Ed Sherman

Zone Recreation Manager of Mark Twain National Forest| USDA Forest Service

After earning his bachelor’s degree in Recreation from the University of Southern Illinois, Carbondale, Ed has served in numerous positions with the Forest Service and is now in Southeast Missouri. The Current, Eleven Point, Jacks Fork, and Black Rivers are all within an hour’s drive of his home, and he feels fortunate to be surrounded by such wonderful recreational opportunities. He exudes a willingness to engage the public in this role and always seems eager to learn with and from others. Ed led a super successful Wild and Scenic Rivers workshop as a component of updating the Comprehensive River Management Plan for the Eleven Point River.

Risa Shimoda

Executive Director | River Management Society
Risa Shimoda supports the River Management Society program staff and board with a background in design engineering, consumer products marketing and non-profit leadership. She received a BS in Engineering / Product Design from Stanford University and trained as a consumer products marketer at Procter & Gamble, M&M/Mars and Coca-Cola USA before directing marketing, sales, and product development for kayaks and paddlesports accessories at Perception, the world’s largest kayak manufacturer (prior to its purchase in the late ‘90s). As Executive Director of American Whitewater (AW), she and her team represented river users in the relicensing of hydropower projects and pursued the right of public access on precedent-setting cases. She pioneered corporate support for AW and developed its first event-based business model for the Gauley River Festival, the largest U.S. river-based annual fundraising event. An avid whitewater paddler, Risa co-founded the Outdoor Alliance and has served on the boards of the Conservation Alliance, North American Paddlesports Association, American Whitewater, Nantahala Outdoor Center, International Whitewater Hall of Fame, and World River Center.