Samantha Arthur serves as Deputy Secretary for Water, leading the Agency’s initiatives to build water resilience and adapt water systems to climate extremes. Samantha joined the California Natural Resources Agency in April 2023 as the Assistant Secretary for Salton Sea Policy, where she led the State’s Salton Sea Management Program to address air quality and ecological threats at the Salton Sea. Prior to joining the Agency, Samantha spent over nine years at Audubon California and held several positions including Working Lands Program Director. She led Audubon’s work in the Central Valley with farmers, wetland managers, and environmental justice organizations to advance sustainable water management and expand habitat through incentive programs and restoration. Samantha also served on the California Water Commission from 2020 to 2023. She previously managed the Big Sur Land Trust’s conservation easement program from 2010 to 2012 and was a high school biology teacher from 2007 to 2010. Samantha earned a Master of Environmental Science and Management degree from the Bren School at the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology and Environmental Studies from Whitman College.
