John R. "Woody" Wodraska,
National Director of Water Resources, PBS&J
John R. “Woody” Wodraska joined PBS&J, a leading national infrastructure engineering firm, in 2003. He is PBS&J's National Director of Water Resources, with responsibility for expanding business development and partnership opportunities with the U.S. water industry.
Mr. Wodraska has more than 25 years of public sector water experience and is nationally known for his skilled leadership in helping to resolve two of the most challenging water disputes ever fought in California and Florida. Mr. Wodraska is the former General Manager/CEO of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the largest wholesale water provider in the U.S. During his tenure he oversaw the “drought-proofing” of Southern California by combining aggressive conservation programs with integrated water resource planning, development of local water resources, and maintenance of imported sources. He also served as the former Executive Director of South Florida’s Water Management District, one of the largest water management agencies in the country, where he balanced water supply, flood control and environmental protection for South Florida.
Mr. Wodraska's expertise encompasses public/private partnership structure, drought-proofing using traditional and innovative technologies, financial management and rate structures, and alternative delivery systems for packaging the costs and risks associated with the design, construction and operation of water treatment systems. He holds a master’s degree from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree from Wilkes University in Pennsylvania
Debra Coy, Principal, Svanda & Coy Consulting
Debra Coy provides consulting services for investors and companies in the water sector. Joining utility regulatory expert David Svanda, she launched her independent consulting business in 2010 after 20 years as a research analyst covering the water industry for Wall Street firms. She most recently worked as Managing Director and Senior Analyst leading coverage of the water sector for Janney Montgomery Scott’s Capital Markets group.
Based in Washington, D.C., Ms. Coy has worked in investment research since 1989, creating a unique franchise and expertise in covering the global water sector for investors. She has been responsible for running the leading water conference on Wall Street for more than a decade. Ms. Coy was named a Financial Times/Starmine “Best Brokerage Analyst” in 2008 and 2009 and a Forbes “Best Brokerage Analyst” in 2010 for her U.S. water utilities coverage.
She is a frequent speaker at industry events, has appeared on CNBC, PBS’s Wall Street Week and other investment broadcasts, and is regularly quoted in financial and industry publications on water sector stocks and issues. She has testified on Capitol Hill on water infrastructure financing, and currently serves as a member of the Water Environment Federation’s Global Water Strategies Council and the Clean Water America Alliance’s National Dialogue on an integrated water policy.
Joseph LaCorte, CFA,
President, S-Network Global Indexes LLC
Mr. LaCorte is presently a Managing Member of S-Network, a New York based consulting firm specializing in the development of indexes, quantitative asset management products and structured products, including exchange traded funds and over-the-counter derivatives. In the past five years, he served as a Managing Director of UBS, with responsibility for that firm’s global exchange traded fund (ETF) initiative. Prior to that, Mr. LaCorte served as managing member of S-Network LLC, where he maintained responsibility for key clients, including the American Stock Exchange, Deutsche Borse and State Street Bank & Trust.
Mr. LaCorte was also a Managing Director of Deutsche Bank, responsible for that bank’s US index arbitrage and portfolio trading businesses. He worked as part of the management teams at both Nomura and Kidder Peabody in the similar capacities. While at each of these firms, their index arbitrage businesses were the largest in the United States.
