PROGRAM CO-CHAIRS

Dean Couch and the Office of General Counsel represent the Agency in district and appellate court litigation, and support the work of the Agency's divisions by conducting and defending adjudication proceedings, coordinating rulemaking actions, and giving legal advice.

Charles T. DuMars practices natural resource law in New Mexico, as well as in other states and internationally. He is also Professor Emeritus at the University of New Mexico School of Law.

Duane A. Smith provides leadership to the Board and manages the day-to-day activities of the Agency, whose mission is to manage and protect Oklahoma's water resources and to plan for Oklahoma's long-range water needs to ensure everyone has adequate quantities of good water.

FEATURED PRESENTERS

David Gover is a Pawnee/Choctaw Native American. Since joining the Native American Rights Fund's (NARF) in 2005, he has worked in water rights, Indian child welfare and tribal trust funds accounting issues. He previously served as an Assistant Attorney General for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, where he was assigned natural resource, environmental and water issues.

Stephen H. Greetham works closely with tribal leadership on water and natural resource issues, intergovernmental relations and legislative initiatives. He formerly practiced with the Nordhaus Law Firm in Albuquerque, where he served as water and associate general counsel to several American Indian tribes.

Taiawagi Helton joined the faculty in 2001, and teaches environmental law, property and Indian law. He has lectured extensively on topics related to Native American issues, is a member of the Board of Directors of Oklahoma Indian Legal Services, and is a Special Justice for the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes Supreme Court.

Judith Royster writes and lectures on federal Indian environmental, natural resources, and water law. She teaches civil procedure, administrative law, federal Indian law, and Native American natural resources law. She is an editor of and contributing author to Cohen's Handbook of Federal Indian Law, and the co-author of Native American Natural Resources Law: Cases and Materials.

FACULTY

Gary Allison teaches constitutional law, water law, regulated industries, and hazardous waste control. His scholarship includes a casebook on regulated industries. He has been lead counsel on five State Supreme Court challenges to initiative petitions concerning state government reorganization, abortion rights, education reform, and congressional term limits.

B. Wayne Dabney is the Chair of the Oklahoma Bar Association's Professional Responsibility Commission. His areas of practice include real estate law, commercial litigation, commercial transactions, employment law defense and legal negligence.

Jeri Fleming began work for the Institute in February 2007, primarily to work on the public participation portion of the ongoing update of the Oklahoma Comprehensive Water Plan. The Institute is working with Oklahoma citizens to develop policy recommendations for inclusion in the 2011 Comprehensive Water Plan Update.

Nathaniel Q. Gentry focuses on water and environmental law, litigation, land use, administrative law and legislative drafting. He was previously Republican Counsel to the United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Michael D. Graves represents corporate clients in more than 20 different states. He is a noted speaker on environmental law issues. He wrote the chapter on Oklahoma for Brownfields: A Comprehensive Guide to Redeveloping Contaminated Property, 2nd edition, American Bar Association, 2002.

Linda Crook Martin has over 20 years' experience in environmental and general commercial litigation. She has served as an administrative law judge for the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality. She is listed in Best Lawyers in America for 2009.

Emily H. Meazell joined the faculty in 2007 after serving as a visiting professor at the University of Georgia School of Law. She teaches torts, administrative law, and energy law. Her research focuses on water law and law and science. She previously practiced civil engineering with a focus on water resources.

James C. Milton is a frequent speaker at continuing education seminars on water law, trust administration, and civil procedure. He provides a wide range of legal advice to municipalities and private interests. Much of his work has been in the areas of water distribution, water rights, and the operation of public authorities.

Kevin L. Patrick and his firm practice exclusively in water rights law, water resource and wastewater planning and development, water quality law, and water transfers. He represents numerous utilities, regional water providers, industry, developers and governments in the western United States, Central America and Europe.

Diane Pedicord has been with the Oklahoma Municipal League since 1978. She was appointed by the Oklahoma Speaker of the House to serve on the statewide 9-1-1 Advisory Board. She also facilitates the Oklahoma Water Law Group, a consortium of Oklahoma's largest water users, and the 9-1-1 & Telecommunications Legal Issues Group for municipal attorneys.