Colin McKenzie

I am currently studying natural resources and environmental law at the University of New Mexico School of Law. Prior to law school, I worked for seven years as a groundwater hydrologist at Montgomery & Associates, a US, Peru and Chile-based water resources consulting firm. In that position, I worked on a range of projects, from open pit mine dewatering and groundwater development, to decision support systems, risk management and planning modeling, as well as litigation support.

Apart from law and hydrology, I also have a background in international service and community development, through my previous work with Amigos de las Américas in Mexico and Nicaragua. I am a fluent Spanish speaker, and have experience collaborating with a variety of stakeholders: town leaders, municipal and state government authorities in Mexico and Nicaragua, international NGOs, and global mining concerns. As a result, my interdisciplinary professional interests lie where land, water and community intersect with social, sustainable development and human rights.

I am also an avid paraglider and have recently moved back to my home state of New Mexico, after years of living, working and flying in Sonoran Desert of Arizona and the Atacama Desert of Chile.