Natalie LaVan
Senior Program Manager
Natalie has spent the last four years at the Regional Water Management Foundation (RWMF) managing the Disadvantaged Community and Tribal Involvement grant from the Department of Water Resources. Natalie coordinated with agency partners from Santa Barbara to Santa Cruz to increase the understanding of the water management needs of Disadvantaged Communities and to assist in developing strategies and long-term solutions. Looking forward, she is managing the solicitation and implementation phases of the Integrated Regional Water Management grants, one starting in 2019 and the other starting in 2022. She is also managing two drought resiliency grants from the State
Budget Act of 2021. Her role includes the support of the Regional Water Management Group, through the research of future funding opportunities, bi-annual meeting support, and event coordination.
Natalie has focused her career on the restoration and preservation of this glorious planet of ours. Whether working for a local creek group, a national non-profit, or a global IGO, every position has expanded LaVan's knowledge and improved her capacity as a conservationist. Natalie brings twenty years of experience in local and international grants management, communications, and stakeholder engagement. Natalie's previous professional experiences include Program Manager for the Climate Geoengineering Governance Initiative at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs in New York; Stakeholder Engagement Program Consultant for the United Nations Division for Sustainable Development, New York; Program Fellow for Lehigh University's Sustainable Development Program in Sierra Leone and Uganda; and Community Engagement Manager for Save the Bay in Oakland.
Natalie is dedicated to expanding the reach and amplifying the voices of those left behind, including the environment and all the species that rely on it. As the sea levels rise, so do her ambitions for making a lasting impact. She can do so though her work at the RWMF by helping to funnel state and federal funds to local projects that engage residents and support essential developments.
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