Bios of 2004 Conference Speakers

Dr. Catherine Kling
Iowa State University
Dept. of Economics
568d Heady Hall
Ames, IA 50011
(515) 294-5767
ckling@iastate.edu


Dr. Catherine Kling is a professor of economics at Iowa State University and head of the resource and environmental policy division of the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development at ISU. Dr. Kling’s research interests are in the areas of valuing environmental goods and services and economic incentives for pollution control, particularly in relation to agricultural practices. Dr. Kling serves on EPA's Science Advisory Board, was a member of the Executive Board of the American Agricultural Economics Association and Vice President and Board Member for the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists
 

Chad Pregracke
Living Lands & Waters
17615 Great River Road
Route 84 North
East Moline, IL 61244
(309) 496-9848
chad@cleanrivers.com


Chad Pregracke grew up in the Illinois Quad Cities area on the banks of the Mississippi River. While attending high school and college he worked as a commercial shell diver, a commercial fisherman and barge hand during the summers. With the help of volunteers, a few dedicated crewmembers and minimal financial support, he conducted the largest cleanup in the history of the Mississippi River, cleaning over 1,200 miles of shoreline and islands. After finishing the Mississippi River, he began the task of cleaning the Illinois River. He has coordinated two environmental expos, and used these events to initiate his “Adopt-a-Mississippi River Mile” campaign. Chad’s project has been filmed by many of the major networks, and featured in numerous national and international magazines. In June of 2002, Chad accepted the Jefferson Award in the United States Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. In August 2002, Chad was invited by the Coca-Cola Company to attend the World Summit on Sustainable Environments in Johannesburg, South Africa. Chad met and shared information about his river cleanup projects with people from all over the world. More specifically, he was part of the group that conducted the “Mission Antarctica” project. Their objective was to remove tons of trash that had been left behind by numerous expeditions in Antarctica.
 

Donna Lutz
Iowa State University
Dept. of Civil, Const., and Enviro. Engineering
Ames, IA 50014
(515) 294-9720
dslutz@iastate.edu


Donna Lutz received her B.S. in biology and environmental science in 1979 from Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. She received her M.S. in water resources in 1993, also from Iowa State University. Donna is an assistant scientist at Iowa State University’s Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, managing the Des Moines River Water Quality Network. This project, sponsored by the Rock Island District Corps of Engineers, is the longest, continuous monitoring project in the state of Iowa, if not the Midwest
 

Dr. Edward F. Askew
Davenport Water Pollution Control
Pretreatment and Laboratory
PO Box 3606
2606 South Concord Street
Davenport, Iowa 52801
(563) 326-7965
efa@ci.davenport.ia.us


Dr. Edward Askew received his B.S. in chemistry and a B.S. in secondary education in chemistry and physics from Northwest Missouri State University. His Doctorate in chemistry was awarded by the University of Arkansas. Dr. Askew has completed post doctoral research at the University of Oregon, worked in the pesticide industry both for private and governmental entities, and for the last 9 years has worked in Iowa in the wastewater field. Dr. Askew is currently the laboratory supervisor for the City of Davenport Water Pollution Control Plant and the industrial pretreatment coordinator for the cities of Bettendorf, Davenport, Panorama Park, and Riverdale.
 

Eric O’Brien
Iowa Department of Natural Resources
109 Trowbridge Hall
Iowa City, IA 52242-1319
(319) 353-2835
eric.obrien@dnr.iowa.gov


Eric O’Brien completed his Master’s research in environmental science at the University of Northern Iowa in May 2003. His primary interest of focus is environmental microbiology, specifically focusing on bacterial source tracking. Before joining the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Water Monitoring Section, Eric also helped coordinate undergraduate water research activities at the University of Northern Iowa. These interests led him to work for the Water Monitoring Section in June 2003. Eric directs most of his efforts toward the ongoing bacterial monitoring of Iowa’s 37 State Park beaches as well as tracking of bacterial sources at these beaches.
 

