The mission of The Trinity Edwards Springs Protection Association (TESPA) is to protect the Trinity and Edwards aquifers, the springs that flow from this interconnected system, and protect these waters for the people and wildlife who use and depend on them.
TESPA Board of Directors
Board members gather to in January 2020 to thank Vanessa Puig-Williams for years of exemplary service as TESPA executive director. She is now director of the water program at Texas Environmental Defense Fund. (l-r: Jim Blackburn, Vanessa Puig-Williams, Robin Rather, Patrick Cox, Bob Elkins, Ron Weiss)
Jim Blackburn, President
Jim has been a practicing environmental lawyer and planner since 1973. He is a Professor in the Practice of Environmental Law in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Rice University where he teaches environmental law and sustainable design courses. Blackburn is co-director of the Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disaster (SSPEED) Center at Rice University where he is also a Rice Faculty Scholar at the Baker Institute and Director of the Undergraduate Minor in Energy and Water Sustainability. He is owner of a planning firm called Sustainable Planning and Design and teaches courses in sustainable design and environmental law in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rice.
Jim owns a home in Wimberley, Texas on Lone Man Creek.
Peter Way, Vice President
Peter Way is President of Way Holding, Ltd., a mechanical engineering, construction and service company; WF Management, Inc., an investment company and Blanco Holdings Inc., holding oil and gas and real estate investments. He started CES/Way, an energy savings company in 1986 which he sold in 1997 to Sempra Energy, the utility company serving southern California. He is a registered engineer in the State of Texas and a member of the National Society of Professional Engineers. Mr. Way was a founding member and Chairman of The Friends of Blue Hole, a 126-acre regional park in Wimberley, Texas. The Board raised $7 million to purchase the land and build the park, which has been recognized by “Texas Monthly” as one of the 10 best swimming holes in Texas.
Peter owns property along Cypress Creek and the Blanco River.
Robin Rather, Secretary
Robin is CEO of Collective Strength and specializes in market research and strategy for a range of business, non-profits, and governmental clients and is a recognized advocate for sustainability and related policy issues. Ms. Rather previously served as a Vice President of Hill Country Conservancy and President of the Save Our Springs Alliance.
Patrick Cox PhD
Dr. Patrick Cox of Wimberley, Texas is an award-winning and nationally recognized historian, author and environmentalist with a background of government, corporate, and nonprofit service. A sixth generation Texan he resides with his wife Brenda on their ranch in Wimberley, Texas.
Active in community service, Dr. Cox has served as President of the Board of Directors of the Pedernales Electric Cooperative (PEC), the nation’s largest electric cooperative. He was a Past President of the Wimberley Valley Watershed Association when Jacob’s Well Natural Area was assembled and became a protected natural area. He was Past President of the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District (BSEACD).
Service and Achievement awards include: Distinguished Alumni Award- Texas State University; Member of the Texas Institute of Letters; Fellow of the Texas State Historical Association; and recipient of the President’s Council on Sustainable Development – Merit Award.
Bob Elkins
Bob is a Wimberley resident who lives near the Blanco River and is exclusively on rain water. He is passionate about conserving groundwater resources and has been involved as a landowner member in TESPA’s contested case related to the Needmore Ranch groundwater permit at the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District.
Joseph Jaworski
Joseph Jaworski has devoted much of his life to exploring the deeper dimensions of transformational leadership. As founder and Chairman of both Generon International and the Global Leadership Initiative, Joseph advises CEOs and senior executives in Fortune 500 companies. He specializes in the design and execution of large scale organizational change as well as strategy formation and implementation. He is a pioneer and prominent thought leader in the discipline of 'Strategic Foresight', enabling leaders to deepen their capacity for tactical and strategic insight.
From his home just outside of Austin, Texas, Joseph remains actively working with Generon Clients and enjoys spending time practicing Qigong, mediation and communing with nature.
Andrew Weber
Andrew Weber is a partner at Kelly Hart & Hallman—in charge of the Austin office and co-chair of the firm’s Public Law practice. He assists clients in navigating the intersection of law, policy and politics at the Legislature and before State agencies. Andrew previously served as Texas First Assistant Attorney General to Attorney General Greg Abbot. He is currently board president of Friends of the Blue Hole Foundation and a member of the Texas Supreme Court Historical Society.
Andrew received his undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice from SMU in Dallas, and after a 20-year pause in the construction industry, graduated from Baylor Law School, served on Law Review, and became a member of the Order of the Barristers. He and wife Lin live in Wimberley, Texas.
Ron Weiss
Ron Weiss has been a restaurateur in Austin since 1975. He and his wife, Peggy, were founding partners of Jeffrey’s Restaurant, Clarksville Café, Cipollina West Austin Bistro, Shoreline Grill, and Westbank Fish Camp. Jeffrey’s was inducted into the Fine Dining Hall of Fame by Nations Restaurant News and received the Distinguished Restaurants of North America award. A native Texan, Ron grew up in Galveston. He attended the University of Texas at Austin, earning an undergraduate degree in Biology, Chemistry & Physics and a master’s degree in Communication.Ron served as Chair of the Texas Book Festival and has been involved in Explore Austin, an organization that mentors and provides outdoor adventures for underserved teenage youth. Ron and Peggy bought a house on Lone Man Creek in Wimberley in 2016, where they now reside.
Executive Director
Kodi E. Sawin
In January 2023, Kodi Sawin, joined TESPA as the executive director of the organization. Kodi is a self-described water nerd with a deep interest in issues found at the rural-urban policy nexus. Her interest and passion for all things outside comes from her growing-up years spent hiking in the sky islands of Arizona and wandering the High Plains of the Texas Panhandle.
Kodi Sawin specializes in analyzing politically complex infrastructure and natural resource projects. She evaluates political risks and executes public strategy to ensure return on investment for assets that require complex and systemic policy change at the local, regional, and state regulatory levels.
To ensure the viability of projects from regulatory, political, and market standpoints, Kodi works with cross-functional teams, including legal, financial, and engineering experts. She is most notably recognized for her work at the urban-rural policy nexus, especially on water issues.
