Education
B.A. in History and Geography, 1992
M.A. Geography, 1996, University of Denver (CO)

Why did you choose to attend UNI? What factors influenced your reason for studying your major? 
My choice to attend UNI was based on proximity to family, cost, and the likelihood of success. My brother and sister were attending UNI at the time and UNI was very cost effective. I also joined the Iowa National Guard to help pay for college so being near home allowed me to return one weekend per month for duty and see family and friends. I also thought the UNI experience would be less of a culture shock than larger schools, which in hindsight was a good decision for this kid fresh off the farm.

What do you do in your current position? What do you enjoy about it?  
I’m a Hydrologist for the US Geological Survey. The nice thing about working for a large agency is there are lots of opportunities. At present about half my job is managing a field crew of 9 who maintain and publish the USGS water data for Central Texas.  The other half of my job is Project Manager of two software upgrades as USGS moves computational resources to ‘The Cloud’. My interest in the spatial distribution of physical features, in this case water, is what attracted me to this line of work and there are no shortages of problems to help solve.

How did your major help prepare you for your current role? What skills are you still using today? 
My degree in geography cultivated my interest in natural science. I never thought I was the science type, but a Physical Geography class made me realize I have some intuition for this line of work so I’m still running with that feeling. My degree in History has been useful as well, as most of my reading for pleasure is historical in nature and understanding history always helps one understand any circumstance. Simply read the book “Call Sign Chaos” by former Secretary of Defense Mattis to see the importance of knowing history.

What is a memorable part of your studies or participation within your major? 
One of the ironic memories was a canceled field trip for the class Rivers and Fluvial Geomorphology. The trip was to my now wife’s hometown in western Iowa. Since we couldn’t make the trip, I collected several studies and field guides of the area and probably know way more about the town’s fluvial history than I would have otherwise. I appreciate that UNI was a more forgiving environment for mistakes, and it allowed me to live and learn. If I bombed a test or assignment, I was able to speak with the professor and figure out a better path to success. This was also true outside of class work.

What advice would you give to students currently interested in the same major and/or going into your career field?
My advice would be to major in what is interesting and minor in a discipline that is complimentary. For someone looking to work in environmental science, a major in Geography with a minor in Biology, Chemistry, or Physics would work out well. And never underestimate the importance of being able to work with others and find that which is interesting in any discipline.

Is there anything else you would like to add or share?
I originally joined the Iowa National Guard to help pay for college. Once I graduated from UNI, I continued my service in the Army Reserve. I’m now a Chief Warrant Officer 3 with 34 years of service, and still pursuing what interests me.