NALMS 2021 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 – Kiyoko Yokota
Kiyoko Yokota, Ph.D., CLM is a limnologist at State University of New York College at Oneonta, USA. She graduated from Saint Cloud State University in Minnesota with B.S. in Biology with Ecology Emphasis (summa cum laude) and qualified as an Associate Professional Engineer while working for a civil engineering consultancy in Tokyo, Japan. She was responsible for environmental assessment and water quality forecasting and management projects for new and existing reservoirs, lakes, and rivers. After earning a Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution and Behavior at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, Kiyoko completed a short-term postdoctoral training at Netherland Institute for Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) before she started teaching full time, starting at the University of Tampa in Florida. Kiyoko’s service to NALMS includes Region 2 Director (2015–18), Student Programs member (2016–present), Government Affairs Committee member (2018–20), Membership ad-hoc Group member (2018), and Professional Certification Program Lead (2018–present).
Region 2 Director – Nicole White
Nicole White is a conservation biologist with over 15 years of experience in water quality monitoring, riparian land protection, and invasive species management. She has worked for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation managing aquatic invasive species for the past several years. Nicole owns an environmental consulting firm which has contracted with the Westchester County Soil & Water Conservation District, Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve, and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Seed Bank. Previously she served as Associate Director of the Catskill Center for Conservation & Development. She enjoys working with a variety of stakeholders in complex watersheds. She earned a B.S. in Conservation Biology from the SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry.
Region 6 Director – Victoria Chraïbi
Victoria Chraïbi is an assistant professor of biological sciences at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas. She teaches courses in limnology, aquatic ecology, and phycology. 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. As a paleolimnologist, past research includes Lake Memphrémagog, Lake Superior, and lakes in Yellowstone National Park, while current research focuses on Texas streams and reservoirs. Victoria also specializes in science education and outreach in collaboration with nonprofits, state parks, and educational organizations to develop activities about water resources.
Region 10 Director – Mark Rosenkranz
Mark Rosenkranz has been the NALMS Region 10 representative since 2018 and in that time has served as temporary Chair of the Communications Committee; served on the Conference Committee and Development Committee; and has been Chair of the JEDI Program since its inception as a committee in 2018. During his time on the Board, he has helped edit the Operations Manual and worked with the JEDI Program to ensure DEI is included in all aspects of NALMS.
Mark has been the staff Limnologist with Lake Oswego Corporation since 2002 managing water quality on an urban lake in the Portland Oregon metropolitan area. He received a master’s in environmental management from the Center for Lakes and Reservoirs at Portland State University and is a Certified Lake Manager with NALMS.
Region 12 Director – Jay Toews
Jay Toews, a registered Professional Biologist and Chartered/Professional Chemist, is owner of Toews Environmental Consulting & Aquatic Sciences, independently providing specialist advisor and project management services since 2015. Previously the Western/Northwestern Canada Water and Natural Resources Lead for a major engineering firm, Jay has developed collaborative relationships with the limnological community and amassed diverse experience across Canada and internationally over his 26-year career. Jay prioritizes public engagement, which tends to keep questions (“public education opportunities”) coming long after projects are theoretically completed. Jay volunteers as scientific advisor to A Rocha Manitoba and the Riding Mountain UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
Student At-large Director – Lauren Knose
Lauren Knose is the current Student Director and seeking re-election. As the Chair for Student Programs, she has reinstated the Student Video Contest, developed a StoryMap highlighting NALMS students, and is planning student activities for the 2021 NALMS Symposium and the 2022 Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting. As a member of the 314 Working Group, she has worked to raise awareness on the lack of funds for lakes and bringing federal funding back to the Section 314 Clean Lakes Program. She is acquiring her PhD in EEEB at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, studying the causes of harmful cyanobacteria blooms in lakes.