Dr. Trey Flowers is the Executive Director of the Division of Hydrologic Sciences at the Desert Research Institute, where he leads an interdisciplinary team dedicated to advancing hydrologic research, developing high impact scientific and engineering solutions, and improving the understanding and long-term sustainability of our water resources.
Before joining DRI, Dr. Flowers spent ten years with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Weather Service, serving as Director of the Office of Water Prediction’s Analysis and Prediction Division. In this role, he guided the modernization of the nation’s operational water forecasting enterprise, overseeing the evolution of the National Water Model, including development of NOAA’s first ever Total Water Level forecasts for coastal communities. Under his leadership, his division developed the prototype Next Generation Water Resources Modeling Framework (NextGen), a revolutionary modeling architecture that integrates modern computer, data, and domain sciences to advance community-based hydrologic modeling. He also oversaw national deployment of the Hydrologic Ensemble Forecast Service, improving quantification and communication of hydrologic forecast uncertainty at more than 3,400 forecast locations nationwide.
Dr. Flowers previously served in the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Office of Water, where he led scientific and engineering efforts supporting Missions worldwide. His work spanned water quality investigations in West Africa, groundwater protection and non-revenue water reduction in Jordan, evaluation of climate resilient water systems in Indonesia, and design of major infrastructure and transboundary water cooperation programs in the Middle East/North Africa and Central Asia. He also managed the Agency’s $1bn Water and Development IDIQ, USAID’s primary mechanism for implementing its global water strategy.
Earlier in his career, Dr. Flowers held technical and leadership roles at the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Exponent, working on water rights, environmental remediation, hydrologic investigations, and expert analysis related to flooding, groundwater contamination, and infrastructure failure.
He holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Kentucky. Dr. Flowers is a licensed Professional Civil Engineer in California and a licensed Professional Environmental Engineer in Kentucky.