It’s Never Goodbye, Just “See You Later!”

LaRyssa Nelson Uncategorized July 19, 2021 | 0

June, 2021 marked the end of Danielle Graham’s time here at the International Water Institute. Danielle started with IWI in 2017 as a Conservation Corps of Minnesota & Iowa servicemember and over the years she grew into her position as Education Program and Communications Specialist, leaving positive impressions on over 5,000 students, citizens, and professionals throughout the Red River Basin. Below is a collection of memories, thoughts, and see-you-later’s for Danielle from the staff at IWI.

Mark Deutschman, Research Director – Our website (iwinst.org) is a critical communication tool. Danielle’s creative ideas lead to a much improved web page for the Institute. We will miss her.

Grit May, GIS Project Manager – Danielle has an outgoing and refreshing attitude to all things work-related. Her laughter is often audible in the hallway. It was an enjoyment to work with her, listen to her ideas, and to see her flourish. She didn’t hesitate to tackle new territory and I am sure she will succeed in the future.

LaRyssa Nelson, Monitoring and Outreach Corpsmember; Conservation Corps of Minnesota & Iowa – Danielle is one to push you to figure out questions on your own, instead of handing you all the answers. That alone has made me a lot more independent and I appreciate her for it!

Phil Oswald, Monitoring and Education Specialist – Danielle is always optimistic and makes the best out of a bad situation. Her ability to stay positive was refreshing and made long days in the field or classroom much better. It didn’t matter if it was -20 while sampling in January, or going to three ROD classrooms in a day, Danielle is always upbeat and those around her fed off that energy!

Taylor Lemieux, Monitoring and Education Specialist – Danielle has been an integral part of IWI for a number of years and she’s always willing to learn and research something new. Her passion and excitement when talking to students about watersheds and the Basin is inspiring and always encourages us to be positive! Our monthly Friday adventures were always something to look forward to!

Danni Halvorson, Monitoring and Education Director – Danielle is an achiever. She helped push IWI programs to a new level and was always positive about the challenges she faced. I will always remember the phone calls and chats related to tasks at hand. Her upbeat personality, drive and many skills will be missed.

Asher Kingery, Project Specialist – Danielle spends more time outside hiking and camping than anyone else I know. When things didn’t go as planned or conditions got worse, Danielle was always able to push through with a level of toughness. The Middle River paddle trip of 2018 had injuries, low water, mud, bugs, and took twice as long as planned (we don’t talk about it much….but it was very memorable).

Chuck Fritz, Executive Director – Danielle is always positive and upbeat. Her passion for watershed education is apparent and it was great fun to watch her grow professionally as she took on more and more responsibility here at the IWI. I know she will achieve great things!

Photos with Danielle over the years!