Jeffrey Vonk
Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Director’s Office
Wallace Building
502 E. 9th Street
Des Moines, IA 50319
(515) 281-5384
jeff.vonk@dnr.state.ia.us


Jeffrey Vonk began his career as the director for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources in 2001. From July of 1998 until March of 2001 Jeff served as the California State Conservationist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Jeff began his career with NRCS (then the Soil Conservation Service) in 1979. Jeff received a bachelor’s degree in forest biology from Syracuse and a Masters degree in wildlife management from the University of Maine. After working with the Smithsonian Institution for two years, he and his wife, Mary Anne, volunteered with the Peace Corps in Chile
 

Jennifer Graham
Dept. of Fisheries and Wildlife
University of Missouri – Columbia
302 ABNR
Columbia, MO 65211
(573) 882-6074
jlj59f@mizzou.edu


Jennifer Graham received her bachelor’s degree in environmental science from Davis and Elkins College in West Virginia. From there she went to Southwest Missouri State University where she received an M.S. in aquatic biology. Jennifer is currently finishing up the requirements for a Ph.D. in limnology at the University of Missouri, where she is studying environmental factors influencing microcystin distribution and concentration in the Midwest. She is also working on a post-doctoral study assessing the seasonal variation in the physical, chemical, and biological aspects of 15 Missouri reservoirs.
 

Scott Gritters
Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Fisheries Management Facility
331 S. River Park Drive
Guttenberg, IA 52052
(563) 252-1156
scott.gritters@dnr.state.ia.us


Scott Gritters graduated from Iowa State University in 1987 with a B.S. in fish and wildlife biology. Presently, Scott is the fisheries biologist at Guttenberg with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. He performs a variety of tasks including northern pike culture, Mississippi River habitat development, public fish aquariums, freshwater mussel issues and commercial turtle harvest. Scott serves as president of the Iowa Chapter of the American Fisheries Society. In addition, he also serves as game-fish committee chairperson of the 28 state, Mississippi Interstate Cooperative Resource Association and is chairperson for the Protection and Relocation sub-committee of the Lampsilus higginsi mussel coordination team.
 

Dr. Mary Skopec
Iowa Department of Natural Resources
109 Trowbridge Hall
Iowa City, IA 52242-1319
(319) 335-1579
mary.skopec@dnr.iowa.gov


Dr. Mary Skopec has worked for the Iowa Geological Survey since 1991and has been involved in several projects including a statewide pesticide database to track pesticide occurrences in Iowa's water resources. In January 2000, she moved to the Water Monitoring Section of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources where she helps to coordinate and analyze data from the new Ambient Water Monitoring Program. Mary earned her B.S. and M.A. degrees in geography from the University of Iowa, and in 1999 she completed her Ph.D. in environmental science. Mary currently serves as supervisor of the Water Monitoring Section
 

Mimi Wagner
Iowa State University
Dept. of Landscape Architecture
576 Design
Ames, IA 50011
(515) 294-8954
mimiw@iastate.edu


Mimi Wagner is an assistant professor of landscape architecture at Iowa State University. Mimi has practiced in the private and public sectors for sixteen years, most notably nine years as landscape architect on the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service’s State Planning Team in Des Moines. Mimi joined the faculty at Iowa State University in 1999. She teaches undergraduate and graduate level courses in regional design, ecological restoration, social and behavioral factors, and community design. Her research includes undergraduate collaborative learning techniques and local food systems. Mimi holds BLA and MLA degrees from Iowa State University with graduate coursework in restoration sciences from the University of California, Berkeley.
 

Nancy Hall
University Hygienic Laboratory
102 Oakdale Campus H101-04
Iowa City, IA 52242
(319) 335-4331
nhall@uhl.uiowa.edu


Nancy Hall received her B.S. in zoology (medical technology) from Iowa State University in 1977. Shortly thereafter, she started her microbiology career at the Hygienic Laboratory working as a public health microbiologist in the clinical microbiology area. After responding to a Legionnaires’ Disease outbreak at a local hospital, she was promoted to supervisor of the environmental microbiology section. In this capacity, Ms. Hall is responsible for the supervision of scientists, microbiologists, and technicians performing various environmental microbiology and chemistry parameters. This group works closely with private individuals, university departments, county sanitarians, and governmental agencies offering technical assistance and guidance for their water quality needs. She is UHL’s principal analyst for the testing of Cryptosporidium under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
 

