Georgia Water Planning and Policy Center's Director
Mark Masters
Mark Masters serves as Executive Director of the Georgia Water Planning and Policy Center at Albany State University. He is well-versed on issues related to water use and management and has led or contributed to a large portfolio of conservation research and outreach projects across the United States. Over the past twenty years, he has helped position the Water Center as a trusted resource, not only for the state, but, importantly, for the diverse stakeholders across Georgia that are working to secure the state’s water future. Mark is a nationally recognized leader in agricultural water use and policy and currently chairs efforts focused on water management for the American Farm Bureau, National Association of Conservation Districts and the Interstate Council on Water Policy. He also serves as Outreach Director for the Center for Behavioral and Experimental Agri-Environmental Research, a USDA Center of Excellence focused on applying behavioral insights and experimentation to improve programs related to agriculture and the environment. As a founder and Executive Manager of the ACF Stakeholders, Inc, he was instrumental in helping the group reach consensus on a Sustainable Water Management Plan for the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint Basin. When he’s not busy professionally, Mark stays out of trouble raising beef on their family farm in southwest Georgia and, along with his wife Amy, enjoys watching their three beautiful daughters make other kids look foolish on the soccer field.
Georgia Water Planning and Policy Center's Team
Gail Cowie
Gail Cowie joined the Water Policy Center in 2019 to expand the Center’s research and outreach capacity. She has over 30 years of experience with water management, public participation, and environmental policy. Her work at the Policy Center focuses on regional water planning in the Upper Oconee Region and outreach and planning for conservation of freshwater mussels in the Flint River Basin. Specific projects include contributing to the Flint Region Habitat Conservation Plan, leading an assessment of flow-dependent benefits from waters in the Upper Oconee Region, and coordinating a research and education partnership focused on freshwater mussels with the Flint RiverQuarium and Albany State University. Prior to joining the Water Policy Center, Gail was Assistant Branch Chief at the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, where she helped coordinate the agency’s water programs and was instrumental in implementing state and regional water planning. Her experience also includes 17 years on the University of Georgia’s Public Service faculty, assisting state and local governments with environmental management and community development. In her time outside of work, she enjoys walking in the woods and volunteering with various civic engagement organizations.
Nikki Dictson
Mrs. Dictson has over 20 years of experience working on water and natural resource management issues and outreach, while working with water resource institutes/centers in Texas, Georgia, Alabama, and New Mexico. She has led stakeholders in developing multiple watershed management plans, including: EPA watershed based plans, TMDLs, flood studies, drought and water conservation, ag water use, green print for growth, water availability, source water protection, stormwater management, and wastewater management. She has coordinated and developed many watershed outreach programs and trainings for the public land owners, land managers, and water professionals with the goal of improving water quantity and quality and restoring stream and riparian ecosystems.
Steve Golladay
Steve is contributing to the development of a Habitat Conservation Plan for freshwater mussels (see ga-fit.org) through an appointment with the Georgia Water Planning and Policy Center at Albany State University. He applied for and was granted affiliate status at the Jones Center at Ichauway. Steve has 30+ years of experience in the lower Flint River basin with published research on a variety of topics relevant to GA-FIT including hydrologic change, water quality changes associated with human land use, invasive species, and biological responses to increasing intermittency. He leads a research team documenting declines in freshwater mussels in response to water scarcity and has collected extensive data on mussel populations in the lower Flint River basin. He annually hosts the Apalachicola Chattahoochee Flint (ACF) Mussel Workshop at the Jones Center along with collaborators from Georgia DNR Non-game Wildlife Program and USFWS – Panama City. Steve holds the required State and Federal Permits to work with listed mussel species in designated critical habitat within the lower Flint River basin.
He aspires to take every resident of the ACF on a snorkeling adventure to observe freshwater mussels in the wild.
