NALMS 2018 Election Results

The annual election for officers and directors is an important way for NALMS members to provide input in the management of the Society. Our officers and directors are all volunteers who serve without pay. Thank you to all the candidates for their dedication to NALMS and thank you to all NALMS members who participated in this year’s election!

President-elect – Perry Thomas

Elizabeth “Perry” Thomas has been Region 1 Director on the NALMS Board since 2016 and recently became co-chair of the newly formed Ethics Committee. She brings to the Board 15 years of management experience, ranging from working as dean of Sterling College to volunteering as president of the Federation of Vermont Lakes and Ponds. Perry currently practices strengths-based supervision as manager of the Vermont Lakes and Ponds Program—charged with protecting 823 inland lakes plus Lake Champlain. Perry earned a B.A. in Biology from Dartmouth College and a Ph.D. in Biology, with emphasis on Aquatic Ecology, from Northern Arizona University.

Secretary – Amy Smagula

Amy Smagula is a Limnologist with the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services where she coordinates the Exotic Species Program. Amy has an undergraduate degree in Natural Resources as well as a Master of Science in Water Resources Management, both from the University of New Hampshire. Amy has over 20 years of experience in field and laboratory limnology, aquatic plant and algae identification and management, lake and watershed assessment and management, lake related policy-making, wetland inspection and permitting, and shoreland protection.

Region 1 Director – Ellen Kujawa

Ellen Kujawa has been appointed to fill the Region 1 Director position previously held by Perry Thomas. This appointment became effective on the Board’s monthly conference call on December 6.

Region 2 Director – Chris Doyle

Chris graduated from Rutgers University with a BS in Natural Resource Management. He has 25 years of experience as an aquatic biologist including 13 years of experience as a lake manager. Currently the Director of Biology at SOLitude Lake Management, he oversees field biologists conducting water quality and biological assessments in the Northeast. He has attended and presented at numerous lake management conferences since 2005, including NALMS, NYSFOLA, NJCOLA, NEAPMS and NJISST. He became a Certified Lake Manager in 2008. He is a Past President of the Northeast Aquatic Plant Management Society and currently is the Editor.

Region 6 Director – Victoria Chraibi

Victoria Chraibi, PhD is an assistant professor of biological sciences at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas. She teaches courses in limnology, aquatic ecology, phycology, and marine biology. She received an M.S. in water resources science from the University of Minnesota Duluth and a Ph.D. in earth and atmospheric sciences from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her research focuses on paleolimnology, using diatom microfossils and other biological and geochemical proxies to reconstruct environmental conditions in a watershed over time. Past research has focused on Lake Memphrémagog, Lake Superior, and lakes in Yellowstone National Park; current research focuses on Texas streams and reservoirs. Victoria also specializes in science education and outreach; she has collaborated with aquariums, zoos, museums, state parks, and school organizations to develop and disseminate materials and lead activities about water resources and other scientific topics. She has been a member of NALMS since 2011.

Region 10 Director – Mark Rosenkranz

Mark Rosenkranz has been working on lakes in Oregon for over 20 years, first as a graduate student at Portland State University where he received a master’s in environmental management followed by 16 years as staff scientist for the Lake Oswego Corporation (LOC). His work at LOC is focused on invasive species management, watershed monitoring, and phosphorus control in an urban lake. As climate change intensifies storm events and leads to warmer summer weather it is going to be crucial to plan for how surface water quality will be impacted. Mark has been a member of NALMS since 2002 and served as President of Oregon Lakes Association in 2004 and 2005.

Region 12 Director – Colleen Prather

Colleen Prather, Ph.D., P.Biol., is a water quality specialist with over 18 years of experience, and is currently with Golder Associates Ltd. in Edmonton, Alberta. Colleen’s work focuses on lake and stream water quality monitoring and environmental impact assessment to support environmental permitting and licencing for mining operations in the three northern territories of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut), and monitoring and assessment to support permitting and compliance reporting for various industries in British Columbia and Alberta. Colleen’s most recent involvement with NALMS was as the technical program co-chair for the 2016 conference held in Banff, Alberta.

Student At-large Director – Sarah Burnet

Sarah Burnet is pursuing her PhD at the University of Idaho, where she completed a MS in the spring of 2016. She received a BS from Western Washington University. Her PhD research is focused on internal loading of phosphorus to reservoirs. Specifically, she is interested in understanding the relationships between sediment type, particle size, the availability of iron, and dissolved oxygen in the release of P. This builds on her MS research which focused on measuring the seasonal internal phosphorus load as part of a mass balance for Willow Creek Reservoir in Oregon. Sarah’s previous work experience includes sampling and analysis on all five Great Lakes with Cornell University as well as collecting data and samples after the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil spill. Sarah has been a member of NALMS since 2014 and a member of the Board since 2016.