Experience

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  (Self Employed)

  • Catharpin, Virginia

  • Information Specialist

    • Jan 2010 - Present
    • Catharpin, Virginia

    Continue to refine personal information systems: property, tax and financial forecasting, integration of multiple health provider results into simple, searchable database/spreadsheet. Also continuing to improve language skills, computer audio capabilities, and photography expertise.

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  U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service

  • Arlington, Virginia

  • Branch Chief - National Fish Hatchery System

    • May 2006 - Dec 2009
    • Arlington, Virginia

    Administrative oversight over the Fish and Wildlife Service's National Fish Hatchery System field stations, developing budgets, managing maintenance and construction efforts, and developing methods to make essential info available to all field stations at all times using the Internet (Sharepoint); constant effort to standardize info for summarizing and projecting agency accomplishments, assets, and needs.MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENT: Developed two analytical methods to value the fish produced by Mitigation Fish Hatcheries which had been constructed to mitigate for environmental impacts of USCOE dams on rivers across the US. One method utilized annual budgetary information gathered by a task force over a three year period, a task force that was unable to develop a credible summary that the USCOE would accept. Analysis of field station production attributable to the various programs was involved (mitigation, restoration, and species recovery projects amongst those).I developed a second, and unconventional, method for deriving that overall value by using relational database techniques to correlate field station species production with the approximate value per fish (referencing scientific journal estimates for fish lost in fish kills caused by pollution events). Fortunately, both methods produced summary values that were approximately only four percent from each other, resulting in the USCOE accepting the value of fish produced. This enabled the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service to be compensated by the USCOE for that mitigation fish production, as had been ordered by Congress. So, within a three month period I derived a reasonable value, while a 10 member, multi-year task force assembled previously had been unable to determine a value acceptable to the USCOE and to the USFWS.

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  U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service

  • Georgia, Arkansas, Idaho

  • Assistant Fish Hatchery Manager

    • Mar 1978 - Jul 1996
    • Georgia, Arkansas, Idaho

    Served as Assistant Manager at three national fish hatcheries for 18 years, developing forms for data entry, fish health, feed projections, fish distribution, fish growth, inventory records. Also trained over 20 new fishery biologists in information and fish hatchery management. Helped bring computers into fish hatchery management beginning in 1978.MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENT: I developed a fish feed projection spreadsheet over a 14 year period that enabled staff to run detailed analyses of feed needs for the next 6 – 12 months. At Dworshak Hatchery in Idaho, one of the USFWS’s largest programs, this reduced the annual feed costs (about $250,000) by 10 percent. In the 8 years I served here, we saved $150-200K due to the regular use of this program and the insight it gave us on factors affecting fish feed use.Fish feed is often, after salaries, the largest budget item for cold water hatcheries. Projecting feed costs often leads to shortages (impacting fish quality) or to surpluses (wasted feed). Thorough, accurate feed projections can take 4 - 8 hours to develop by hand. My program (half hour per analysis) accounted for multiple fish species, ten feed sizes, varying monthly fish growth due to fluctuating water temperatures, probable fish losses, varying fish/egg stocking and receipt schedules, and existing feed inventories/trends by feed size.Not only did this program enable monthly (or weekly, if desired) projections, thereby eliminating shortages/surpluses, it also demonstrated to me the tremendous value in the use of projections for other inventory management, as well as for the financial management of a family’s or a business’ budget. These financial projections are seldom done, however, due to the multiple factors impacting budgets. I have since adapted the projection concept to manage my income/taxes. It’s nice to see bumps/potholes coming down the road in time to avoid them.

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  U. S Army

  • Southern Germany

  • Crew Leader, Missile Battery

    • Nov 1971 - Jul 1974
    • Southern Germany

    Served as crew leader (Sergeant) for missile battalion in Southern Germany for 2 1/2 years. In charge of 6 person crew responsible for maintaining and operating large vehicles and azimuth laying (missile guidance/direction) equipment. Partook in numerous field site deployments as part of battalion mission, training new troops in general maintenance and surveying equipment operation. Taught me the value of the chain of command AND the value of learning to build a team and value each member of that team.