For more information on the Mussel Conservation Lab at The Jones Center at Ichauway, please visit https://lab.jonesctr.org/golladay/people/
Sarah Skinner
Sarah joined the Georgia Water Planning and Policy Center in 2024 to assist with statewide water planning efforts, stakeholder engagement, and outreach. Prior to joining the Center, Sarah worked for the Atlanta Regional Commission in the Natural Resources Division for nearly 14 years, most recently serving at the Manager of the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District. She is skilled at partnership building, public education campaigns, and meeting facilitation. Sarah is an active member of the Georgia Association of Water Professionals, Board member of the Institute for Georgia Environmental Leadership, and served two years as an AmeriCorps Volunteer with the Montana Conservation Corps in her early career. Sarah is a proud Georgia native and is honored to work on such important and critical issues for our state. She received a B.A. in Environmental Policy from Sewanee: The University of the South and a Masters in City and Regional Planning from Clemson University. She enjoys art, thrifting, cooking, baking, traveling, hiking and spending time with her family.
Meagan Taylor
Meagan Taylor is a research associate for the ASU Georgia Water Planning and Policy Center and is responsible for conducting specific research, outreach, facilitation, and reporting tasks as required for the Center. She graduated from the University of Georgia in 2021 with a Master of Science in Environmental Economics, where she also obtained a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Economics and Management with a minor in Geology.
After working towards a certificate in Water Resources in her undergraduate studies and forming a passion for the management of water, Meagan decided to pursue water demand in her master’s program. Her research areas include investigating irrigation trends and meter data in Georgia at a farm, county, and watershed level with a focus on the Lower Flint River Basin. Meagan has experience working with ArcGIS databases creating and manipulating shapefiles. She also has training from DSSAT workshops in producing simulated crop model outputs. In her free time Meagan enjoys hiking, spending time outdoors, and traveling to different national parks.
Kristin Rowles
Kristin Rowles has been associated with the Center since 2004. She has over 30 years of experience in coordinating environmental planning and research projects and facilitating stakeholder engagement in water resources management. She has worked with many public and private entities – in Georgia and beyond -- to advance water resources planning and research through facilitation, policy analysis, and science communication. Her work has focused on a broad range of environmental resource issues including water quality, water conservation, watershed management, endangered species protection, waste management, land conservation, habitat restoration, stormwater management, and fisheries. In her recent projects with the Center, Kristin has facilitated regional water planning councils, developed regional water plans for Council review, facilitated collaborative modeling of the Floridan Aquifer with stakeholders in Florida and Georgia, engaged stakeholders in the design of the ACF Drought Dashboard, supported the design and implementation of auctions for voluntary irrigation suspension incentives, and coordinated development of a Habitat Conservation Plan for freshwater mussels in the Flint River Basin.
Megan Stanley
Megan Stanley is a Research Assistant and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technician for the Georgia Water Planning and Policy Center of Albany State University. Megan’s primary role at the Water Center is managing a geodatabase of Georgia wetted acres in collaboration with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Agricultural Permitting Unit. In addition, Megan develops mapping projects through ESRI applications, such as ArcGIS Pro and Field Maps for on-site field mapping initiatives. Such applications are also utilized to analyze data and produce physical maps as needed for various projects conducted at the Water Center. Megan graduated from Thomas University in May 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources and Conservation Management. Preceding her employment with the Water Center, Megan assisted the director of the GIS department at the City of Thomasville through a personalized internship program. As a result of this opportunity, Megan acquired skills in field data collection, remote data entry, and map-building techniques in ArcGIS. Prior to her GIS training, Megan was a seasonal intern at the Gulf Specimen Marine Lab in Panacea, FL. At the marine lab, she participated in educational outreach programs, aquarium husbandry practices, and various sea turtle rehabilitation efforts.
Katherine Zitsch
Katherine Zitsch is a strategic water policy leader driving resilient solutions for Georgia’s Water Future. Katherine joined the Georgia Water Planning and Policy Center in 2024, working in partnership with the Metro Atlanta Chamber to develop forward-thinking strategies for a resilient water future. She is a collaborative leader, building cross-sector partnerships with others in business, government, and philanthropy. Katherine is skilled at implementing holistic solutions that consider interconnected systems (energy, water, agriculture, forestry). Prior to joining the Center, Katherine served as the Deputy COO of the Atlanta Regional Commission and has over 25 years of experience in water resources planning and policy. Katherine is President of the National Water Supply Alliance, providing national policy direction to elevate water supply at U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoirs. She received a BS in Civil Engineering and an MS in Environmental Systems Engineering from Clemson University. Go Tigers!