Valerie Alley
Pearl,MS
Summary
Successful environmental professional bringing 20 years' experience overseeing environmental planning, assessment and restoration. Strong interpersonal, communication and problem-solving abilities. Expertise in state government environmental concerns. Certified Public Manager, and Board Certified Environmental Scientist.
Overview
22
22
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Program Management Division Chief
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ)
Jackson , MS
2020.09 - Current
- Duties include Representing the state of Missisisppi on the MS Trustee Implementation Group, RESTORE Council, and with NFWF-Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund
- Management of the RESTORE ACT, NRDA, and NFWF-GEBF funding stream projects
- Manage staff of 6 FTEs plus 15-20 contract employees to select, implement and oversee restoration projects for MDEQ
- On behalf of the state of Mississippi, coordinate with federal partners, sister state agencies, governor’s office, elected officials at the state and local levels
- Stakeholder engagement
- Develop polices and procedures, draft and review legislation
- Oversees a portfolio of over 120 projects that range from ecological to economic restoration projects for the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
National Resource Damage Assessment Program Lead
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ)
Jackson , MS
2017.04 - 2020.09
- Responsible for managing the NRDA program within MDEQ
- Represent the state on the MS Trustee Implementation Group, and the Regionwide Trustee Implementation Group
- Develop restoration projects
- Coordination and generation of restoration plans
- Manage restoration projects for the NRDA program being implemented on the MS Gulf Coast.
Environmental Administrator II
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ)
Jackson , MS
2015.03 - 2017.01
- Duties include: management of the WQA Branch, Grant application and management, contract management, project management CWA 305(b) program reporting requirements, establishing and maintaining working relationships with state research, partners, stakeholders, federal and other state agencies
- The CWA Section 106 grant contact for Monitoring and Assessment, the grant manager for the CWA Section 205(j)/604(b) Water Quality Assessment grant, as well as the CWA Supplemental 106 Monitoring Initiative Grant
- State co-lead for the Gulf of Mexico Alliance Data Assessment and Monitoring Priority Issue Team, Project manager for the Statewide Mississippi Benthic Index of Stream Quality, the Delta Benthic Index of Stream Quality, the Coastal Benthic Index
- Liaison between Field Services Division and Surface Water Division to facilitate and allocate monitoring resources to meet multiple agency and state goals with streamlined monitoring efforts
- Continued involvement in the National Resource Damage Assessment for the Deepwater Horizon Incident
- Handling time and content sensitive documents and decisions
- Reporting to upper management and federal partners on program and grant goals, commitments and outcomes
- Public speaking and training.
Environmental Administrator
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ)
Jackson , MS
2012.04 - 2015.02
- Duties included: Clean Water Act 305(b) program coordinator, responsible for Water Quality Assessment using data collected on surface waters in the state of Mississippi, developing a public report on the status of waters
- Interpretation of physical, chemical and biological data, freshwater invertebrate taxonomy, field collection of water samples and sonde deployment, handling pubic inquires regarding water quality information (statewide); establishing and maintaining working relationships with state research partners, stakeholders, federal and other state agencies
- Using geographic information systems to display and explain statewide and regional datasets; Representing MDEQ at national and regional workgroups, conferences and teleconferences, including the National Water Quality Wetlands Condition Assessment Workgroup, the National Rivers and Streams Reference Site workgroup, the EPA HQ Water Quality Framework ATTAINS Redesign Planning workroup, Gulf of Mexico Alliance, Ecosystems Integrated Assessment Priority Issue Team; Participant on the Hypoxia Task Force
- Other duties include handling, maintaining and filing critical paperwork and records, maintaining chain of custody on water and biological samples, calibration and maintaining records of sondes and field meters, Quality Assurance Project Plan development and review
- Data manager for Water Quality data from the surface waters of Mississippi and reporting the findings to EPA HQ and EPA Region 4
- This includes design and guidance of development of data systems, populating and maintaining data of record for the state, and transmitting the data to EPA as part of grant requirements
- Data manager for the data collected in response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil spill, and on the data management workgroup for the data collected for the National Resource Damage Assessment for MDEQ; Project manager developing new tools for water quality assessment using benthic macronivertebrates in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain
- Recalibration and annual upkeep of the MBISQ stream quality assessment tool for wadeable streams in Mississippi
- Public speaking and training.
