Daniel “Dan” M. Dooley. Dan is a Principal in New Current Water and Land, LLC, which provides strategic advice on major water issues and connects private equities to water infrastructure projects. He left the Office of the President of the University of California after seven years (first as the Vice President – Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources and then as its Senior Vice President External Relations) to return to the practice of water law as of counsel to Bolen Fransen Sawyers LLP.

While at the University, Dan’s External Relations responsibilities included directing the University offices of State and Federal Government Relations, Alumni Affairs and Institutional Advocacy, and Communications.

Dan currently serves Chair of the Board of Sustainable Conservation, a California NGO that promotes collaborative solutions to conservation problem. He is a founding member of the Advisory Board of the Public Policy Institute of California Water Center.

Prior to joining the University, Dan distinguished himself as an agricultural and environmental attorney with extensive experience in California. He was a partner at Dooley, Herr and Peltzer, LLP, a law firm emphasizing water, agricultural, environmental and business law, where he represented both public agencies and private parties on water-related matters. He was recognized for successfully bridging environmental and economic considerations in a number of controversial legal cases.

Dan previously served as Undersecretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (1977-80) and Chair of the California Water Commission (1982-86). He has served on the National Academy of Sciences, Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources, and the Western Rural Development Center Board. Dan served for many years on the Council for Agricultural Research Extension and Teaching, including a term as its Chair. He also was a long-time member of the Board of Valley Children’s Hospital and served as its Chair among several other leadership positions. He was a partner in Dooley Farms from 1980 to 2001. In 2007, California Lawyer Magazine’s Lawyer of the Year publication cited Dan for his work to achieve settlement of two decades old litigation relating to restoration of flows to the San Joaquin River.