ABOUT US

OUR MISSION

  • Maintain water quality and abundance for the natural environment and for human consumption and enjoyment

  • Decrease artificial diversions and restore the natural movement of water

  • Augment water resources to increase the resilience of municipal and agricultural systems in the event of drought-induced shortages, wildfires, earthquakes, and in anticipation of currently unknown effects of climate change

  • Educate the public about the discipline of applied conservation

TEAM

Doug Jacuzzi

Founder & Executive Director

  • Doug Jacuzzi is an architect in San Francisco with a strong sustainability focus. He has successfully implemented water reclamation projects across the San Francisco Bay Area, including the Far Out West Water community garden and numerous private properties.

    DJ has received awards and published accolades for his work, including: San Francisco Bay Guardian’s Best of the Bay – Small Green Push – 2006, San Francisco Department of Energy’s Solar Showcase and Case Study House – 2010, San Francisco Chronicle: Cityscape by John King – Touch of Green in the Marina– 2009, Remodeling Magazine, Sunset Magazine, 1997.

Christine Doughty

Science

  • Christine Doughty obtained a PhD in hydrogeology from the University of California, Berkeley in 1995, and is now a staff scientist in the Earth and Environmental Sciences Area at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Research interests involve mathematical modeling of multi-component, multi- phase fluid flow and heat transport in heterogeneous geologic settings, including fractured rock. Applications include optimal utilization of geothermal and petroleum reservoirs, the geologic storage of carbon dioxide and nuclear waste, groundwater and vadose-zone contaminant remediation, design and analysis of aquifer and soil thermal energy storage systems, and analysis of watershed and groundwater-basin hydrologic cycles.

Christopher Sproul

Legal

  • Mr. Sproul holds a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley and an M.A. and B.A. in political science from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Mr. Sproul served as an Assistant Regional Counsel for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from 1987 until 2002. At EPA, Mr. Sproul’s primary concentration was representing EPA in enforcement actions, particularly under the Clean Water Act, but also under the Safe Drinking Water Act, Clean Air Act, and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

    His accomplishments while at the EPA include several judicial and administrative settlements and judgments; reviews of state environmental programs; drafting EPA regulations and proposed amendments to the Clean Water Act, and provided client counseling to numerous EPA regulatory officials. From 1997 to 1998, he also served on special assignment from EPA to the State of Hawaii Attorney General where he represented the state of Hawaii on numerous water pollution enforcement actions. From 2006 to 2010, Mr. Sproul was an Adjunct Professor at Golden Gate University School of Law in San Francisco where he taught a course on environmental litigation. In 2002 Mr. Sproul founded Environmental Advocates, a law firm specializing in public interest environmental law, representing environmental and community groups and citizens in litigation and administrative advocacy designed to advance conservation and environmental protection.

Arthine Cossey van Duyne

Growth Strategy, Board of Directors

  • Arthine Cossey van Duyne received an MBA from International Institute of Management Development (IMD), Lausanne, Switzerland and a BA in Economics from University of California, Davis. She is a veteran of the US Army Reserves holding Civil Affairs and Military Intelligence roles. Ms. Cossey van Duyne is a growth and development strategist with 20+ years experience planning and implementing product and operations expansion. Ms. Cossey van Duyne has guided Internet technology, financial services and government teams to identify, plan and execute global and domestic growth strategies. Guiding the process from analytical planning through tactical execution. In 2007, following a growing passion for keen innovations in water, she began mentoring water technology companies with nano- material solutions for wastewater treatment and desalination. She guided these teams through early stage fund raising and pilots. As the landscape for US clean tech investment shifted, she included Project Finance pathways for these startups.

    In 2015, Ms. Cossey van Duyne launched WaterFunder, LLC, a strategic development consultancy that addresses the gap in infrastructure funding for broadly defined renewables projects including drinking water, wastewater, storage, conveyance and distribution systems. In 3 years she has identified a pipeline of buildable projects valued over $250 Million and has built an investor asset base with a combined value of more than $2 Billion. Currently, she is helping public and private water utilities prioritize capital improvement projects for direct investment by private investors and currently serves on the Innovation and Finance committees for American Water Works Association (“AWWA”). Ms. Cossey van Duyne speaks English, Spanish, German, and Russian.

Ralph Lane

Government Interface, Board of Directors

  • B.C. (before children) A decade of work as a public defender: five years in NYC Legal Aid Society’s Criminal Defense Division, five years in San Francisco’s Bayview Hunter’s Point as a Community Defender.

