Water Quality Control Commission general information

Jeni Arndt currently serves as the Mayor of Fort Collins and has formerly served as a member of the Colorado House of Representatives for the 53rd District (Larimer County). While at the Colorado General Assembly, she held leadership positions as the chair of Agriculture, Livestock and Water Committee and chair of Water Resources Review Committee. Commissioner Arndt also serves on the boards of Platte River Power Authority, Fort Collins/Loveland Airport, Urban Renewal Authority, and Boxelder Basin Regional Stormwater Authority. She has focused on water, agriculture, small businesses, and public education, and is a life-long member of Colorado Water Congress. She has resided in Fort Collins since she was a child, but has also served in the Peace Corps in Morocco and has lived and worked in Mozambique, Africa. She has a PhD in Literacy and Language from Purdue University in Indiana, a Master of Arts degree in Geography from the University of Colorado, a Masters of Arts degree in Special Education from Purdue, and a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Colorado College. She and her husband of 32 years have three adult children and in her free time she enjoys running, biking, swimming, reading, and talking to people. Commissioner Arndt represents a community regulated by the Water Quality Control Division, and is employed by an entity that is subject to fees set pursuant to Article 8. Second term, expires 2/28. Registered Democrat.

Jennifer Bock serves as the Assistant City Attorney for the City of Steamboat Springs. She has over 14 years of experience working on water law issues including the Salton Sea, mining discharge, and water rights in California and Colorado, for government, tribal, and non-profit organizations. Prior to working for the City, Jennifer worked for High Country Conservation Advocates in Crested Butte and served as a Hearings Officer for the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. She has lived in India and South Africa, and took a year off to travel the globe with her husband before clerking for Justice Gregory J. Hobbs of the Colorado Supreme Court. Jennifer has a BA from Georgetown University, and a JD from UC Berkeley School of Law with a certificate in Environmental Law. Commissioner Bock represents a community regulated by the Water Quality Control Division, and is employed by an entity that is subject to fees set pursuant to Article 8. Second term, expires 2/27.  Registered Democrat.

Kathy Chandler-Henry served as an Eagle County Commissioner from 2013 through January 2025. She has chaired the Northwest Colorado Council of Governments Water Quality/Water Quantity Committee; served as the president of the Colorado River Water Conservation District, Ruedi Water and Power Authority, and the Eagle River Watershed Council; and has served on the Colorado River Basin Roundtable. She chaired the legislatively created Colorado River Drought Task Force and currently serves on the Bureau of Land Management Resource Advisory Council. Commissioner Chandler-Henry holds Master’s degrees in Health Administration and Political Science from Duke University.  First term, expires 2/28. Registered Democrat.

Blair Corning serves as Deputy Director at South Platte Renew where he oversees Environmental Programs. Commissioner Corning has over 25 years of experience in water quality management, regulatory compliance, and sustainable resource stewardship. With a strong background in water science, he works for public utilities leading initiatives that improve water treatment processes, enhance environmental protection, and promote collaborative water solutions. He grew up in Colorado, and understands the importance of protecting Colorado’s water quality for future generations. Commissioner Corning has a Master of Science in Environmental Science from the University of Idaho. He has a Graduate Certificate in Water Quality from CU Denver and got his Bachelors degree in Biology from Adams State College located in his hometown of Alamosa, Colorado. He is a graduate of the AWWA Utility Management Institute and DU High-Performance Leadership programs. He is a Certified Water/Wastewater Operator in Colorado and is a Qualified Environmental Professional (QEP). First term, expires 2/27. Registered Democrat.

Christine Johnston has served as a Senior Environmental Analyst for Xcel Energy for 24 years. She is in the corporate Environmental Services group and oversees permitting and compliance with discharge permits and coordinates with others in the group on construction-related permits and drinking water compliance. She also is the Colorado contact for permitting and compliance with the 404 program. She also assists the Company’s Colorado hydroelectric generating facilities with compliance of its Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) licenses and other environmental permitting.  Commissioner Johnston has 34 years of experience as a permitting and compliance specialist for industry.  She started her career working for the Division of Reclamation Mining and Safety in the Department of Natural Resources and then worked at an underground coal mine serving as their Permitting Specialist. She moved with her family from Maine to Louisville, Colorado prior to beginning the third grade. Commissioner Johnston has a BA in Environmental Science from the University of Denver.  Commissioner Johnston represents a community regulated by the Water Quality Control Division, and is employed by an entity that is subject to fees set pursuant to Article 8. First term, expires 2/26. Registered Unaffiliated.

