Chris Bowman was the Center's Communications Director and Editor of the California WaterBlog from September 2012 to January 2016, when he joined the Chancellor's Executive Communications team.  

Bowman came to the Center after a stint as speechwriter for California Air Resources Board Chairman Mary Nichols and a distinguished 30-year career in newspapers. 

He is one of the nation’s most experienced environmental journalists, having worked all sides of the beat in his 24 years as a senior writer at The Sacramento Bee. Several of his investigative stories led to state and federal environmental reforms. His honors include the McClatchy President’s Award for journalism excellence, the national Roy W. Howard Award for Public Service Reporting and the national Edward Willis Scripps Award for Distinguished Service to the First Amendment.

Bowman is the first U.S. journalist to be appointed Environmental Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, which awarded him a year of study in 1994-95. The fellowship inspired him to mentor journalists abroad, including a three-month stint in Zimbabwe as a 1998 Senator John Heinz Fellow in International Environmental Reporting. He also taught environmental journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno, and served on the board of the Society of Environmental Journalists.

Bowman began his reporting career at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California, and The Hartford Courant. He holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts in history from UC Davis.

Contact information last updated 14 Feb 2023.