James holds a B.S. in Biology from UCLA and a M.S. in Environmental Science from Loyola Marymount University and has spent his entire career dedicated in water resource management to provide long-term water reliability for Southern California. He began his career in water policy and planning with the West Basin Municipal Water District. Most recently, he served as the program manager of conservation and water use efficiency with the Long Beach Water Department where he also worked on a variety of local water resource development projects. In his current role as an Assistant Resource Specialist with the Metropolitan Water District, James serves as one of the primary administrators of Metropolitan’s Turf Replacement Program and assists Metropolitan’s twenty-six member agencies in implementing local water use efficiency projects.

Originally from the East Coast, Jack Lema, is new to the SoCal region by way of Denver. Currently, he is a Project Manager at EGIA, where he coordinates and develops various utility efficiency programs and projects. He has over 6 years of experience in sustainability and resource efficiency. He acquired a B.S. in Environmental Science from Moravian University and a M.S. in Environmental Sciences and Policy from Johns Hopkins University. He has worked in various fields ranging from solar energy, city planning/sustainability, water efficiency, building efficiency, and utility efficiency programs. As he continues to explore SoCal, Jack’s mission is continue developing efficiency programs that will directly impact and improve the environmental prosperity of all SoCal residents.