Speaker kit · Keynote, workshop, board session

Dr. Nelson Jatel

I help leaders see the hidden networks behind their decisions, in water, in governance, and anywhere people and power connect.

hello@nelsonjatel.com · nelsonjatel.com · linkedin.com/in/nelsonjatel

Download PDF

What audiences leave with

Not just a talk. Depending on the format, a room can leave with a map of its own decision network, a read on where influence is concentrated, and a short list of the relationships worth strengthening before they are tested. Specific, evidence-led, and built for the people in the room.

Signature talks

What Does Your Network Actually Look Like?

A clear map of the influence inside a board or organisation, and why it rarely matches the org chart.

Tracing the Signal

How to find what matters in a noisy organisation, and tell a real pattern from a convenient story.

The Hidden Architecture of Water Governance

Social network analysis applied to who actually decides, drawn from a fifty-year study of one region.

Weak Ties, Strong Decisions

How the informal connections no policy accounts for drive or stall the formal outcome.

Formats

Keynote (30 to 60 minutes)
Half-day workshop
Board or leadership working session

Credentials

Doctorate of Social Science, Royal Roads University
Professional Agrologist (P.Ag. #2862)
Adjunct Professor, UBC Okanagan
20+ years in water governance and senior project management

Short bio

Dr. Nelson Jatel is a water-governance leader, social network analyst, and keynote speaker based in Kelowna, British Columbia. He applies network science to how organisations actually decide, helping boards and audiences see the hidden relationships that shape governance. He holds a Doctorate of Social Science and is a Professional Agrologist.

Selected speaking engagements

2026 Canadian Water Resources Association National Conference, Winnipeg, Manitoba
2026 Canadian Water Resources Association National Conference, Winnipeg, Manitoba
2024 Environmental Flows Conference: Co-Creating Futures
2023 Mission Creek Workshop
2020 The Okanagan Flood Story, GIS Day in Canada, Esri Canada
2020 Raven Hydrology Model Workshop
2018 Joint Conference on Forests and Water, Centro de Ciencia del Clima y la Resiliencia, Valdivia, Chile
2018 Environmental Flow: Science, Policy and Practice
2012 Okanagan Invitational Drought Tournament
2012 Waterlution Okanagan
2008 One Watershed, One Water
2006 Global Competitiveness Summit, Okanagan Partnership Society
2005 Water: Our Limiting Resource
2004 Okanagan Leadership Meeting: Running on Empty

It all feels like noise, until you trace the signal.