Thomas Panella

Board Co-Chair
Chair, Platform for Source to Sea Management

Tom Panella is the Chair of the Steering Committee for the Action Platform for Source to Sea Management under SIWI. He was employed for 22 years at Asian Development Bank (ADB) and served as Director for the Natural Capital and Climate Team from 2023-24. He was Director for Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture in the East Asia Department and Chair of Water Sector Committee from 2020-23. He served as Chief of the ADB Water Sector Group from 2017-20 and Afghanistan Country Director in Kabul from 2014-17. From 2002-14, he led water, natural resources, and climate operations across Asia including postings in Tashkent and Jakarta, where he headed the water and climate programs. From 2000-02, he worked at the World Bank as a Water Resources Management Specialist as well as intermittently at United Nations Environment Programme from 1994-97. He was Southern California Regional Director for Tabors, Caramanis and Associates from 1989-93 developing their urban water practice and served as the Convener of the California Water Efficiency Partnership in 1997. He is a member of the AGWA Board of Directors and Advisor to High Level Experts and Leaders Panel for Water Related Disaster. He has an MPP and PhD in Public Policy and MSc from the Energy and Resources Group from the University of California, Berkeley.