Justinn overton
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/INTERIM RIVERKEEPER
Justinn oversees day-to-day operations and management and ensures Coosa Riverkeeper has the resources needed to fight for a swimmable, drinkable, fishable Coosa River.
TUCKER WATSON
RIVERKEEPER PATROL/ SWIM GUIDE TEAM LEAD
As Riverkeeper Patrol/Swim Guide Team Lead, Tucker focuses on water quality in the Coosa. He leads the popular Coosa River Swim Guide program and organizes the data collection, in-house lab, and supports the Riverkeeper Patrol Program.
VICTORIA MILLER
FISH GUIDE COORDINATOR
As Fish Guide Coordinator, Victoria focuses on fishing and public health on the Coosa. She coordinates the popular Coosa River Fish Guide program where she educates fishermen about fish consumption advisories and creates reel-y helpful resources for families.
OUR BOARD
The Coosa Riverkeeper Board of Directors manages the long-term vision of Coosa Riverkeeper, enables our staff and volunteers to work towards that vision, and acts as stewards of our organization in the community.
ADVISORY COUNCIL
The Advisory Council is a group of important community members and leaders in their respective fields that provide support and assistance to Coosa Riverkeeper when needed.
MEET THIS SUMMERS CROP OF INTERNS:
Mackenzie Pennington, Lab Technician
Jake Lasseter, North Route Field Technician
Jake Lasseter says, “I’m super stoked about being a part of the Riverkeeper team.” He studies biology at Jacksonville State University and concentrate in ecology/environmental biology. His goal is make new friends, gain experience, and ultimately have a good time as a Field Tech for the Swim Guide program. He can’t think of a better way to spend his summer than to be outside helping to keep our waters clean to enjoy for the public. His favorite quote is by Henry David Thoreau, “In wildness is the preservation of the world.” Jake collects water quality data & bacteria samples weekly on the North Route which includes 10 sites surrounding the creeks and main reservoir of Neely Henry Lake.
Jason Miller, Central Route Field Technician
Florida born, Georgia raised, and a Jamaican through and through, Jason is no stranger to the water. When he’s not napping or playing video games, you can find him in the kitchen experimenting. He is an aspiring author and an avid explorer with a passion for anything aquatic. Jason is also an Environmental Health major at UAB and an active member in his fraternity, Phi Gamma Delta. Jason collects water quality data & bacteria samples weekly on the Central Route which includes 10 sites surrounding the creeks and main reservoir of Logan Martin Lake.
Lindsay Digges, South Route Field Technician
Lindsay grew up in Madison, Alabama in the Tennessee River Valley. During late spring and summer, you could find her family boating or just enjoying Smith Lake or the Elk River. She enjoys swimming so much and this summer, she plans on being outside as much as possible. She is currently a rising Junior at Auburn University (4.0 GPA woo!) studying Ecological Engineering. She is minoring in French and Business and just recently spent a summer in Paris! When she is not studying, she enjoys listening to music and going to concerts. She involved in a sorority, as well as Auburn for Water, which raises money for water filters for families in Nepal. Lindsay collects water quality data & bacteria samples weekly on the South Route which includes 10 sites surrounding the creeks and main reservoir of Lay Lake, Lake Mitchell, Lake Jordan, and the tailwaters of the Coosa.
Tyler Harless, Swim & Fish Guide Specialist
Tyler Dickey, Program Outreach Specialist
Tyler is a word ninja and has great and creative ideas for ways we can better explain, communicate, and educate folks like you about what our Swim Guide data means for your weekend and how to better reel in Fish Guide info!
Savannah Flowers, Visual Program Specialist
Savannah is currently enrolled in the Honors college at The University of Alabama. She is majoring in Management Information Systems and minoring in Creative Media. She was born and raised in Vestavia Hills, Alabama and has a strong passions for ocean conservation, marine life, protecting habitats and water quality. She looks forward to learning more about the Coosa River and contributing her skills to the organization.
Rebecca Gonzalez, Fish Guide Field Technician
Rebecca’s passion is fish. She works in a genetics lab studying catfish. She is a junior at the University of Colorado at Boulder, majoring in ecology and evolutionary biology. Her minors are geology and molecular, cellular, and developmental biology. Her dream is to study at El Yunque rainforest and the beautiful coasts of Puerto Rico, where her family is from. She splits her time between Birmingham and Boulder (yes, like the Emmylou Harris song), traveling whenever the opportunity arises. She enjoys skiing, hiking, day trips, rafting, kayaking, camping, foraging for mushrooms, live music and being with friends. Her favorite seafoods are paella and catfish.
Yahn Olsen, Legal Intern
Yahn majored in History at Pacific Lutheran University in Seattle and attends Samford for Law School. He has always wanted to be an attorney. Once he graduates, he plans on going to Officer Candidate School and joining the Navy as a JAG. He wants to continue working on environmental issues. He believes environmental issues in general affect everybody greatly but are easily overlooked because many effects of pollution are not always immediately and/or cleary visible. He has always been an outdoorsy person (fishing, backpacking, snowboarding) and wants to help out in a field that he has a passion for. He’d like generations after him to be able to experience the outdoors in the way he did. Most of his hobbies are outdoors, especially on the water. He also played lacrosse growing up and in college, so he still like to toss the ball around from time to time as well. Before law school he managed watersports rentals at a resort on Pensacola Beach, and was a jet ski tour guide. He also have a Great Pyrenees mix named Aspen that weighs about 50lbs and is only 5 months old.
