Thomas Panella

Prior working in South East Asia Department of Asian Development Bank, Mr. Thomas Panella worked as a Senior Water Resources Management Specialist for the ADB‘s Central and West Asia Department, Agriculture, Environment, and Natural Resources Division. His work included irrigation and integrated water resources management, and his countries of focus included Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan with prior work in India, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka. Prior to ADB, he worked in the Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development Department at the World Bank. He was a charter officer of the California Urban Water Conservation Council and served as its convener in 1997. He has conducted research and consulted for California water and energy utilities, UN agencies, and other academic, private, and public organizations. His research interests include irrigation governance and institutional reform; environmental flows; water rights; and river basin management. He received a PhD and MPP in Public Policy from the University of California at Berkeley and received an MS from the Energy and Resources Group at Berkeley with an emphasis on water resources.