Business Systems Analyst
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ)
Jackson , MS
2008.01 - 2012.04
- Duties included: Participation on the design team for MDEQ’s repository for water quality data, enSPIRE
- Included database design, data element review, and schema approval
- Facilitated data needs from end users to development staff
- Participated in JAD sessions and GAP analysis.
Environmental Scientist
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ)
Jackson , MS
2004.06 - 2008.01
- Duties Included: Water Quality Assessment, 305(b) data reporting
- Field collections in lakes, rivers and streams
- Benthic invertebrate sample processing and taxonomy
- Followed agency’s standard operating procedures, complied with QA/QC protocols
- Responded to fish kills and complaints.
Contract student for the Invertebrate Team
US Army Corps of Engineers
Vicksburg , MS
2002.06 - 2004.04
- Projects included: 1) Use of EPAs Rapid Bioassessment Protocol to develop a stream monitoring program for Ft Benning, in Columbus Ga
- Duties include collection of water quality and physical habitat measurements, collection, sorting and identification of freshwater macroinvertebrates, data entry and processing
- 2) Monitoring of zebra mussel veligers in the Upper Mississippi River system, along with major tributaries for the St Paul and Rock Island Districts of the Corps of Engineers
- 3) Involved in the removal and relocation of approximately 2000 individuals of the federally listed Potamilus capax from an irrigation ditch slated to be dredged by USACE to improve drainage
- Duties included location, measuring, marking and releasing specimens.
Education
M.S. in Biology -
University of Louisiana at Monroe
05.2004
B.S. in Biology with Chemistry Minor -
University of North Alabama
05.1999
Skills
- Resources Allocation
- Workload prioritization
- Personnel Training
- Staff Development
- Contract Administration
- Regulatory Compliance
- Staff Management
- Workflow Planning
- Policy Management
- Report Writing
- Budget Planning
- Excellent Communication
- Analytical Thinking
- Teamwork and Collaboration
- Effective Communication
- Written Communication
- Analytical Skills
Professional Presentations
- 2023 - Oceans 23 - Plenary Panel : Blue Economy Embrace the Gulf
- 2022 - Restore America's Estuaries, 2022 Coastal and Estuarine Summit: Restoring Living Shorelines and Reefs in Mississippi
- 2022 - Hancock County Leadership Day: Coastal Restoration in Mississippi
- Environmental Information Exchange Network 2011- Denver, Co Represented the Gulf States in Deepwater Horizon Response Data panel discussion: Lessons learned in a major environmental disaster
Affiliations
- Vice President of the Board of Directors, Pearl Community Theatre
- Ms Pennyweather - The Beverly Hillbillies - Black Rose Community Theatre
- "Penny" in "You Can't Take It With You" - 2022 Pearl Community Theatre
Certification
- Mississippi Certified Public Manager
- Board Certified Environmental Scientist, Environmental Biology - American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists.
- North American Benthological Society Certified Taxonomist: EPT Group 2, East.
Timeline
Program Management Division Chief
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ)
2020.09 - Current
National Resource Damage Assessment Program Lead
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ)
2017.04 - 2020.09
Environmental Administrator II
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ)
2015.03 - 2017.01
Environmental Administrator
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ)
2012.04 - 2015.02
Business Systems Analyst
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ)
2008.01 - 2012.04
Environmental Scientist
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ)
2004.06 - 2008.01
Contract student for the Invertebrate Team
US Army Corps of Engineers
2002.06 - 2004.04
M.S. in Biology -
University of Louisiana at Monroe
B.S. in Biology with Chemistry Minor -
University of North Alabama
- Mississippi Certified Public Manager
- Board Certified Environmental Scientist, Environmental Biology - American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists.
- North American Benthological Society Certified Taxonomist: EPT Group 2, East.
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