Adán has a history of handling complex strategic planning, and communications challenges excelling in the water and natural resources arena. He has 30 years of experience and understanding of resource and environmental issues through senior leadership roles in government, business, and environmental organizations throughout Southern California, California, and the United States.

Before creating OSG, Adán was Managing Director of Rose & Kindel; Vice President of External Affairs at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California; Chief California Deputy Secretary of State; and Assistant General Manager of West and Central Basin Municipal Water Districts.

Adán is Chairman of the Mujeres De La Tierra Board of Directors, a Board Director of Sustainable Conservation, and a trustee of the Southern California Water Committee. He is a former board member of the California Water Commission, the State Board of Food and Agriculture, Heal the Bay, the National Audubon Society, and Whittier College.

Adán is a graduate of Whittier College.

Susan serves as Executive Vice President for Ortega Strategies Group (OSG). 

She brings significant expertise in management, team awareness, communication and work relationships support; grounded in her training as a counselor and 30 years of experience a senior administrator in higher education. 

Susan also has worked as a consultant and training specialist for a variety of organizations, including water industry organizations. 

Susan holds a Master’s degree in Counseling from Southern Connecticut State University and a doctorate in Education from Syracuse University and is a certified Senior Certified Professional through the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) and certified CORE Strengths facilitator through PSP, Inc.

Karina Cervantes’ career spans nearly two decades in public service with leadership positions in education, city council and the regional water board.  

Karina was the Chief Education Officer at an education consulting firm in Southern California. In her role, she established partnerships with local schools to develop online academies that adhere to school accreditation standards and course articulation. Before moving to Southern California, Karina taught at Cabrillo College and California State University, Monterey Bay, in the departments of psychology, social and behavioral studies, and Latin American and Latino/a studies.

Prior to her education posts, Karina served as mayor and a councilmember for the City of Watsonville. As California grappled with another historic drought, Karina became increasingly involved in working with similarly impacted communities to address statewide and regional water issues. She testified before the state legislature on the funding gaps and lack of resources available to disadvantaged communities to maintain compliance with a new maximum contaminant level (MCL) for chromium-6 in drinking water.

In 2014, Governor Jerry Brown appointed Karina to the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board. During her tenure, she was instrumental in drafting the Ag Order that outlined the monitoring and reporting requirements of irrigated agricultural operations, hearing municipal discharge permit violations, and prioritizing the human right to water. 

Tim is a Senior Advisor at OSG, drawing upon decades of experience in the water utility and environmental sectors to help organizations meet complex and dynamic challenges.

Nearly thirty years in leadership roles in nonprofits and water utilities have earned Tim a history of success in administrative and operational management, communications, legislative and regulatory advocacy, policy analysis, and developing and executing strategies for revenue growth and obtaining grant funding.

He spent the last decade at senior levels of a leading water professional association, developing business plans to meet board strategic goals, driving best practices, establishing new services and offerings and managing financials and operations.

Beginning in 2020, he holds concurrent positions with the California-Nevada Section of the American Water Works Association and OSG. He sits on the Leadership Council of WaterNow Alliance, and is also pursuing independent projects in the area of leadership training and sustainable water utility management.

A native of Colorado, Tim received his bachelor’s degree in political science from Fort Lewis College. He holds a master’s in public policy and a doctorate in political science, both from Claremont Graduate University.

Yasmeen Nubani is a Public Affairs Assistant who is driven to pursue public affairs from her experience in leadership, organizational management and customer service in both the corporate and community sectors.

As a barista trainer for Starbucks, she ensured safety protocols were followed in daily operations and certified new hires to provide premium quality products.

Prior to working at Starbucks, Yasmeen assisted probate lawyers in processing cases at Hillman Legal Partnerships in London, United Kingdom.

She also worked for the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce to help rebrand and expand the Chamber’s presence in the community.

During her college years, she participated in a competitive internship with Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Yasmeen graduated Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Denver.

She speaks English, Spanish and French.

Ceili Harrell-Tuttle is a Public Policy Assistant. She brings experience in business operations, climate change resiliency and creative development to her post.

She worked as an operations assistant with Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment to help bridge the disciplines of natural resource management, human rights law and political economy.

She has also served internships with Orange County Transportation Authority and Sony Pictures Entertainment/Columbia Pictures.

Ceili graduated on the Dean’s List with a bachelor’s degree in sustainable development from Columbia University in New York. During her academic career, she engaged in global research in sanitation implementation and rainwater harvesting.