DRBC - Executive Director Carol R. Collier's Biography

Ms. Collier was appointed Executive Director of the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) on August 31, 1998. The DRBC is an interstate/federal commission that provides a unified approach to water resource management without regard to political boundaries. Before joining DRBC, Ms. Collier was Executive Director of Pennsylvania's 21st Century Environment Commission. Governor Tom Ridge formed the Environment Commission in 1997 to establish the Commonwealth's environmental priorities and to recommend a course of action for the next century.

At the time Governor Ridge asked Ms. Collier to serve as executive director for the 21st Century Environment Commission, she was Regional Director of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) Southeast Region. Prior to PADEP, Ms. Collier served 19 years with BCM Environmental Engineers, Inc., Plymouth Meeting, Pa., beginning as a student intern and ultimately becoming Vice President of Environmental Planning, Science and Risk.

Ms. Collier has a B.A. in Biology from Smith College and a Masters in Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania. She is a Professional Planner licensed in the State of New Jersey and a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP). In 1997 she was presented the Touchstone Award from the Society of Women Environmental Professionals and the Woman of Distinction Award from the Philadelphia Business Journal in 1998. In 2007 the American Water Resources Association (AWRA) presented her with the Mary H. Marsh Medal for exemplary contributions to the protection and wise use of the nation's water resources.

She is a member of her township's environmental protection advisory board, teaches environmental management courses at the University of Pennsylvania, and has published on environmental and water-related topics. She has testified before the U.S. House of Representatives and the Pennsylvania Legislature. In 2004 she was a member of a nine-person U.S./China/Japan team to assist the People's Republic of China with river basin management. (Additional information about this project can be found on the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars' web site, where you can view her paper [2.3 MB; free Adobe reader required].) Ms. Collier has also participated in water management and sustainable forest practice events along the Yangtze River in China and in the rain forests of Ecuador. She thinks proper management of water resources is the key to our economic and environmental future.

Testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment
(June 24, 2008; free Adobe reader required to view)
Link to the Subcommittee's Web Site for Detailed Information about the Hearing

River Basin Commissions: An Alternative to Interstate Water Wars
(December 2007; free Adobe reader required to view)

Visioning the Upper Delaware River Valley - "A Basin-Wide Collaboration"
(Guest column appearing in the February 23 - March 1, 2006 edition of The River Reporter,
Narrowsburg, N.Y.; free Adobe reader required to view)

The DRBC: Managing Interstate Water Conflicts Through Sound Science, Adaptation, and Collaboration (July 2004; free Adobe reader required to view)

H2O or HBO? It's Time to Value Our Water Resources (February 2002)

The Delaware River Is Not What it Used to Be - That's the Good News! (March 2000)

Droughts, Floods and Sprawl –They’re All Connected (September 1999)

Water Conservation Makes Dollars and Sense (August 1999)

Save Some For Tomorrow (July 1999)