Urban Waters Speak

Recorded in May 2026, Rebecca Tamiru, Senior Manager of Community Adaptation Projects at Groundwork USA and team member of the Urban Waters Learning Network, interviews Ozzy Meneses.  Ozzy is the Director of Community Projects and Partnerships at Groundwork San Diego Chollas Creek , where he leads efforts to create community-driven projects that restore land, improve water quality, and expand acce...

Recorded on April 9, 2025, Jalisa Gilmore, Senior Manager of Health and Land Use Programs at Groundwork USA and team member of the Urban Waters Learning Network, interviews Cindi Ptak, Ambassador for the Rio Reimagined Urban Waters Federal Partnership Location. Cindi Ptak is a national leader in federal funding strategy and place-based infrastructure investment. She is the founder of Hummingbird C...

This audio recording shares “Stories of Resilience” from four panelists who spoke at the Urban Waters Learning Forum networking session taking place in Grand Rapids, MI on May 13, 2024.  Look for more urban waters resources at www.urbanwaterslearningnetwork.org . We are the initiative funded by EPA's Urban Waters Program , in cooperation with the NPS Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistanc...

Recorded on Dec 6, 2023, Renée Mazurek, Resilient Communities Manager for River Network and team member of the Urban Waters Learning Network, interviews Sarah Calderon, Groundwork Richmond 's Workforce Development Director and President of Groundwork USA’s Board of Directors.    In the conversation, Renée talks to Sarah about urban forestry and the intersections of the work with social justic...

Recorded on February 14th, 2023, Renée Mazurek, Resilient Communities Manager for River Network and team member of the Urban Waters Learning Network, interviews Maria De Jesus, the Housing Justice Organizer for Ironbound Community Corporation (ICC), and a member of the Urban Waters Learning Network Equitable Development and Anti-Displacement Collaborative . Maria works directly with community memb...

 Recorded on August 4, 2023, Renée Mazurek, Resilient Communities Manager for River Network and team member of the Urban Waters Learning Network, interviews Candida Rodriguez, the Director of Community Relations for Groundwork Hudson Valley. Candida is the Director of Community Relations for Groundwork Hudson Valley in Yonkers, NY, where she is responsible for implementing community engagement pro...