Service area & board of directors

In November 2014, Dina Nguyen was elected to serve on the Orange County Water District Board of Directors to represent division 1, which includes Garden Grove, Westminster and Stanton. Director Nguyen was formerly a councilmember for the city of Garden Grove.

She was elected to the Garden Grove City Council in November 2006, then re-elected in 2010. She began her political career as a commissioner on the Garden Grove Neighborhood Improvement and Conservation Commission where she recommended programs to the City Council to improve and preserve neighborhoods through zoning enforcement, housing rehabilitation, street improvement, and other housing-related programs.

Director Nguyen served Orange County for 18 years as an employee of the Superior Court. During that time, she attended law school. Presently, she is the principal owner of the Business & Law Center of Dina L. Nguyen in Garden Grove.

Both her professional law practice and her activities in the community focus on the areas of education, family and business.

Over the years, Director Nguyen has lent her support to organizations that include the Rotary Club of Garden Grove, the Boy Scouts of America, the Sustainable Community Foundation of Orange, the Susan G. Komen Foundation, the American Red Cross, the Team of Advocates for Special Kids, the NBH Youth and Cultural Development Center, and the Orange County Community Services Programs.

Director Nguyen came to the United States in 1975, has lived in Orange County since 1977 and presently resides in Garden Grove with her family. Email Director Nguyen

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Denis Bilodeau was first elected to public office as a director of the Orange County Water District in November 2000 and was re-elected to serve for four more consecutive terms. He currently serves as the board president and previously served as president of the board from 2002 to 2004. 

Director Bilodeau served as a councilmember of the city of Orange. He was elected in November 2006 and his term ended in 2014. He has served on the following committees and commissions throughout Orange County: Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority, Orange County Vector Control, Orange County Waste Management Commission, Orange County Transportation Authority, San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor Agency, Foothill Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency, Orange County Sanitation District, Orange County Emergency Medical Care Committee, Orange County Housing and Community Development Commission, Orange County Water Task Force, and the Los Angeles and San Gabriel River Watershed Taskforce.

Director Bilodeau, his wife Suzanne and their three children are long-time residents of Orange. Professionally, Director Bilodeau is a licensed civil and traffic engineer. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from the University of California, Irvine. Email Director Bilodeau

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Roger Yoh was elected to serve on the Orange County Water District (OCWD) Board of Directors in November 2004, and was re-elected in 2008, 2012 and 2016. He was elected to serve as the 2012 chair of the Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS) Steering Committee, and, most recently, as the 2013 and 2014 2nd vice president of the OCWD Board of Directors.

Director Yoh is a registered professional engineer, a project management professional and is currently employed with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), District 7 (Los Angeles and Ventura Counties), as a senior transportation engineer.

Director Yoh holds a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from the University of California, Irvine, where he received extensive training in various disciplines of civil engineering, including water resources engineering and construction management.

Director Yoh is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Environmental & Water Resources Institute and the Project Management Institute. A resident of Orange County since 1982, Director Yoh and his wife, Stephanie, live in Buena Park with their daughter. Email Director Yoh

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Tri Ta was appointed to the Orange County Water District (OCWD) Board of Directors in September 2018. He also serves as mayor for the city of Westminster, Calif.

Director Ta was elected in November 2016 to serve his third term as mayor. Tri Ta was first elected to the Westminster City Council in November 2006 and re-elected in 2010.  In 2008, he was selected to serve as mayor pro tempore. Director Ta became the first Vietnamese-American elected mayor in the United States with his victory in November 2012; he was re-elected as mayor in November 2014. 

Prior to being elected to the council, he served as a commissioner for the city's Energy Committee and Advisory Committee for the Disabled. Tri Ta currently represents Westminster on the Orange County Fire Authority Board of Directors serving on its Executive Committee and Budget and Finance Committee, the Orange County Council of Governments, the Orange County Public Library Advisory Board, and the Orange County Transportation Authority Central County Corridor MIS and I-405 Policy Working Group. He also serves as council representative to the city's Water Rate Structure Committee, Zoning Code Update Committee, 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion Advisory Committee, and Energy Committee.

