Bob Thiel is a retired project manager with the State Coastal Conservancy, where he focused on wetland and stream restoration and adaptation strategies to address climate change. Previously, he managed a watershed restoration program at Community Environmental Council and helped coordinate programs for the Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project. Before changing careers to work in conservation, he practiced law for 20 years; he was senior corporate counsel at Hughes Airwest and then at the Fairchild Semiconductor unit of Schlumberger Ltd and later managed law departments for Motorola Inc. in the Bay Area, Boston, Vancouver and South Florida. He is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and the University of Texas Law School and holds masters degrees in landscape architecture and environmental law from the University of Washington in Seattle. He currently contributes his time to several environmental and social justice projects in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.