FLMS Elections Have Closed! 

Nominations for the Society's Officers and Directors are accepted by the Nominating Committee up to 90 days prior to the annual business meeting.  Ballots are sent out to the membership 60 days prior with votes counted 15 days prior to the meeting.  The election announcement is made at the annual meeting.  Email the This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to be considered for a Board Member position.  Below are the bios for this year's nominations.

We are honored to present to you the 2010-2011 Officer and Director Nominees for the FLMS Board of Directors.  
Vote for one selection for each Officer position and five selections for Director positions. You may select from the nominees provided or choose to write in a candidate.

Voting will be available on the FLMS website beginning Saturday, April 16, 2011.  All ballots must be cast by May 31, 2010. Your new Board will be formally introduced at the General Membership Meeting during the 2011 Conference at the St. Johns County Convention Center in St. Augustine next June.

Officer Candidate Statements

President's Statement

Shannon Carter Wetzel has been a member of FLMS for over 13 years. She has served as the Secretary for the past two years, as a board member and as the Central Florida chapter representative in past years. Shannon has also been very active in the Central Florida chapter of FLMS since its inception. Shannon is a Principal Environmental Scientist for Seminole County Public Works Department. She is responsible for the County’s NPDES compliance and training, including erosion control training and stormwater system inspections. Shannon conducts water quality and biological monitoring on lakes and streams within the County and is involved with the County’s TMDL and lake management programs. She is also involved with wetland mitigation monitoring activities for various County projects. Prior to coming to Seminole County, Shannon worked with the South Florida Water Management District as a senior environmental analyst where she was involved in the environmental resource permitting regulatory program, including wetland delineations, mitigation assessments and permit compliance. She received her B.S. in Limnology from the University of Central Florida and her M.S. in Aquatic Biology from the University of Alabama. Shannon has been committed to working with FLMS and hopes to continue serving the society.

Vice President's Statement

Dean Dobberfuhl received his B.S. degree in biology from University of Texas at Arlington and his Ph.D. degree in Biology from Arizona State University. He is currently employed at the St. Johns River Water Management District serving as the technical program manager for the Upper St. Johns River project. Recent work has focused on submerged aquatic vegetation, macroinvetebrate community structure, stream ecology, riparian zone function, microbial food web dynamics, and marsh restoration. Dean has been a member of FLMS for nearly ten years and is currently serving his first term as a director. Contributions to the society include assisting with the sponsor portion of the conference program and coordinating presentations at the annual conference. When he is not playing a scientist, he enjoys being outside with his family.

Treasurer's Statement

Michael J. Perry has served on the Board of Directors of the Florida Lake Management Society since July 2001 and as Treasurer since June 2003. Mike serves as the Executive Director of the Lake County Water Authority. He has been in that position since July 2000, responsible for the surface and groundwater resources in Lake County. He is particularly responsible for supervising the development and implementation of water quality and natural systems improvement projects for an ecologically diverse group of connected lake systems in. He has earned a B.S. in Marine Science and Biology from Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Florida; a Master of Science from the University of South Carolina; and completed Post-Masters academic work at the University of Florida. Prior to the Water Authority, Mike spent 12 years with the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD). While at SWFWMD, Mike’s responsibilities included preparation and implementation of watershed management plans for Tampa Bay, Charlotte Harbor, Crystal River/Kings Bay, Lake Thonotosassa, and Lake Hancock. Mike has over 20 years of extensive technical experience with managing the needs and implementation of restoration projects for large and complex estuarine, river and lake systems.

Secretary's Statement

Todd Olson, Aquatic Vegetation Control, Inc. Executive Vice President and Certified Lake Manager, is responsible for providing land and lake management services. Mr. Olson holds a B.S. Fisheries and Wildlife Biology and has eighteen years of progressive responsibilities in lake management, vegetation management, and wildlife management. Past work, experience includes fisheries biologist and consultant, installations and service consultant for lake aeration systems, and management of 142 freshwater lakes and brackish lagoons for a 4700-acre coastal community. In this capacity, he also coordinated the management of wildlife species within preserve areas. He has served various board and committee positions for the following organizations; Florida Lake Management Society, Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council, and the Florida Aquatic Plant Management Society.

