Mary Ann Dickinson

Mary Ann Dickinson is the policy director of Land and Water for the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, where she works on better integrating land and water policy in the United States and globally. Prior to joining the Lincoln Institute, she was the founder and president/CEO for 15 years of the Alliance for Water Efficiency, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the efficient and sustainable use of water in the US and Canada. Headquartered in Chicago, the Alliance works with over 500 water utilities, water conservation professionals in business and industry, planners, regulators, and consumers. In 2014 the Alliance’s work won the US Water Prize in the nonprofit category.

With over 50 years of professional experience in the water and land conservation fields, Mary Ann has worked for numerous local, national, and international organizations. She was the chair of the Efficient Urban Water Management Specialist Group for the International Water Association; chair of the American Water Works Association Water Conservation Division; president of the California Irrigation Institute; president of the Lake Arrowhead Community Services District; and treasurer of the Texas Water Foundation. She currently serves as cochair of the Water and Planning Network at the American Planning Association, and as the executive director of the California Irrigation Institute.

A graduate of the University of Connecticut with a degree in environmental planning and master’s coursework in environmental management, Mary Ann has authored numerous publications on water conservation, land use planning, and natural resources management; spoken at over 50 national and international conferences; and coproduced two films that have aired on public television and community cable stations.