Hondo neighborhood.
Their family (immediate and extended) is full of naturalists, gardeners, teachers,
environmental activists, and even a farmer or two. Rick & Margy share a deep
appreciation of and respect for the natural world. They strive to raise awareness to
recognize everyone’s responsibility to conserve, preserve and protect our fragile
environment and wonderous ecosystems. Rick is honored to serve on the Water
Conservation Commission, to expand his local and regional advocacy, armed with
relevant information and tangible ways for everyone to be more mindful, aware and
engaged.

Caribou joined the Water Conservation Committee in the hope of applying a multi-disciplinary perspective to water conservation. Much of his career has been spent pursuing harebrained ideas and supporting the growth of new businesses. He is Partner Emeritus at SemperVirens, a venture capital firm focused on startups in health care and the future of work. Caribou is cofounder of InsureTech Connect, the largest InsureTech event in the world, as well as cofounder of the HR Transform conference focused on the impact of technology on the workplace. He previously cofounded QED Investors, a boutique venture capital firm focused on data-driven companies. He has an undergraduate degree in Physics and Philosophy, and graduate degrees in Law and Business. Outside the workplace, Caribou enjoys hiking and camping with his wife and daily walks with his large, excessively fluffy dog.

bio coming soon

Evan, a Canadian expat, moved to Santa Fe in 2021 with his wife to raise a family in this beautiful place she’s called home since childhood. Prior to Santa Fe Evan lived in New York for over 20 years, arriving after graduating with a Master in Architecture Degree from the Dalhousie Faculty of Architecture in Canada. Evan is a registered Architect in the states of New York and New Mexico. He has experience working on internationally recognized institutional projects such as the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment at Princeton University, Skirkanich Hall Bioengineering Research Facility at the University of Pennsylvania and most recently the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago for the Barack Obama Foundation. Each of these projects emphasizes environmental responsibility in design and construction achieving several certifications including ILFI Net Zero, LEED Platinum, and SITES along with various awards for design excellence. Evan is committed to being an active member of his chosen community here in Santa Fe, effecting positive change in whatever ways that he can. This includes teaching Architectural Design Studio at the University of New Mexico and volunteering as a member of the Santa Fe Water Conservation Committee. He strives to create more good than harm and to leave a legacy of which his daughter can be proud.

bio coming soon

A long time resident of Santa Fe, having arrived in 1975, for a “summer job” that now has turned into nearly 50 years of residency. Having studied Music Composition in school, it only became the obvious Santa Fe thing to do, which is to go into a completely unrelated field, Construction. He has been a licensed General Contractor in the state for nearly 30 years, and in the last 20 or so years has specialized in the design and construction of small highly water and energy efficient homes. The is bills second time serving on the board, and is known for his frequently expressed opinions on all sorts of water related issues, as they pertain to the built environment here in Santa Fe, and state wide.

A relative newcomer to Santa Fe, Brandon Vella quickly recognized the unique charm and potential of the city with its blend of unique cultures, natural beauty, and strong community bonds. Passionate about affordability, sustainability, and vibrancy, he envisions a Santa Fe that thrives as a role model city, particularly in the southwest. Armed with a decade of experience in engineering, customer support, sales, marketing, and operations, he is well-equipped to approach the challenges with a stakeholder-centric mindset, emphasizing empathy, active listening, and effective communication as crucial tools in influencing change.”