    A.P. (as parent) I invested and volunteered in a local consumer co-op for organic food. After I joined the board, we re-incorporated as a workers collective that grew strong enough to buy me and other investors out. After unloading produce trucks for thirteen years, I flipped the profits into a warehouse where I dream of creating affordable housing.

    E.N. (empty nesting) After a dozen years of serving as an adjudicator of criminal cases in several of the city’s Neighborhood Courts (Sunset, Bayview, and the Mission), I am expanding my government labors. I’m volunteering in my local newly elected Supervisor’s office.

    T.O. (throughout) I have an unpublished novel about my great-great-great grandfather’s adventures in Gold Rush San Francisco, and a half dozen unproduced plays. (Scorpio sun, Cancer moon, Gemini ascendant)

Alyssa Go

  • Alyssa Go earned a M.S. from Yale University and a B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Ms. Go is the VP of Sustainability at Renewable Resources Group, a Los Angeles-based investment firm focused on water, agriculture, and renewable energy in California and abroad. Ms. Go oversees RRG’s environmental impact work at both the investment and asset management levels. Much of her work focuses on long-term sustainable water management, groundwater recharge and recovery, and habitat conservation. She helps drive RRG’s investments to have greater environmental and social benefit, which in turn adds value to the company and individual assets.

    Alyssa has experience in environmental management, environmental policy, coalition building, and advocacy. She was the Director of Policy and founding member of Edison Water Resources, a distributed water company launched by Edison International. She also was the lead policy liaison for Southern California Edison’s energy efficiency programs, which had an annual budget of $400M, as well as worked on environmental advocacy at the Natural Resources Defense Council in Washington, DC.

Policy, Board of Directors

Aram Marks

Design

  • Aram Marks graduated cum laude from Yale University’s ‘Joint Masters Degree Program’ in Architecture & Environmental Science. His masters thesis focused on urban scale stormwater management through design interventions that served as public green space while also facilitating water quality data collection. Mr. Marks also double majored at Harvard University with degrees in Environmental Science and Public Policy. Mr. Marks worked nine years as a chief designer and project manager for the internationally recognized architectural firm Marmol Radziner.

    While at Marmol Radziner, Mr. Marks designed and saw through construction progressive water and energy infrastructure solutions for both residential and commercial building projects. These projects required the blending of function, efficiency, and aesthetics and garnered world wide recognition through publication in architectural and engineering professional journals. In 2019 Mr. Marks joined forces with Doug Jacuzzi and Georgia Hodges’ San Francisco based firm, Soularch Design, to open Soularch Design•South with offices in Los Angeles.

Phil Lonsdale

Business Development

  • Phil Lonsdale earned an MSc, cum laude. in Sustainability & Social Innovation from HEC Paris and a BA in English Literature from Washington University, St.Louis. Phil Lonsdale served as the President of the Far Out West Garden from May 2013 to August 2015. In that capacity he helped recruit hundreds of volunteers to contribute to the construction and maintenance of the garden, produced cultural events and created educational programming in partnership with Sunset Youth Services and Aim High.

    Phil was responsible for creating the administrative structure of Far Out West and successfully applied for a Parks Alliance Action Grant and the Public Utilities Commission Watershed Stewardship Grant. Phil was inspired by his time at Far Out West to pursue a Masters in Sustainability, Alternative Models and Social Innovation at HEC Paris. During the Masters program he met a pair of young agro-industrial engineers and joined them in creating Cycle Farms. Cycle Farms is developing the future of animal feed in Africa by introducing a circular economy model of protein production through the rearing of insect larvae in food waste. As Business Developer Phil was responsible for launching the company’s first industrial production facility, which just opened in Tema, Ghana. He is currently living in London and working with the recipe box company, Gousto.

Peter Sloan

Interim Communications Director

  • Peter Sloan holds a dual B.A. from St. John's College in Philosophy and the History of Science and Mathematics. He brings seven years of experience across nonprofit communications and operations as well as a healthy love of all moving water to his work at WWR. He wrote a thesis on the philosophy of technology, is fascinated by economics, film, and literature, and is passionate about food and the arts.

Amber Cady

Human Resources

  • Amber holds a Master’s in Counseling Psychology from the Wright Institute and a BFA in Interdisciplinary Studies from the San Francisco Art Institute. She is passionate about supporting individuals, collaborators, and teams in building resilient, people‑first cultures that drive collaboration, productivity, and the stewardship needed for environmental sustainability.