Katharine Lotspeich grew up on a dairy in western Utah, where her family still milks 5,000 cows and farms forage crops for their herd. After studying at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, she graduated from Utah State University with a Bachelor’s degree in dairy science and agricultural leadership, and a minor in political science. She began her career as a dairy nutritionist, and then spent several years working for AGPROfessionals in Greeley, where she honed her skills in customer relations and policy interpretation by helping dairy and beef producers navigate state and federal environmental regulations along with advising on manure and waste stream management. She currently works as the US Sales Lead and Customer Success Manager for Peacock Technology, a Scottish agri-tech company, focusing on artificial intelligence monitoring and labor solutions for dairies. Having grown up in Utah and residing in Colorado for 9 years, Commissioner Lotspeich has a deep understanding of the water challenges facing agriculturists in western states. Her focus on the commission is to ensure that agriculture interests and other state water considerations find common ground and mutual agreement to solve our state’s water challenges by working closely together. In her spare time, she coaches the Platte Valley FFA Milk Quality team, is co-host of the Millennial Ag Podcast, and enjoys working with her husband and two young children to improve their small acreage. First term, expires 2/27. Registered Unaffiliated.

Nicole Poncelet-Johnson is the Executive Director of the One Water Program for the City of Fort Collins. Commissioner Poncelet-Johnson is a 25+ year veteran of the water and wastewater industry. She operated water and wastewater treatment plants and systems, and managed construction of treatment plants, including Aurora Water's Prairie Waters treatment plant. She also served as a principal investigator and lead negotiator for Denver Water's Reduction Program Plan. She is a professional civil engineer who graduated from Purdue University and completed an MBA through Colorado State University. Commissioner Poncelet-Johnson represents a community regulated by the Water Quality Control Division, and is employed by an entity that is subject to fees set pursuant to Article 8. First term, expires 2/26. Registered Unaffiliated.

Mike Weber works as a water resources engineer for Maverick Solutions focused on holistic and sustainable watershed health principles. Commissioner Weber brings a deep technical foundation, having designed and managed large-scale water treatment projects, conducted forensic engineering investigations, and helped municipalities plan for growth with future-ready infrastructure. As a professional engineer, he bridges the gap between sound scientific solutions and ground-truth efforts, maximizing impact and sustainable change. Commissioner Weber has served on various boards and committees including the Water Equity Task Force, Colorado Water Plan Update 2022 Basin Implementation Plan Committees for Gunnison and Arkansas, Colorado STAR program, and Colorado Healthy Soils Executive Committee. His background in agriculture and soil health have led him to work on various projects that have nonpoint source pollution remediation along with innovative technologies that help with increased productivity for agriculture. He has worked with lease-fallowing, irrigation improvement projects, soil health, and Colorado Water Plan Basin Implementation Plans. Commissioner Weber has a strong background in water rights for the Arkansas Basin and understanding water law in western United States. His degree is in civil engineering from Colorado State University. Commissioner Weber is an advocate for nonpoint source pollution reduction through water resources. Along with being a strong water resources engineer, Commissioner Weber also holds a real estate license with the State of Colorado making an effort to educate and promote commercial, agricultural, industrial, and residential real estate transactions. Second term expires 2/26. Registered Unaffiliated.

Julie Zahringer is the Laboratory Director, owner, and certified chemist of SDC Laboratory in Alamosa, Colorado. She serves a wide variety of municipalities and water agencies throughout Southern Colorado, focusing on drinking water, wasterwater, ground water and surface water quality projects. Much of her work revolves around integrated water solutions to meet the needs of both water users and the environment. Commissioner Zahringer has 28 years experience in the analytical water industry and is focused on ensuring all Coloradans have access to safe, clean, and affordable drinking water. Commissioner Zahringer is proud to serve the Commission and being part of a team that builds increased equity, inclusivity, and diversity in the water decision-making. Commissioner Zahringer is a native of the San Luis Valley, a region which her ancestors on both maternal and paternal sides relocated from Spain in 1649 under the Spanish Land Grant. Her formative years were spent helping on the generational family farm and ranches near the first permanent settlement in Colorado, known as San Luis del la Culebra on the Sangre de Cristo Grant.  For Commissioner Zahringer, science and the life-giving force of water are inseparable. Second term, expires 2/28. Registered Democrat.