Curiosity has been a constant driver in my life. Curiosity has drawn me to learn widely, take on intellectual challenges, and embark on physical adventures. Early in my life, curiosity brought me to summer camp to play in the waters of Lake Winnipesauke, to discover snow and ski the Green and White Mountains, and to explore the ecology of my backyard. When I was a sophomore at Princeton, curiosity in backpacking took me to the Wind River Range of Wyoming to do NOLS—opening my eyes to the majesty of the West, and cementing my desire to commit myself to environmental causes for my adult life. In my professional life, my curiosity motivated me to pursue one intriguing opportunity after the next. A lesson from one stop guided me in the direction of my next pursuit. For example, when I worked for the Biodiversity Conservation Network reviewing grants and their socioeconomic monitoring programs, I found myself investigating their scientific wildlife and ecology monitoring plans as well. As a result, I returned to graduate school at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment to better comprehend physical sciences, ecological systems, and the skills needed to monitor and manage them. Embodying the adage, “not all those who wander are lost,” I find myself happy with my professional journey to date as I have experienced and learned a tremendous breadth and depth of knowledge. I am excited to build on this knowledge as I take the next step in the journey of my career.
As I was finishing my second graduate degree in the Fall of 2018 from Washington State University, I looked forward to leave purely academic pursuits and return to working in a capacity where I could help to leave the world a better place than when I found it. I wanted to use my talents on initiatives that had meaning, work with good people, and improve the functioning of human and natural systems. I queried colleagues, professors, friends, and family about different career options in which I could have a tangible and an applied impact on improving water resource management for a variety of ecosystem services. I had many formative conversations, including ones with senior administrators at the Bonneville Power Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency, consulting firms’ founders, academic water quantity and quality modelers, and a number of non-profits leaders. I felt very fortunate to be able to benefit from their experience, insights, and guidance. The more I talked to people about the environmental landscape in the Pacific Northwest, the more I found intriguing veins in on-going initiatives around the region. Also, people made comments like: “have you considered going out on your own?” “Do you want to be my partner in starting a business?” “Can you detail your skills and talents for me so I can pass them around?” “I know someone who could use someone like you.” I realized that starting my own business would provide me the needed organizational structure around my services that was best suited to address opportunities most efficiently and effectively.
Although, this is a scary endeavor—to rely largely on myself to do many of the aspects of running a business—the rewards are immense. Values. Options. Involvement. Collaboration. Freedom. Opportunity. Challenges. Complexity. Discovery. Knowledge. Innovation. Solutions. As a concept for this endeavor, I give you this picture below of a lupine. The plant and its symbiotic organisms are pioneering nitrogen fixers that colonize new terrain. The beautiful plant establishes itself in new environments, creates value for surrounding species as it naturally enriches the soil with nutrients, and grows into a productive plant that benefits the larger ecological community populated around it.
Thanks to all those who brought me to this point in my life and inspired me to take this step, and thanks to all those who want to collaborate with me as I move forward on this journey.
