The AHS Foundation's success is a result of it's present and past Directors. All directors are volunteers who are uncompensated for their time or expenses; all serve renewable three year terms.
Errol Montgomery
Errol L. Montgomery is the retired founder of Montgomery & Associates, an international water resources consulting group. He received a BS degree in Geology from Oregon State University in 1962, a MS in hydrogeology in 1963 and a PhD in hydrogeology and geophysics from the University of Arizona in 1970. He is a Fulbright Scholar and author of more than 200 professional reports and technical papers. ‘Monte’ is also a founding Director of the Foundation and served as Vice President from 2006 to 2017, and President 2018 to 2021.
Don Bills
Don has a BS degree from California State University-Chico, and post graduate work from Chico and Northern Arizona University. Don is currently a senior hydrologist at the U.S. Geological Survey Flagstaff Science Center with over 37 years of experience in northern Arizona and the western U.S. His career includes assessment of water-quality, sediment, and groundwater data, surface-water and groundwater interactions, hydrothermal studies, groundwater flow and contaminant hydrology. Don is a lifetime member of the Arizona Hydrological Society, a founding member of the Flagstaff Chapter, and Founder of the Flagstaff Charles Avery Endowment. Don joined the AHS Foundation in 2015 and took over as President of the Foundation in 2022.
Dennis Hall
Dennis Hall has B.S. degrees in Geology and Physics at Northern Arizona University and an M.S. degree
in Geosciences from the University of Arizona. He is operations manager for the Phoenix office of Montgomery & Associates. He specializes in water supply development, environmental monitoring and assessment, remedial
investigations, and implementation of remedial actions. Dennis is the AHS Academic Scholarship
Coordinator, he joined the AHS Foundation in 2015, and currently serves as Secretary of the Foundation.
Howard Grahn
Howard Grahn is a retired Geologist. He worked for 30 years in the mining industry, first as an exploration geologist in the Southwest U.S., then as a hydrology consultant in the U.S. and South America for mine water issues. He has MS degrees in Geology and Hydrology from the University of Arizona. Howard is a founding Director of the Foundation and the current Treasurer.
Beth Proffitt
Elizabeth (Beth) Proffitt retired in 2019 as a Technical Business Development Manager for SGS North America, Inc, a division of an international environmental laboratory. Prior to working with SGS, she has worked for laboratories in the Phoenix area since 1985, serving in positions ranging from Analytical Chemist through Laboratory Director and President. Beth received her B.S. in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Georgia State University. Beth has been active in the Arizona Hydrological Society (AHS) for more than thirty years, serving in the roles of speaker coordinator and Treasurer for the Phoenix Chapter as well as Corporate Board Treasurer for a period of six years. She currently serves as the AHS Phoenix Chapter Treasurer and the Fundraising Director on the AHS Foundation board.
Erin Young
Erin Young, as the Water Resources Manager for the City of Flagstaff, oversees the Water Resources Section of Water Services. Her work includes managing all aspects of water supply planning from water demand accounting and demand forecasting to monitoring water supplies, developing new water supplies, and securing water rights for the City. She has a B.S. in Geology from Arizona State University (2000) and an M.S. in Geology from Northern Arizona University (2006). Previously, Erin spent 11 years working as a hydrologist for consulting firms focused mostly on groundwater development and recharge projects, as well as regulatory permitting assistance under numerous ADWR and ADEQ programs. Erin is a registered geologist in Arizona (AZ Reg. No. 49661). Aside from work life, Erin is a mom, plays hockey, loves to ski and recently started playing tennis. Erin traveled to Cape Town, South Africa, in January 2018, with her daughter. The experience of the water crisis was surreal and ever solidified the tenets of water management in Erin's work for Flagstaff.
Mike Pearce
Michael J. (Mike) Pearce is a Partner at Gammage & Burnham. Since 1989, his professional career has focused exclusively on water rights, water management and water policy matters. Mr. Pearce was formerly a Director in the Phoenix law firm of Fennemore Craig, P.C. (2002-2005), and was a founding member of Maguire, Pearce, & Storey (2007-2020). He was also Chief Counsel of the Arizona Department of Water Resources (1995-2002), representing the State of Arizona in interstate and international water issues and managing the Department’s nine-member legal division.
David Christiana
Dave Christiana has been a member of the Arizona Hydrological Society since 1988, holding several leadership positions in the Phoenix Chapter, including Chair of the Herman Bouwer Internship Program for a number of years. He retired from state service after 20 years at the Arizona Departments of Water Resources and Environmental Quality. Prior to state service, he worked as a private environmental consultant for 7 years. Dave earned a MS degree in Hydrology from the University of Arizona in 1991. He served on the Board of Directors as a representative of the Phoenix Chapter and has been a regular member of the Foundation Board since 2019. David took over the position of Foundation Vice-President in 2022.
Chris Brooks
Chris Brooks is the current Vice-President of the AHS Corporate Board and represents AHS on the Foundation. He is a senior policy analyst for the Central Arizona Groundwater Replenishment District, where he works on water supply acquisitions to support the CAGRDs replenishment responsibilities. Chris has been a member of AHS for over 20 years and has served on the Corporate Board for 4 years. He has a B.S. in Hydrology (1989) from the University of Arizona and a J.D. (2008), also from U of A.
