Thomas Panella

Tom Panella is the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB’s) Director of Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture Division, East Asia Department and Chair of its Water Sector Group/Committee. He has played a range of senior roles at the Asian Development Bank and is responsible for water sector policy, knowledge and innovation, and portfolio enhancement. He served as ADB Country Director in Afghanistan from 2014-17. He joined ADB in 2003 and has worked in water operations in Central, South, and Southeast Asia including postings in Indonesia leading the water and the climate change programs and in Uzbekistan as head of operations. Prior to ADB, he worked at World Bank as a Water Resources Management Specialist from 2000 to 2002. From 1989 to 1993, he was the Southern California Regional Director for Tabors, Caramanis and Associates, a resource management consultancy. He was Convener of the California Urban Water Conservation Council in 1997. He is a Member of the Global Water Partnership’s Technical Committee, the Steering Committee of Toilet Board Coalition, and the AGWA Strategic Advisory Council. He has an MPP and PhD in Public Policy and an MSc in Energy and Resources from UC Berkeley.