CASA and CWEA Presents: Wastewater Surveillance: How Wastewater is Tested and the Role of Treatment Facilities- Live Webinar

Spencer works as an advocate for CASA’s state legislative and regulatory advocacy programs. He is a key point of contact for CASA agency and associate members on legislative and regulatory issues. He directly coordinates with elected and appointed officials, legislative staff, state employees, and other stakeholders to advance CASA’s public policy priorities. He utilizes his experience and knowledge of the California Legislature and Regulatory bodies to advance CASA’s programs on many priority issues. He also writes, edits, and produces CASA’s State Legislative and Regulatory Newsletters.

Bridie is a research scientist on the wastewater surveillance team at CDPH, where she supports the laboratory’s sample‑testing workflow, assay validations and verifications, and QA/QC system improvements. She joined the CDPH DWRL Microbiology Unit in December 2024 after completing an MSc in Microbiology and Immunology at Loyola University Chicago (LUC), where her research focused on enterovirus infection mechanisms and host–virus interactions. She also holds an earlier MSc researching infectious disease and antiviral development, and a BSc in Environmental Science and Public Health, both from LUC. Before joining CDPH, she worked in vector‑borne disease surveillance and ecology research across the Midwest through the CDC’s Midwest Center of Excellence in Vector‑Borne Disease, focusing on mosquito‑ and tick‑borne viruses and pesticide resistance.

Jessica is a lead microbiologist within the DWRL Microbiology Unit at CDPH. She is involved with sample testing, quality control, and assay validation projects for wastewater-based epidemiology, along with assisting with environmental monitoring of Legionella species. Jessica joined the CDPH in June 2025 after completing her PhD in biology at Stanford University, where she focused on Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease. Prior to that, she completed her undergraduate degree in biochemistry at the University of Michigan.