District 1
Jack Hilbert, Chair of Water Commission
Former Douglas County Commissioner and Town of Parker Councilman, Jack Hilbert, has been a county resident for more than 40 years. During his time as a Commissioner, Jack was appointed to serve on the Cherry Creek Water Authority board and the Urban Drainage Authority, giving him the unique understanding of impacts of water resources and regulations in Douglas County.
James Eklund
James Ekland has served Colorado’s government in various roles during the past 14 years, holding positions in the Attorney General’s office, Governor’s Office of Legal Counsel, Colorado Water Conservation Board and as Colorado’s Colorado River Commissioner. He formerly served as the Director of the Colorado Water Conservation Board, where he designed and implemented Colorado’s first strategic water plan. Currently, James practices law at Sherman & Howard.
Donald Langley, Vice Chair of Water Commission
Donald Langley currently serves on the board of directors for Parker Water and Sanitation District, where he works to provide quality water and wastewater services for over 64,000 Douglas County residents. Donald believes that ensuring a long-term water supply with a rollover to renewable sources of supply is critical to ensuring we can grow and maintain the quality of life that County residents expect. After a career in utilities and nearly 10 years serving on the Citizens Water Advisory Committee for the City of Aurora, Donald is committed to developing solutions for long-term resource planning and water efficiency.
District 2
Clark Hammelman
Clark Hammelman is the former Mayor Pro-Tem for the Town of Castle Rock and served on the Castle Rock Water Policy Committee during his time with the Town. He has been a resident of Castle Rock for 20 years and is dedicated to ensuring the 2050 Comprehensive Water Plan includes supply, acquisition, conservation, reclamation, costs, and end-user pricing considerations.
James Maras
James Maras brings more than 30 years of water finance industry experience to the Douglas County Water Commission. In addition, he has served on the Douglas County School Board Financial Advisory Board, Perry Park Water District Board and Association of Regional Water Organization. James has a background in regulatory compliance and views safe drinking water as a key to sustainability for Douglas County.
Roger Hudson
Castle Pines City Councilman, Roger Hudson, has a strong passion for raising public awareness on important issues. His tenure on various boards and commissions, including the Cherry Creek Water Basin Board, have provided him with a deep understanding of water management issues specific to the region. Notably, Roger worked with Colorado Attorney General, Cynthia Coffman, to address the yellowing of the Animas River in Durango caused by century-old abandoned mine spillage.
District 3
Frank Johns
Frank Johns has more than 45 years of experience in the planning, design, construction, and operation of water supply, water and wastewater treatment, and water reuse systems. He is a Diplomate, Water Resources Engineering, which is the highest level of advanced certification in the water resources profession. Frank served as a reviewer of the 2023 Colorado Water Plan and is a member of the Centennial Water and Sanitation District board of directors.
Evan Ela
Evan has a 25-year career as a water lawyer and 15 years as a professional hydrologist prior to that. He previously worked as a water lawyer for the City of Thornton, specifically on Thornton’s Northern Supply project, learning the difficulties associated with water projects that span multiple counties. He is currently a Director on the Board of the Chatfield South Water District.
Harold Smethills
Born and raised in Colorado’s ranching culture, Harold Smethills is committed to Douglas County’s water quality and sustainability. With his family, Harold is the founder and owner of Sterling Ranch, one of the most successful master-planned communities in recent years. He has been involved in water strategies and management for most of his career as a banker lending on water assets including building water systems at Adolph Coors Company and building a renewable water system at Sterling Ranch.
At Large
Sean Tonner
Sean Tonner is a 47-year Colorado resident who has been involved in Statewide Water issues since serving as Governor Owens’ Deputy Chief of Staff from 1998-2001. Since that time, he has been involved in Aurora’s Prairies Water Project, Colorado Springs Southern Delivery System, and WISE. Sean is also a member of the Colorado Water Congress and on the Policy Committee for Water for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association.
Tricia Bernhardt
Tricia Bernhardt holds a master’s degree in Environmental Policy and Management from the University of Denver and currently works as an Environmental Planner and Project Manager for Tetra Tech. Her education, professional experience and having lived on a ranch in Douglas County for 28 years, gives her the background to assist the County in addressing water supply and demand issues. She is the Director at Large of the Rural Water Authority of Douglas County (RWADC). The primary mission of the RWADC has been to continue groundwater monitoring of private wells in Douglas County in conjunction with the US Geological Survey.
Alternates
District 1
District 2
District 3
At-Large
