Valerie Were

FMRs newest Board member Valerie Were

Photo: Jeanine Holden/FMR

Valerie Were (pronounced Ware-ay) is a Post-Doctoral Research Associate in the Department of Forest Resources at the University of Minnesota. She is working on a Minnesota Sea Grant funded project examining community resilience in response to flooding. The project explores how two communities along the St. Louis River, one of the major tributaries to Lake Superior, fared during and after severe flooding in 2012. For her dissertation work, Valerie examined how non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that implement water projects in western Kenya monitor and evaluate their projects, how the organizations engage the community in their projects, and how cultural norms and traditions influence the NGOs’ work. Her background provides insight into both the technical and human/social aspects of watershed management.

Education: B.S. Watershed Science, Utah State University, Logan, Utah; M.S. Water Resources Science and Ph.D. Natural Resources Science and Management, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

FMR Board Member since: 2013

Interesting books: “Desert Solitaire” by Edward Abbey, “Refuge” by Terry Tempest Williams, “The Lorax” by Dr. Seuss

Favorite Mississippi River location: Any of bridges that go across the river

Quote: “If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to serve as a horrible warning” - Catherine Aird

Hobbies: reading, any outdoor activity (hiking, biking, canoeing, kayaking), ultimate frisbee, cooking, watching sports, particularly football (the one that is played with one’s feet)

Last memorable vacations: canoeing in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, renting a beachside house with about 10 friends in North Myrtle Beach for a week

Conservation/Environmental heroes: Edward Abbey, Terry Tempest Williams, Aldo Leopold, Rachel Carson