When I get asked the question, “Where are you from?” I do not have a straightforward answer. I was born in Atlanta, went to high school in Cleveland, traded in Ohio for upstate NY and finally settled in Montana (I’ve lived in this state longer than any of the others). Along the way, I studied Environmental Geochemistry at SUNY New Paltz and finished my Masters in Earth Science at MSU Bozeman. As an undergrad, we visited numerous wastewater treatment facilities, and I was the only student overly excited to see daily operations at the plants-even the operators thought I was weird!
After graduating, I worked for a year as a geologist on an oil rig in North Dakota where I was responsible for steering the drill path. After the bust of the industry in 2015, I started to fulfill my longtime goal and became the Lead Operator of a small water/sewer district in Montana. Over the years, I learned everything I could about water – from well production, distribution, valves and hydrants, collection systems, lift stations, wastewater treatment, to effluent and solids disposal. I also learned about sampling and compliance, as well as water rights and augmentation.
Recently, I had the luck of joining the Montana Rural Water family as the new Training Specialist. It is an honor to be a part of this team and I look forward to assisting operators across the Treasure State.