Director Ta was born in Saigon, Vietnam. He came to the United States with his family in 1992 at the age of 19. He then received a B.A. in political science and has completed the requirements for an M.A. in International Relations. Director Ta appreciates the opportunities given to him by the political process and democracy in the United States, leading him to begin working as a legislative representative in 1998.

From 1998 to 2006, Director Ta worked as a career consultant and then as an employment counselor. This enabled him to help numerous families from many ethnic groups become self-sufficient and less reliant on public assistance by developing better job searching skills, and/or adequate vocational training to obtain sustainable employment. He also helped with a variety of supportive services, including, but not limited to, transportation, childcare, housing, shelter, and ancillary.

Over the years, Director Ta had been active in many non-profit organizations, committees and projects, including the Union of Vietnamese Student Associations (UVSA), New Horizon, Orange History Program, National Alliance of Vietnamese American Service Agencies (NAVASA), Rancho Santiago Community College District's Measure Advisory Committee, Giving Back Program, Asian Pacific National Steering Committee, and Kiwanis International. He is frequently sought after by universities as an inspirational speaker whose ultimate message to the youth is "follow your dream 'til the end."

Director Ta resides in Westminster with his wife, Anh Doan, and their two daughters Trianh and Trimy.

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Steve Sheldon is an elected member of the Orange County Water District (OCWD) Board of Directors; his division includes parts of Newport Beach and Irvine.  He has served on the board since 2005 and was president of the board in 2008 and 2009.  A representative on behalf of OCWD for the League of Cities, he also sits on the University of California, Irvine Urban Water Research Institute Advisory Committee.

Director Sheldon brings more than 25 years of experience in public policy and real estate development. As a past consultant and attorney, his work included managing hundreds of land-use entitlement efforts before cities, counties and special districts. He is currently the CEO of Sheldon Development, LLC.  His company has developed over 2,500 housing units ranging from luxury apartments, townhomes, single-family homes, and estate lots; along with park land, open space, trails, and other public amenities and benefits. He was a recent successful bidder of a surplus elementary school site from a public school district and developed 63 homes and a two acre public park. Email Director Sheldon

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Cathy Green was elected to the Orange County Water District (OCWD) Board of Directors in November 2010 and was re-elected in 2012 and 2016. She was selected by the board to serve as its 2013 and 2014 1st vice president and as its 2015 and 2016 president.

Prior to Director Green's service on OCWD's board, she was elected to two consecutive terms on the Huntington Beach City Council where she served two terms as mayor. Director Green has been involved as a council liaison and committee member on many city boards, commissions and committees.

Her community involvement includes serving as chair of the Orange County Emergency Medical Care Committee; vice chair of Finance Explorer’s/Learning for Life; and director of the Huntington Beach Hospital, Boy Scouts of America Council and American Family Housing.  She is a founding member of Amigos de Bolsa Chica, three-time chair and board member of the Huntington Beach Community Clinic and served as president of the Therapeutic Riding Center. She also is a member of the Community Emergency Response Team.

Director Green is the recipient of many awards.  In September 2010, she was the recipient of the Spurgeon Award, and, in 2005, she was named Woman of the Year by then State Senator John Campbell.  Other awards include the 2006 United Way Excellence in Child Care Planning, the 2007 Peace Maker Award from the Greater Huntington Beach Interfaith Council and the Golden West College Pillar of Achievement Award.  She has also been recognized as Huntington Beach’s Citizen of the Year by the Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce, a Huntington Beach Soroptimist’s Woman of Distinction and a Bolsa Chica Conservancy Conservator of the Year.

Director Green is a registered nurse and holds a degree in law. As a nurse, Director Green worked in the health care areas of intensive care, student health, community health, and patient advocacy. In addition to nursing, she gained experience with a variety of environmental projects while associated with Lockhart and Associates.