Neil Sass
U.S. Dept. of Agriculture
200 Abraham
Ames, IA 50014
(515) 233-8282 ext. 115
neil.sass@ia.usda.gov


Neil Sass grew up in Clayton Co. in northeast Iowa on a family farm. After high school he attended Iowa State and during his senior year, he took an internship with AmeriCorps and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. He graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in agronomy in 2002 and went straight into a position with the Natural Resource Conservation Service. He has since volunteered with IOWATER and was a participant on the Project AWARE canoe trip down the Maquoketa River in June 2003.
 

Dr. Peter Weyer
University of Iowa, CHEEC
100 Oakdale Campus N203 OH
Iowa City, IA 52242
(319) 335-4014
peter-weyer@uiowa.edu


Dr. Peter Weyer is associate director of the Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination (CHEEC) and is an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Geography and in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health at the University of Iowa. At CHEEC, he is responsible for developing and implementing the center’s research programs. Dr. Weyer’s research interests include environmental epidemiology and cancer, drinking water exposures and chronic health effects, and environmental health policy. He received his Ph.D. in environmental health from the University of Iowa.
 

Dr. Richard Valentine
University of Iowa
Dept. of Civil & Environ. Engineering
150 Oakridge
Iowa City, IA 52246
(319) 335-5653
richard-valentine@uiowa.edu


Dr. Richard Valentine obtained his B.S. in chemistry and chemical engineering, as well as an M.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan. He obtained his Doctorate in environmental engineering from the University of California, at Berkeley, and has been teaching and conducting research in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Iowa since 1982. His major research interests lie in the area of environmental process chemistry and design, especially as applied to drinking water treatment, remediation of contaminated soils and aquifers, and natural processes.
 

Dr. Jerry Hatfield
Iowa State University
USDA-ARS-NSFL
2150 Pammel Drive
Ames, IA 50011
(515) 294-5723
hatfield@nstl.gov


Dr. Jerry Hatfield received his Ph.D. from Iowa State University in 1975 in agricultural climatology and statistics. Since 1989, Dr. Hatfield has served as the laboratory director of the USDA-ARS National Soil Tilth Laboratory in Ames, Iowa. He has been responsible for the development of the scientific program in the Tilth Laboratory and the management of a multi-agency, multi-location environmental quality program to assess the impact of farming practices on water quality and serves as the technical manager of the USDA-ARS research program to assess the impact of livestock systems on air quality. He has developed several watershed scale projects to address concerns about the spatial and temporal impacts of farming practices on environmental quality.
 

Tom Wilton
Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Wallace Building
502 E. 9th Street
Des Moines, IA 50319
(515) 281-8867
tom.wilton@dnr.state.ia.us


Tom Wilton is an environmental specialist in the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’s Water Quality Bureau. He is coordinating the development and implementation of stream biological assessment criteria, and helps conduct Stream and Watershed Integrated Management (SWIM) workshops. Other recent projects include the probabilistic (random) stream survey and biological assessments to support TMDL development. Tom received a B.S. in agronomy from Iowa State University and an M.S. in forestry from the University of Minnesota.
 

Dave Ratliff
K.D. Engineering
PO Box 2593
Iowa City, IA 52244
(319) 354-1397
kdeng@msn.com


Dave Ratliff was project leader for the first snapshot of Old Mans Creek and Clear Creek in Johnson and Iowa counties in September, 2003. Dave attended the first IOWATER workshop held at Springbrook, IA and then continued his education to receive his Level 2 certification. His work with the USGS allowed Dave to start K.D. Engineering in 1976, which later evolved into the development and implementation of the first Microprocessor-controlled RJE station to be built. Today, Dave still heads K.D. Engineering, which is involved in computer systems support.
 

