Election of Chairperson for Great Lakes Beach Association: PLEASE VOTE

[Richard L Whitman <rwhitman@usgs.gov>]

We are pleased to announce the slate
of candidates for Chairperson of the Great Lakes Beach Association.  This
person will serve as Chairperson for two years and will also remain on
the GLBA as a board member for an additional two years.   The candidates
are:

Sheridan Haack, Ph.D.
Julie Kinzelman, Ph.D.
Greg Kleinheinz, Ph.D.

Each of their biosketches are below.
 Each biossketch contains a bios and their reason for wanting to serve.

It is VERY important that we have good
voter participation.  It is important to our organization's future
and to assure that members are well represented by its leadership.  
Please vote by April 3, 2006.  Vote for only one candidate and send
that name to: 

chandly@usgs.gov

Thanks you,
 
Richard Whitman

Biosketches

Sheridan Haack
Brief Bio:
Sheridan Haack received her PhD in Environmental
Microbiology from Michigan State University, and her MS in Environmental
Engineering Sciences from the University of Florida.  She has worked
for the US Geological Survey at the Michigan Water Science Center for the
past 12 years.  During her career, she has studied the roles of microorganisms
in rivers, lakes, wetlands and groundwater.  Her recent research addresses
1) the influence of ground water on microbiology, habitat, and water quality
at the Great Lakes coastline; and 2) application of DNA-based methods to
detect bacterial pathogens and antibiotic-resistant bacteria in water.
 She has authored over 30 publications on aquatic microbiology and
ecology, including several papers on beach water microbiology in the Great
Lakes.  She is the USGS representative
to the Great Lakes Human Health Network, a member
of the USGS Human Health Committee on Pathogens in Recreational Waters,
and a founding Board member of the Great Lakes Beach Association.
  Sheridan has moderated several of the technical sessions at recent
Great Lakes Beach Association meetings.
 Sheridan is a longtime member of both the American Association for
the Advancement of Science and the American Society for Microbiology. 

Why interested in serving as the GLBA President?
As President, Sheridan would seek to
continue and extend the outstanding contributions and recognition the GLBA
has developed under the guidance of Richard Whitman and Shannon Briggs.
 Sheridan has always viewed the GLBA as a unique opportunity for scientists
and practitioners to share their insights and data needs in order to achieve
successful beach management, and she would seek to continue the role of
GLBA as an interface between scientific research and application.  At
the 2005 Beach Health Research Needs Workshop (held on Friday following
the regular GLBA meeting), a number of recommendations were made regarding
improved communication and engagement with public health and natural resources
professional organizations, and this is a direction Sheridan would actively
pursue.  In addition, it was clear that GLBA could undertake a role
in development of educational tools, and, under Shannon Briggs' leadership,
USEPA and GLBA have already made significant strides in this direction.
 Sheridan would seek to continue this role for GLBA, fostering the
development of documents, videos, etc. describing, for example, beach best
management practices.  Finally, following her personal research interests,
Sheridan would hope to see GLBA interact more actively with the coastal
management community, to achieve better understanding of the role of shoreline
processes (ground water inputs, sand, shoreline transport) in beach water
quality. 


Greg Kleinheinz
Brief Bio:
Greg Kleinheinz has a B.S. in Biology and
Chemistry from Northern Michigan University, a Ph.D. in Environmental Microbiology
from Michigan Tech University and has over 10 years of experience working
on water and wastewater issues.  Dr. Kleinheinz is currently an Associate
Professor of Environmental Microbiology and Director, of the Environmental
Microbiology Laboratory (locations in Ashland, Eagle River, Oshkosh, and
Sturgeon Bay, WI) at the University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh.  Dr. Kleinheinz
has a background in microbiology, analytical chemistry, and environmental
engineering.  Dr. Kleinheinz, and the beach group, currently conduct
beach research in 9 Wisconsin counties and 3 in Michigan, with a summer
sampling group of over 20 students working at 75+ beaches.  Their
research interests include investigations into novel sampling techniques,
rainfall effects on E.coli, pathogens and viruses in recreational water,
and a variety of source-tracking methods (including repPCR, antibiotic
sensitivity, and spatial distributions) to aid in fecal input mitigation
and beach management practices.

Why interested in serving as the GLBA President?
The Great Lakes Beach Association is a rare
group that provides and invaluable interface between academics, local health
officials, state and federal regulatory officials, and citizens.  This
interface has allowed for the rapid dissemination of great ideas and work
throughout the Great Lakes region.  I have found the group to be invaluable
as a tool to help us all move forward as we all work to understand a variety
of recreational water issues with the overarching goal of protecting public
health.  It would be an honor to serve the many great members of this
group.

Julie Kinzelman
Brief Bio:
Julie Kinzelman--I have a BS from the University
of Wisconsin – Parkside in Medical Technology with a minor in Biological
Sciences, a MS from the University of Wisconsin -Milwaukee, College of
Health Sciences, and a Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Surrey,
Robens Centre for Public & Environmental Health, Guildford, UK.  For
the past 15 years I have been the microbiologist for the City of Racine
Health Department laboratory, providing diagnostic services for both clinical
and environmental clients and conducting recreational water quality monitoring
and research.  As a function of my employment I have been the principal
investigator or associate investigator on recreational water quality focused
research initiatives funded by the USEPA, WI Department of Natural Resources,
Root-Pike Watershed Initiative Network, National Institutes of Health,
S. C. Johnson Fund, WI DHFS, and the WI Coastal Management Program.  My
current research interests include the validation of real-time test methods
for fecal indicator bacteria in surface water and waste water effluent,
the determination of pathogen presence from non-human sources such as algae
and gulls, the promotion of remediation tactics to improve surface water
quality, and the development of a standardized sanitary survey tool and
beach classification system to enhance beach management.  Published
articles relating to recreational water quality research conducted in Racine
have appeared in for Applied & Environmental Microbiology, Aquatic
Ecosystem Health & Management, Journal of Water & Health, and Lake
& Reservoir Management. 

Why interested in serving as the
GLBA President?
The Great Lakes Beach Association (GLBA)
is a voluntary, multidisciplinary group of individuals working together
to improve recreational water quality at Great Lakes beaches through the
development of collaborations. As an organization we gather and disseminate
results of current Great Lakes research studies to scientists but also
serve as a conduit for useful information to all interested parties including
beach managers at all levels. As I participated in the writing of the Great
Lakes Regional Collaboration (GLRC) Coastal Health Chapter it really struck
home how important it is to have the interest and participation of a wide
range of individuals, from politicians to scientists, from representatives
of environmental agencies to the private citizen.  The GLRC process
invigorated these people and allowed for the sharing of ideas which in
turn created a vision to preserve and protect the Great Lakes.  It
is my belief that the Great Lakes Beach Associations serves in much the
same manner, drawing on the multidisciplinary knowledge of and passion
for the Great Lakes of its members.  As a scientist I am aware of
the incredible wealth of knowledge we possess.  As an employee of
local government I am equally aware of the challenges presented in translating
the scientific knowledge into tools which can be implemented to improve
beach management and enhance the protection of public health.  As
president I would continue in the spirit of the GLBA and GLRC, disseminating
information and fostering collaboration between academic, federal, state,
and local agencies to maximize our available resources (knowledge and dollars)
and create a roadmap for the improvement of recreational water quality
and the protection of the Great Lakes.