Director Green and her husband Peter have been residents of Huntington Beach for more than 40 years where they raised their two children Teresa and Tom. Email Director Green

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Shawn Dewane was elected to the Orange County Water District Board of Directors in 2010. His fellow directors elected him to serve as board president in 2013 and 2014.  He served as first vice president in 2012 and currently serves as the 2nd vice president.

Director Dewane recognizes that clean, affordable water is fundamental to our civil liberties and key to our community's economic development.  He is working to increase the local and regional water supply and reliability, preserve local and regional water rights, and promote fiscal responsibility and transparency in government. 

Currently, Director Dewane serves on the executive committee, serves as chair of the finance committee, and as a regular voting member of the water issues committee. He also acts as regular liaison between OCWD's congressional delegation and local business and community leaders.

Director Dewane is also chair of CalDesal, an advocate for clean, safe reliable drinking water for California through environmentally responsible water desalination and salinity management. In addition, he serves as past chair of the Water Advisory Committee of Orange County - the water policy coordinating body of Orange County. He is a member of the Association of California Water Agencies and, having attended many state and national conferences, is familiar with the issues facing state, regional and local water agencies.

Professionally, Director Dewane is an investment management consultant with Dewane Investment Strategies, which provides sophisticated tax, estate and investment planning advice to individuals and institutions. His work was profiled in a Registered Representative article titled, "Profitable Knowledge."

Director Dewane earned a Master of Business Administration from Pepperdine University, and a Bachelor of Science degree from Arizona State University.  He is also honored to serve as adjunct faculty at Pepperdine University.

Recognized for his achievements and service, Director Dewane received the Paul Harris Fellowship from Rotary International, and a scholarship from the Los Angeles Society of Financial Analysts.  He resides in Costa Mesa with his wife Tracey, daughters Shannon and Cristina, and son Ryan. Email Director Dewane

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Reappointed by the Santa Ana City Council to represent OCWD’s Division 8 (Santa Ana) in December 2016, Vicente Sarmiento previously served as a District board member from January 2013 to February 2015.  During that time, he was the 1st Vice President of the board. He is currently a member of several OCWD committees including Administration and Finance Issues, Communication and Legislative Liaison, Water Issues, and Property Management. 

In January 2007, Director Sarmiento was appointed to the Santa Ana City Council to represent Ward 1.  He was formally elected in November 2008, November 2012, and November 2016 and is currently serving his third term.  He also served as Mayor Pro Tempore from 2014 to 2016. In addition, he is the chairman of the Oversight Board of the Successor Agency to the former Redevelopment Agency for the city of Santa Ana.  The Oversight Board has the fiduciary responsibility of handling the dissolution of the city’s former Redevelopment Agency.  Director Sarmiento also chairs the city’s Development and Transportation, and Legislation committees; and he is also a member of the Finance, Economic Development and Technology Committee.

Director Sarmiento was recently invited to become a board member for the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies based out of George Washington University.  He was selected as one of 14 leaders from across the country to join the NewDEAL, a national network that is committed to highlighting innovative ideas from state and local elected leaders who are pro-growth progressives.  Director Sarmiento is also a member of the board of directors of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO).

Vicente Sarmiento graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics.  He received his Juris Doctorate from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law.  More recently, he attended the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and successfully completed the Certificate Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government.

Director Sarmiento and his family have lived in and around Santa Ana since 1965.  He attended John Muir Elementary, Sierra Elementary, and Willard Intermediate schools. Director Sarmiento now lives in a 1929 historic home in the Saddleback View neighborhood, three blocks from where he grew up.  Presently, he and his wife Eva, also an attorney, are the principal owners of a law practice in Santa Ana.  They have three children ages 17, 14 and 11 whom they hope will learn the value of public service and contributing to their community. Email Director Sarmiento

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James Vanderbilt was appointed to the Orange County Water District Board of Directors to represent Division 9 in January 2017.  He currently serves as the Mayor Pro Tempore of Anaheim. He was first elected to represent the citizens of Orange County’s largest city as an at-large Council Member in November 2014. 

