Mary Gearhart is a registered civil engineer with Brown and Caldwell. She is the Senior Vice President for the Southwest Business Unit and is responsible for 7 offices and 150 staff. Ms. Gearhart has over 28 years of experience in engineering and environmental consulting, having worked for the Colorado Department of Health in various environmental programs and then moved to the private sector more than 20 years ago. Her expertise is in water quality and environmental engineering and consulting and she develops permitting and operations compliance strategies for clients in both the public and private sector. She is the chair of the Sand Creek Regional Greenway Partnership in Denver and the Chair of the leadership Council for the University of Colorado Denver College of Engineering.

Carol is Executive Director of the South Florida Water Management District. A frequent keynote speaker and expert panelist on Florida water law and policies, she is the first woman to hold the CEO position at any of the state’s five water management districts. She oversees a staff of 1,771 and a budget of $1.1 billion. The District mission is to balance and improve water quality, flood control, water supply, and natural systems for a 16-county area – including restoration of the greater Everglades ecosystem.

A civil engineer, Ms. Wehle initially joined the South Florida District in 2001, following nine years of service with the St. Johns River District. She also was a Brevard County Commissioner and served five years on the Sebastian Inlet Tax District Commission. Previously, Ms. Wehle worked at Kennedy Space Center as well as for private-sector firms. She received her bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.