Staff Members - Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District

The District Staff work to conserve, protect, and enhance the groundwater resources of the Barton Springs Segment of the Edwards Aquifer and other groundwater resources located within the District boundaries. The staff members comprise five teams:

General Management
Administration
Aquifer Science
Public Information and Education
Regulatory Compliance

All staff members report administratively to the General Manager. The work of the District is accomplished through the five internal teams and, from time to time, externally funded project teams. Most staff members routinely contribute to more than one team, although some staff primarily support one team.

A staff directory and biographical sketches of the current District staff members are presented below.

Kendall Bell-Enders

Regulatory & Policy Project Manager
kbellenders@bseacd.org, 512-282-8441 x112
Primary Teams: Regulatory Compliance | Year Employed by District: 2011
Kendall graduated from Texas State University in 2005 with a B.S. in Geography-Resource and Environmental Studies. Before joining the District in 2011, she worked in the Lake Tahoe area for 4 years where she performed environmental monitoring and research and then most recently at the Edwards Aquifer Authority as an Environmental Field Representative. She enjoys kayaking, seeing live music, and running around with her dogs.

Justin Camp

Hydrogeologist Technician
jcamp@bseacd.org, 512-282-8441 x110
Primary Team: Aquifer Science | Year Employed by District: 2015
Born and raised in Austin, Justin grew up exploring local Little Bear and Bear Creek as his own backyard. With a deep connection to the Central Texas landscape, he developed an early passion for enjoying, studying and protecting the region’s critical natural resources. Justin joined the team in early 2015 after graduating from Texas State University with a B.S. in Physical Geography, minor in Geology, and working for seven years with the City of Austin’s Watershed Protection Department. He is an avid caver, exploring and mapping the underground in Texas and Mexico. When he’s not in the water or caving, Justin also enjoys playing guitar and tennis.

Shannon DeLong

Senior Accounting Specialist
shannon@bseacd.org, 512-282-8441 x102
Primary Teams: Administration | Year Employed by District: 2000
Shannon graduated from Texas State University with a Bachelors of Business Administration in Finance and has over 13 years of accounting and administrative experience. Before joining the District in 2000, she worked as an underwriter for a major insurance company and an internal auditor for a state agency. She is an Austin native who enjoys traveling, cycling, boating and spending time with family and friends.

Vanessa Escobar

General Manager
vescobar@bseacd.org, 512-282-8441 x114
Primary Teams: General Management | Year Employed by District: 2013
Vanessa graduated from Texas A&M University in 2004 with a B.S. in Bioenvironmental Science. Before joining the District in 2013, she worked for 6 years with the Texas Water Development Board on water conservation plans, best management practices, public awareness efforts, stakeholder facilitation and reporting analysis. Vanessa enjoys activities with the family such as hiking, camping, gardening, and hitting up food trailers.

Tammy Raymond

Senior Administrative Specialist
tammy@bseacd.org, 512-282-8441 x100
Primary Teams: Administration | Year Employed by District: 2000
Tammy has been an integral part of the District’s Administrative team since 2000. She has worked in many aspects of the Administrative field for more than 30 years. She is a native of Louisiana and loves fishing, cooking, and taking care of business.

Michael Redman

Assistant General Manager
mredman@bseacd.org, 512-282-8441 x109
Primary Teams: Regulatory Compliance | Year Employed by District: 2020
Michael is a graduate from Schreiner University, with a B.S. in Biology: Environmental (2013) as well as a Master’s in Business Administration: Ethical Leadership (2018). Before joining the District, he worked with the Bandera County River Authority & Groundwater District as the Groundwater District Operations Manager for 7 years. Michael enjoys camping, fishing, exploring new places and spending time with his family.

Brian Smith, Ph. D, P.G.

Principal Hydrogeologist
brians@bseacd.org, 512-282-8441 x106
Primary Team: Aquifer Science | Year Employed by District: 2001
Brian has a Bachelor’s degree in geology from Rice University (1979) and a Ph.D. in geology from the University of Texas at Austin (1986). He has been exploring and studying caves since 1971, mostly in the southeastern United States, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. Since graduating from the University of Texas, he has worked on numerous environmental sites and karst studies in many parts of the U.S. and in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Erin Swanson

Regulatory Compliance Specialist
eswanson@bseacd.org, 512-282-8441 x108
Primary Teams: Regulatory Compliance | Year Employed by District: 2017
Erin graduated from Texas State University with a B.S. in Wildlife Biology (2010). Before joining the District in late 2017, she worked as an administrator for local water well drilling company and most recently as a wildlife biologist for an environmental consulting firm where she assisted land owners in effective land and wildlife management and conservation. In her free time, Erin can usually be found alongside her husband kayaking, hiking, or backpacking somewhere in the state of Texas searching for its unique critters to catch and beautiful views to photograph. When she isn’t exploring the outdoors, Erin likes relax and spend time with her friends and family including her dogs and cats.

Jackie Vay

Education & Outreach Specialist
jvay@bseacd.org, 512-282-8441 x120
Primary Team: Education and Community Outreach | Year Employed by District: 2018
Jackie is a graduate from St. Edward’s University, with a B.S. in Environmental Science & Policy (2017). Before joining the District, she worked as a grassroots environmental organizer and continues to help guide youth experiences on canoe, kayak, and snorkeling trips on the Colorado River with the Texas River School. As an Austin native, she enjoys spending time outdoors swimming in Barton Springs, hiking the greenbelt, and kayaking on the Colorado River.

Jeff Watson, P.G.

Staff Hydrogeologist
jwatson@bseacd.org, 512-282-8441 x107
Primary Team: Aquifer Science | Year Employed by District: 2021
Jeff is a native Austinite who graduated from UT Austin with a B.S. (2013) and M.Sc. (2016) in geological sciences. Jeff is a member of the Austin Geological Society and is a registered professional geologist. He grew up exploring the Texas Hill Country and swimming in iconic spring-fed water holes such as Barton Springs Pool and Jacobs Well Spring; and developed an interest in geology at a young age during annual family outings to Big Bend National Park. Prior to joining the District, Jeff worked in consulting, with the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District as a hydrogeologist, and with BSEACD as a hydrogeologic intern. Jeff enjoys climbing, hiking, camping, and pretty much all things outdoors.

Dana Christine Wilson

Senior Administrative Program Manager
dana@bseacd.org, 512-282-8441 x101
Primary Team: Administration | Year Employed by District: 1998
Dana holds a degree in Accounting and has over 30 years of experience in business office administration. She is the Senior Administrative Program Manager, and Administration Team Leader.