Director Vanderbilt has also served Anaheim in several roles in the past. As a college student he worked for the Anaheim Community Services Department as a summer park supervisor. He has served on many appointed and elected positions, including seven years as a member of the Anaheim Community Service Board (1991-1998), five years as member and chair of the Anaheim Planning Commission (1999-2004) and ten years as Board Member and President of the Anaheim Elementary School District (formerly the Anaheim City School District, 2004-2014).

Born and raised in Anaheim, Director Vanderbilt has lived in the city nearly his entire life. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master of Public Administration degree with an emphasis in public finance from California State University, Fullerton. He has previously taught at the North Orange County Community College District, School of Continuing Education and now serves on the faculty for California State University, Los Angeles.

A veteran of the U.S. Navy Special Warfare unit, Board Member Vanderbilt currently serves as a member of the U.S. Army Reserves in the rank of Captain.  During his 20 years with both branches of the military, he has participated in humanitarian missions in El Salvador and South Korea.  He was deployed to Kuwait 2012-2013 to serve as an assistant Officer-In-Charge of a medical facility near the border of Iraq. 

As a strong believer in the local government processes, transparency and fairness, Director Vanderbilt has adopted the Four-Way Test from the Rotary International as a means to evaluate issues. Before taking a public position or voting on a city resolution, ordinance or other action item, Director Vanderbilt believes it is important to consider a variety of factors, including without limitation:

Are all facts of a matter known and true? Does the discussion include all relevant facts and figures, pros and cons that are presented in way to show the whole picture? Are core elements of a proposal presented prominently with peripheral aspects considered proportionately?

Is it fair to all concerned? Are there checks and balances in place to ensure maximum public and stakeholder participation in the decision making discussion? Has both the spirit and the letter of the law been followed? Are democratic principles applied?

Does it promote goodwill for district residents? Does it meet the expectation of the residents of the district for consistent and fair decision making? Is it an appropriate role and responsibility of the water district to take action on the issue? Does the decision consider some measure of mitigation?

Will it be beneficial to all concerned? Does it enhance the quality of life for all or most Anaheim residents in some manner? Will the implementation of a new or renewed initiative include measurable outcomes that can demonstrate program success or benefits for all or the majority of Anaheim residents and stakeholders?

Please do not hesitate to contact Vanderbilt or his staff with questions or concerns regarding the governance of the city of Anaheim. Email Director Vanderbilt

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Bruce Whitaker was appointed by the Fullerton City Council in February 2017 to serve on the Orange County Water District’s (OCWD) Board of Directors, beginning February 15. Director Whitaker was previously appointed to OCWD’s board and served from August 2012 to January 2014.

Whitaker, a longtime public servant and resident of Fullerton, currently serves as mayor. He was elected to the Fullerton City Council in November 2010, and named mayor pro tempore by the city council in July 2012. In November 2012, he was reelected to a full four-year term, and was unanimously chosen to serve as mayor for 2013.

Representing Fullerton, Whitaker served the Santa Ana River Flood Protection Agency, the Water Advisory Committee of Orange County, and on the Orange County Vector Control Board of Trustees.

Director Whitaker was appointed in 2012 by the Orange County Board of Supervisors to the County of Orange Oversight Board where he currently serves as one of seven board members. Prior to being elected to the council, Bruce Whitaker served three years as a Fullerton planning commissioner.

For more than two decades, Whitaker has been active in the Fullerton Chamber of Commerce Legislative and Local Government committees as a private citizen, business executive and more recently representing elected offices. He founded the Fullerton Association of Concerned Taxpayers (FACT) in 1996 and served the first eight years as its president.

Prior to his employment in public service, for more than 20 years, Whitaker held executive positions as controller/chief financial manager of a local retail firm and administrator of a local medical center. In efforts to help the County of Orange emerge from bankruptcy in 1994-96, Whitaker was appointed by the Orange County Board of Supervisors to serve on three official committees: the Orange County Management Audit Oversight Committee, the Salary and Benefits Review Committee, and the Ad Hoc Steering Committee on Privatization. Email Director Whitaker

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