I attended College of the Ozarks from 1999 to 2002 where I studied Agriculture, Horticulture and Art. I also worked in the greenhouses planting and raising the many flowers and shrubs for their exquisite campus grounds.  While volunteering for the Table Rock Lake U. S. Army Corps of Engineers on park utilities mapping I was able to connect with the masters degree program on Geospatial Sciences at Missouri State University. I was accepted to the program and completed my thesis on water quality inthe Upper White River Basin (Missouri and Arkansas). I traveled monthly to 19 sites along all of the major tributaries of the Upper White River including the James River, Bull Creek, Beaver Creek, White River near Fayetteville, Kings River, Long Creek, Yocum Creek, etc. and collected water samples for testing.  These tests were for nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations and general water chemistry. I compared the water test results to land use within each watershed to paint a picture of how water quality is affected by land use.

Since I was already working in the water quality-related field it was not a coincidence that I ended up taking a job with Table Rock Lake Water Quality in August 2006. Since then our office has grown from two employees to four as our projects and opportunities have expanded. I am very excited to continue working for Table Rock Lake Water Quality inc. in this new capacity. It is said that if you love your work then it's not really work at all. I thoroughly enjoy working with the staff of TRLWQ and am very thankful for continued guidance from Mr. Casaletto as well as that of our dedicated and knowledgeable board of trustees.

I would like to be one of the first to congratulate Gopala on her new position. I look forward to working with her to protect the waters of the Table Rock Lake and the Upper White River Basin watersheds. I am excited that the Board of Table Rock Lake Water Quality and Ozarks Water Watch have agreed to work closely together to achieve their common water quality goals.