Invited Speakers

Dr. Raha Hakimdavar is Founder and CEO of Zyon Space, a climate-tech startup which develops climate solutions to close the risk to resilience gap using the vantage point of space. She was formerly the Director of Space Sciences at Ball Aerospace, where she developed business strategy and led engagements with NASA and the broader space sciences community. She is also an adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. Previously, Dr. Hakimdavar served as a hydrologist and acting national program lead in remote sensing and geospatial analysis research at the USDA Forest Service, where she developed innovative approaches to manage forest and aquatic resources in the United States and internationally. Dr. Hakimdavar earned a M.S. and Ph.D. in civil engineering with an emphasis on hydrology from Columbia University. She was a Fulbright Scholar in Water Management at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and was awarded the KLM Airlines Sustainability and Innovation award for her work and research on hydro-ecology.

Racquel Rancier

Racquel R. Rancier is the Deputy Director of Strategy and Administration for the Oregon Water Resources Department, where she oversees the Department’s work on legislation, public records, rule-making, communications, government-to-government relations, the State’s Integrated Water Resources Strategy, information technology, employee services, fiscal services, grants, and complex basin issues.  Previously, she worked at the Oregon State Legislature, providing nonpartisan policy analysis for the Legislature’s natural resources committees. Ms. Rancier received a Master of Science degree in Water Policy and Management and a graduate certificate in Water Conflict and Transformation from Oregon State University. In 2020, the Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO) awarded her the 2020 West Regional Award of Merit for her outstanding contribution to dam safety policy in Oregon.