Core Team
Oliver M. Brandes
Project Lead
Oliver M. Brandes is an economist and lawyer by training and a trans-disciplinarian by design. He serves as Co-Director of the POLIS Project on Ecological Governance, based at the University of Victoria’s Centre for Global Studies, where he leads the POLIS Water Sustainability Project.
Rosie Simms
Project Manager & Researcher
Rosie joined the POLIS Water Sustainability Project in June 2015, where her work includes research and outreach on legal/policy options to advance freshwater protection; convening B.C.
Laura Brandes
Communications Director
Laura Brandes leads the Water Sustainability Project’s communications, outreach, and knowledge mobilization activities.
Natasha Overduin
POLIS Associate & B.C. Water Governance Program Manager, Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources
Natasha Overduin is the Program Manager for the British Columbia Water Governance Program at the Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources (CIER).
Jon O’Riordan
Strategic Advisor, Water Policy
Dr. Jon O’Riordan joined the Water Sustainability Project as a strategic water policy advisor in 2007, where he focuses on provincial water policy reform and the ecological governance of water management.
Kelly Bannister
Water Ethics & Values Initiative
Dr. Kelly Bannister is Co-Director of the POLIS Project on Ecological Governance and heads the Water Ethics and Cross Cultural Values Initiative at the POLIS Water Sustainability Project.
Stephanie Gruhlke
Events & Administrative Assistant
Stephanie began work at the University of Victoria’s Centre for Global Studies (CFGS) in 2018.
Megan Spencer
Research Assistant
Megan joined the POLIS Project on Ecological Governance and POLIS Water Sustainability Project in May 2014.
Meena Ansari
Research Assistant
Meena is a third-year law student primarily interested in Indigenous and environmental law issues.
Sarah Jackson
Research Assistant
Sarah is a third-year law student at the University of Victoria.
Jonathen Bewley
Work Study Student
Jonathen Bewley is a Geography and Environmental Studies student at the University of Victoria.
Associates
Jesse Baltutis
Research Associate, Transboundary Governance
Jesse Baltutis joined the POLIS Water Sustainability Project in November 2011 as its Water Policy and Governance Project Coordinator.
David B. Brooks
Research Associate, Water Conservation & The Water Soft Path
David advises several Canadian non-governmental organizations on Canadian and international issues related to fresh water.
Randy Christensen
Research Associate, Water Law & Policy
Randy Christensen is a lawyer with a focus on water law and policy, qualified to practice in the United States and Canada.
Kirk Stinchcombe
Research Associate, Water Conservation & The Water Soft Path
Kirk Stinchcombe is a founding partner and sustainability specialist with Econics, a company that works with water service providers to help them set rates, control water demand, forecast revenue, manage their infrastructure, and sustain their watersheds.