 

Directors' Statements 

David Evans is a limnologist serving as Principal Environmental Scientist at Water & Air Research, Inc. (Water & Air) in Gainesville, Florida. Water & Air is an environmental consulting firm of engineers, biologists, geologists and planners, providing environmental engineering and planning services to both private and public clients across the United States. Dr. Evans received his Doctorate of Philosophy degree in Environmental Engineering Sciences from the University of Florida and has more than twenty-five years of experience in the assessment and management of aquatic and wetland systems in Florida and the southeastern United States. He has managed and participated in numerous water and sediment quality assessments, water use studies, Environmental Impact Statements, Environmental Assessments, Planned Urban Developments, and Developments of Regional Impact. He has extensive experience in evaluating biological response to wastewater and stormwater discharge in urban lakes and lotic systems and in the ecological characterization of natural aquatic systems.

Jim Griffin is a retired naval officer, Environmental Scientist, PhD., Principle Investigator and Associate in Research at the Florida Center for Community Design and Research-USF School of Architecture, Adjunct Professor, USF-Geography. Research interests include limnological assessments, spatial modeling and spatial database design. Jim has been a FLMS member since 1998 and has served as President, Past President, Vice President and director of FLMS.  Jim was the 2007 NALMS Conference Host Committee Chair. He is a LAKEWATCH volunteer, past LAKEWATCH trainer, Hillsborough Adopt-A-Pond volunteer pond representative and Stream Water Watch founder and volunteer.  Past work experience includes: Lake Management Program Coordinator and Scientist for Hillsborough County, Senior Environmental Scientist for the South West Florida Water Management District and Indian River Water Quality Monitoring Network Manager and Scientist.  Jim would like to return to the FLMS Board of Directors because he is interested in continuing to be part of the society’s future.

Ron Novy received his B.S. in Chemistry from Elmhurst College (Illinois) in 1988 and M.S. in Environmental Science from Florida Institute of Technology in 1991.Ron began his career in the analytical laboratory in 1985. Ron later moved to Florida where he conducted he began his career in the limnological field concentrating on aquatic chemistry and nutrient transport characteristics. Ron’s thesis research focused in on nutrients fluxes from within the littoral zone of Lake Okeechobee. After his graduate work, Ron spent the next 9 years working in the environmental laboratory field in central Florida.  Ron joined the Orange County Environmental Protection Division in 2001 where he is currently the Program Manager of the Lakes Management Section. Ron oversees the Counties MSTU lake program that consists of 33 separate lake funds with cumulative budgets of over 8 million dollars and the County’s Water Quality CIP budget.  At the County, Ron has initiated the develop of a proactive aquatic plant program, coordinated several educations workshops for local professionals and community leaders, develop a water quality needs assessment database, various educational campaigns for lake residents, as well as implemented numerous stormwater BMP’s for water quality and TMDL credits. Ron is an active member of FLMS, the Florida Aquatic Plant Management Society, Florida Stormwater Association and Florida Association of Environmental Professionals

Jennifer Sagan is a senior environmental scientist with BCI Engineers & Scientists in Jacksonville, Florida. For the past decade she has conducted submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) and water quality monitoring in estuarine and freshwater systems including the Caloosahatchee River and St. Johns River. She has worked intensively for the last decade in the Lower St. Johns River and has comprehensive knowledge of Northeast Florida aquatic systems, monitoring and analyzing the effects of biotic and abiotic stressors on SAV and providing technical input on water management issues related to water quality, aquatic organism habitat restoration, and establishment of Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLS). She currently manages the nearly 30 full-time, contingent workers provided to the SJRWMD by BCI for district-wide technical and field support services. She received her M.S. degree from Georgia State University in Microbiology with an emphasis on bioremediation. Her B.S. degree is in zoology from the University of Florida. She has been a board director for the past two years and has served as the conference exhibitor and sponsor chair.

John Walkinshaw is a GPI Southeast Senior Environmental Specialist. He has over 21 years experience in water resources management. John has worked with projects involving water quality, water supply, and watershed management. Previous to joining GPI Southeast, John worked on education, research, technical reporting, emergency management, and other water-related programs and projects for the Southwest Florida Water Management District. Projects included cooperative efforts with Florida’s other water management districts, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Florida Department of Education, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the state universities, and many local and regional governments. John also develops programs and materials for watershed outreach efforts with the Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center and is the Executive Director of the Hillsborough River Watershed Alliance. He has presented at numerous national and regional conferences on water supply and water quality topics. Since joining GPI Southeast, John has worked with a variety of clients in developing and implementing programs in support of NPDES and TMDL requirements and program implementation. John has a B.S. in Communications from the  University of Florida, and an M.A. in Communication Management from the University of Bridgeport.