About the Colorado River Alliance
The Alliance’s primary goal is to educate today’s youth to become tomorrow’s leaders, ensuring a legacy of a healthy river, sustainable use of water resources, and communities dedicated to protection and conservation.
Founded in 1994 with support from LCRA, the Alliance is now a standalone 501(c)3 leading programs which reach 14,000 community members and school children annually. The Colorado River Alliance continues to partner with LCRA to provide river stewardship education and to be a champion for the people, ecosystems, communities, and businesses that depend on this essential natural resource.
Education
Engagement
Our Vision
A day when the Texas Colorado River is valued
and protected by all
Our Mission
To champion the long-term vitality of the
Texas Colorado River
Our Purpose
Reach every Texan with a message of the River’s
importance
Why
A healthy, flowing river is imperative to the long-term well-being of the communities through which it runs.
How
With a commitment to innovation and collaboration, the Alliance provides educational and engagement activities that empower Texans with knowledge and tools to protect the Texas Colorado River and ensure its long-term vitality.
By crafting meaningful, memorable hands-on experiences and providing access to information about the River; always with a commitment to innovation and collaboration.
Educate & Engage
14,000
reached by our programs every year
Protect
10,000
of trash removed from the river every year
Conserve
78
gallons of water conserved every year
Innovative programs, inclusive outreach, community engagement
Keeping our river fishable, swimmable, and drinkable for generations
See our latest Impact ReportMeet our team
Serving as the Executive Director at Colorado River Alliance, Adrienne drives the organization’s strategic growth, partnership development, and oversees the talented and dedicated staff team. Prior to her current role at Colorado River Alliance, Adrienne worked as a Chief Operating Officer with Hill Country Conservancy, where she was responsible for strategic direction for all operational areas including finance and budgeting, HR, educational programs, volunteerism, communications, marketing, and resource development and helped lead the design the first strategic plan for the organization.
A passionate community servant well-known for vision, creativity, and consensus building, Adrienne volunteers as Vice Chair of External Relations for the Board of Directors of the Global Association of Fundraising Professionals and as Treasurer on the Board of Directors for Austin Outside, a group that champions outdoor places for all throughout Greater Austin.
Adrienne attended the University of Texas at Austin and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Adrienne enjoys yoga and taking long walk with her son and two dogs.
Erica Castillo, Programs Director at the Colorado River Alliance, leads the development and management of education, outreach, and engagement programs that connect communities with the vital importance of the Texas Colorado River. Erica possesses over two decades of experience in program operations and nonprofit leadership having previously served as Senior Dental Operations Officer for the St. David’s Foundation Dental Program, dedicating 23 years to advancing community health through various leadership roles.
A proud graduate of Concordia University Texas, Erica holds a master's degree in business administration. Erica is passionate about building collaborative partnerships, expanding impactful programs, and cultivating strong volunteer teams. Outside of work, Erica enjoys traveling and spending cozy movie nights with her family—always finding balance between making a difference and making memories.
As the Development and Communications Director, Christine unites the Colorado River Alliance community to champion the long-term vitality of the Texas Colorado River. Christine works to develop meaningful partnerships and relationships to raise funds to support the mission of Colorado River Alliance while leading brand strategy and communications to deepen engagement and awareness for our state's lifeblood and greatest natural resource.
Christine has built her career in the development of relationships. Prior to Colorado River Alliance, Christine served as the Associate Director of Growth at Code2College where she spearheaded the organization's Stakeholder Success department and as the Director of Nonprofit & Customer Relationships at I Live I Give Here where she contributed to the community-wide success of Central Texas' Amplify Austin Day and Giving Tuesday campaigns, raising over $100M for hundreds of Central Texas nonprofits during her tenure. Christine received her Bachelor of Arts from Trinity University.
In her free time, Christine likes to get outside with her family including two young boys and a rescue pup. You can typically find the Herlins out on the trail, at a local park, or fixing up their 1990's pop-up camper for riverside camping weekends.
As the Program Coordinator for the Alliance, Rachel leads the Mobile River program which educates students and community members on the Texas Colorado River watershed and human interaction with local water sources. This program brings a 42-foot trailer full of interactive activities directly to middle school campuses and community events, reaching populations locally and across hundreds of miles of the Colorado River basin. In addition to the Mobile River program, Rachel assists the Alliance’s Internship and Volunteer programs by helping oversee the development of a passionate group of interns.
Rachel was born and raised in Austin and stayed local to attend the University of Texas, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science and Arts in Human Ecology with minors in Spanish and Business. When she’s not at work, you can find Rachel playing guitar at an open mic, completing the New York Times mini games, or swimming at Barton Springs. Just as she spent countless hours of her childhood playing in Williamson Creek and other areas of the Colorado River, Rachel hopes her work here can help guarantee other Central Texas kids a clean local waterway for generations to come.
Isabella’s role as Programs Assistant focuses on field trips to the Wilkerson Center for Colorado River Education and assisting in planning environmental engagement programs such as The Spring Cleanup. Working with a team of interns, she serves as lead instructor for the Field Trips program, which aims to educate future water stewards. She coordinates field trips with interns, as well as teachers and schools interested in participating.
Throughout her life, she jumped at any chance to be in a body of water. This cultivated a strong belief that protecting our water sources is crucial. When looking for positions post-graduation, it was important to her to find an organization dedicated to educating the next generation of scientists and conservationists. This led her to the Colorado River Alliance.
She graduated from Texas A&M University in December 2025 with a B.S. in Ecology and Conservation Biology and a minor in Parks and Natural Resource Management. She gained fieldwork experience in habitats ranging from urban creeks to remote forests in Montana. Her field courses also gave her a deep understanding of the importance of environmental education for the public.
Her early exposure to environmental education for youth sparked her passion for conservation, empowering the next generation, and spreading awareness about interacting responsibly with natural resources. In her free time, she loves to hike with friends, read, and crochet!
Board of Directors
Executive Committee
President
Justin Westmoreland, Regional President Central Texas Area, Prosperity Bank
Immediate Past President
At-Large Officer
Susan Bufkin, Educator & Community Volunteer
Board Members
Bryan Beckworth, Owner, Beckworth Design Build
Mickey Jamail, Manager, Bull Creek Management LLC
Hill Krause, Vice President, Commercial Banking, Frost – Banking, Investments, Insurance
Tina O’Jibway, Partner, Gray Cardinal Strategies
Advisory Council
Under the direction of Founding Member Ray Wilkerson, the Advisory Council members serve as critical community champions for the Colorado River Alliance. With key stakeholders and decision-makers from throughout the Colorado River basin, members share their gifts in service to our mission by providing professional expertise; their diverse knowledge of constituent perspectives; their connections to local and regional resources, colleagues, and peers; and their philanthropic support. The Advisory Council has no governing function within the organization.
Dan Herd
Laura Huffman
Arthur Milberger
Robert Neblett
Peter Pincoffs
John Pitts
Pat Robertson
Andy Sansom
Augusto Villalon
Ray Wilkerson
Peggy Winkler
Endowment Board
The Friends of the Colorado River Endowment is a separate 501(c)(3) corporation that manages a small fund to support the Colorado River Alliance’s programs.
Trustee
Meg Voelter
”Your contributions added to our week-long UT GeoForce curriculum immensely—the students really got a lot out of your presentations! Four of our students were selected to present their poster on Lake Austin work at the annual American Geophysical Union meeting in December in San Francisco—this is the largest Earth sciences meeting in the world—so VERY exciting for them and for us!
Marcy DavisEngineering Scientist, Institute for Geophysics | The University of Texas at Austin
