We’re excited to introduce two new team members this month: Senior Analyst Sarah Castle and Policy Director Charles Delgado!
Sarah Castle joins us as our new Senior Analyst with more than 10 years of experience as a soil scientist working to understand land use and climate change impacts on soils. Under the general guidance of the Director of Business Partnerships and in collaboration with program team members, Sarah develops analytical frameworks, conduct analyses using quantitative and qualitative data from internal and external sources, and facilitate discussions that result in actionable recommendations. Sarah works with our Waste Not and Water for the Future teams, initially focusing on three key efforts: prioritizing where to target adoption of dairy drip irrigation systems to maximize benefit to drinking water, identifying pathways for exporting excess manure, and evaluating opportunities for using soil health practices to generate water and climate benefits. Additionally, Sarah will help build upon and strengthen our thinking around equity and our impact on communities by integrating relevant indicators into our analyses.
Prior to Sustainable Conservation, Sarah worked as a Research Scientist at the University of Minnesota, where her research was aimed at understanding dairy manure impacts on soil health and soil biology. Before that, she worked at the USDA Agricultural Research Service researching the impacts of crop rotation and nutrient management on soil microbial communities. Sarah earned her PhD from the University of Montana in Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences. She holds an MS in Geological Sciences and BA in Environmental Sciences from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Charles Delgado is Policy Director for Sustainable Conservation, and works with government agencies, legislative bodies, and stakeholders to represent the organization. As Policy Director, Charles coordinates with public agency, NGO, and private sector partners to ensure that priorities identified by Sustainable Conservation are part of the implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, CV Salts, the Irrigated Lands Regulatory Programs, and other policies. In addition, Charles regularly maintains communications with agency partners such as the State Water Resources Control Board, the Regional Water Boards, the Natural Resources Agency, the Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Department of Water Resources, the Department of Food and Agriculture, and others.
Prior to joining Sustainable Conservation, Charles spent a decade with the State Water Resources Control Board, serving as Assistant Legislative Director. In that time, Charles worked with multiple Governors and the State Legislature to enact major policy initiatives in the provision of safe and affordable drinking water, groundwater management, drought response, stewardship of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, fracking oversight, passage of multiple water bonds, and many other issues.
Charles is based in Sacramento. He holds a Master’s in Public Policy and Administration from California State University Sacramento, and a Bachelor’s in Integral Liberal Arts from Saint Mary’s College of California. In his free time, Charles can usually be found along stretches of California coastline from Point Reyes to Morro Bay, on the Sacramento River, or in one of the state’s many baseball parks.