Bailey Kennett is a first-year master’s student in the Water, Society and Policy program within the School of Natural Resources and the Environment. She received her undergraduate degree in environmental studies and economics from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida, where much of her research focused on international sustainable development, particularly in terms of drinking water supply. While at Eckerd College, Bailey interned with an estuary education non-profit, in addition to working as the Conservation Assistant for the municipal water provider.
Prior to beginning graduate school, Bailey worked for four years as a fellow with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C. Her work focused on building resilience in the water sector by promoting natural disaster preparedness and response among utilities. Also while in Washington, Bailey served as the Western Water Intern with American Rivers, where she examined the connection between groundwater overdraft and river conservation.
At the WRRC she works within the Water RAPIDS program on water supply and demand planning, primarily in the Upper Gila River Watershed. Through stakeholder engagement, she works to determine and communicate current and future water needs and explore potential supply alternatives. In addition to her work at the WRRC, Bailey has begun an internship working on the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s Lower Santa Cruz River Basin Study, which aims to explore the impacts of climate change on future water supply and demand in the Tucson region.
Bailey’s studies focus on water management and policy, within and beyond Arizona. After graduating in May 2017, she plans to continue her focus on stakeholder engagement and community planning around sustainable water management.