About Mike Myatt

Mike Myatt

Senior Director, Climate Resilient Water Systems

Contact

San Francisco Office

Work

Areas of expertise:

Water policy, water governance, coalition building, strategic planning, groundwater management, stakeholder engagement.

Mike oversees EDF’s California Water program as senior director, climate resilient water systems. The California Water program focuses on advancing incentive-based approaches that ensure adequate water for ecosystems, improve agriculture’s resilience to climate change and address the needs of disadvantaged communities. In particular, Mike leads EDF’s initiatives to advance groundwater sustainability policies and practices across the Central Valley. Mike collaborates with nonprofit partners, state and federal agencies, community-based organizations, landowners, and local stakeholders to ensure that diverse perspectives are included in all phases of his work.

Background

Mike Myatt joined EDF in September 2022. His experience includes 25 years of water policy work in California. Previously, he served for 11 years as a Program Officer for the Water Foundation, where he developed and implemented grantmaking programs and strategies to accelerate and scale sustainable groundwater management in the western US. Mike also led the foundation’s initiatives to harness the power of open, transparent water data for creative problem-solving and informed decision-making.

He also spent six years with the California Department of Water Resources. His roles included Budget Officer for the department, responsible for developing and administering the department’s multibillion-dollar annual budget. He also spent eight years working for the CALFED Bay-Delta Program, where his work included policy and finance analysis and the development of long-term financing strategies.

Mike also helped co-found the California Water Data Consortium, where he served as board chair for 3 years.

Education

  • B.S., Environmental Studies; B.S., Economics, San Jose State University