Luisa Valiela is an Environmental Protection Specialist working for the US Environmental Protection Agency. Beginning as an EPA intern, Valiela worked in the groundwater office before moving to the Nonpoint Source Office. She now covers critical watershed planning and management in the San Francisco Bay Area, mercury in the Bay Area, emerging contaminants and pharmaceuticals in the environment, the San Francisco Estuary Project, and floodplain management. Valiela is a UC Berkeley alumnus and has excellent knowledge of environmental policy and implementation.