Dr. Joseph Herriges
Iowa State University
394 Town Engineering Building
Ames, IA 50011
(515) 294-4964
jaherrig@iastate.edu


Dr. Joseph Herriges has been a professor of economics at Iowa State University since 1999. He received his bachelor’s degree in statistics and economics at Marquette University in 1978 and his Masters and Ph.D. in economics in 1982 and 1983, respectively, from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. His research areas focus on the valuation of environmental goods and services, as well as econometric issues in modeling recreation demand. In addition to his research, Dr. Herriges has been managing editor of the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management since 2001.
 

Dr. Martin St. Clair
Coe College
1220 1st Avenue NE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52402
(319) 399-8582
mstclair@coe.edu


Dr. Martin St. Clair received his B.S. in chemistry and environmental studies from Butler University. He earned his Ph.D. in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology in 1989, and taught at Occidental College for one year prior to moving to Iowa. He was laboratory director for the Environmental Engineering program at the University of Iowa for four years prior to taking a position at Coe College, where he is currently an associate professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry. His research interests are in nutrient dynamics of small watersheds and in the biogeochemistry of reduced iron.
 

Dr. Donald Scavia
University of Michigan
401 E. Liberty, Suite 330
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(301) 929-1309
Scavia@umich.edu


Dr. Donald Scavia is professor of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan and director of the Michigan Sea Grant Program. As Chief Scientist of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminstration’s (NOAA) National Ocean Service (NOS; 2001 and 2003), he was responsible for the quality, integrity, and responsiveness of NOS’s science programs, and for ensuring that NOS’s operations and resource management are based on solid science and technology. Before becoming the NOS Chief Scientist, Dr. Scavia was director of the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science and Director of NOAA’s Coastal Ocean Program, where he managed coastal and Great Lakes research programs in NOS laboratories, monitoring and assessment offices, and extramural research. Between 1975 and 1990, Dr. Scavia was a research scientist with NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Michigan, focusing on modeling and empirical studies on nutrient cycling, bacteria and phytoplankton production, food-web dynamics, and biological-physical coupling at all scales. Dr. Scavia holds Bachelors, Masters, and Doctorate degrees in environmental engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University of Michigan.

Jane Shuttleworth
University of Minnesota
PO Box 662
Okoboji, IA 51355
(712) 332-7363
lakesidejane@yahoo.com


Jane Shuttleworth served as public education coordinator at Iowa Lakeside Laboratory from 1999 to 2003, during which time she recruited and trained over 50 volunteers for the Cooperative Lake Area Monitoring Project. Currently she is conducting graduate studies in anthropology at the University of Minnesota where her research focus is on non-regulatory, community based approaches to environmental issues. Jane is currently president of the Dickinson County Inter Lakes Association, and a co-founder and commissioner on the board of the Dickinson County Water Quality Commission, an intergovernmental organization in Dickinson County that provides grants for water quality improvement projects.
 

Dr. Michael Wichman
University of Iowa Hygienic Laboratory
102 Oakdale Campus H101 OH
Iowa City, IA 52242
(319) 335-4500
michael-wichman@uiowa.edu


Dr. Michael Wichman has been a chemist with the University Hygienic Laboratory since 1987. Dr. Wichman was appointed program manager of water quality programs at the Hygienic Laboratory and later to senior program manager, which involves monitoring current and proposed environmental regulations, scientific literature, working with federal and state agencies, and developing and implementing new analytical methods and systems. Michael’s current research interests include simplifying sample preparation techniques, environmental monitoring for pesticide and industrial chemical degradates, as well as biomonitoring for human metabolites resulting from environmental exposure.
 

Dr. Tracy Blackmer
Iowa Soybean Association
4554 NW 114th Street
Urbandale, IA 50322
(515) 251-8640
tblackmer@iasoybeans.com


Dr. Tracy Blackmer received his B.S. in agronomy from Iowa State University, as well as M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in agronomy from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. While at Nebraska, Dr. Blackmer worked on incorporating remote sensing technologies into precision farming practices. After receiving his Ph.D., he was a soil scientist for the USDA-ARS at Lincoln, Nebraska. Currently, Dr. Blackmer is the director of research at the Iowa Soybean Association and the principal investigator on more than a dozen projects using advanced technologies to help improve grower profitability and reduce environmental impact.