Anne Castle

Anne Castle is a senior fellow at the Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy, and the Environment at the University of Colorado Law School, focusing on western water issues including Colorado River operational policy and the integration of tribal water interests.  She is a founding member of the Water Policy Group, comprised of select water sector experts who have been decision makers and trusted advisers within governments and international bodies handling complex water policy and strategy.  From 2009 to 2014, she was Assistant Secretary for Water and Science at the U.S. Department of the Interior where she oversaw water and science policy for the Department and had responsibility for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Geological Survey. 

While at Interior, Castle spearheaded the Department’s WaterSMART program, which provides federal support for sustainable water supplies and provided hands-on leadership on Colorado River issues including a ground-breaking agreement between the US and Mexico. Castle practiced water law for many years with the Rocky Mountain law firm of Holland & Hart where she chaired the Management Committee and Natural Resources Department. She is the President of the Board of Directors of the Colorado Water Trust and serves on boards or advisory committees for Western Resource Advocates, Colorado Legal Services, the Salazar Center for North American Conservation, the Airborne Snow Observatory, Stanford University’s Water in the West program, and the Colorado River Water and Tribes Initiative, where she is co-leading an initiative on universal access to clean and safe water on Indian reservations.