Justinn Overton. Executive Director. 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. Read her full bio.
Frank Chitwood. Riverkeeper. Frank oversees the Riverkeeper Patrol Program and actively patrols the river documenting pollution. He monitors water quality, responds to complaints, advocates for the river, and much more. Read his full bio.
Karli Riley. Program Manager. Karli is responsible for the successful implementation of the popular Swim Guide program, Fish Guide program, and education and outreach initiatives. Read her full bio.
Board of Directors. 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. Meet our Directors.
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 our Advisory Council.
Summer 2018 Interns
Ryder Andrews,
Swim Guide Lead Intern
Ryder is a rising Senior at Birmingham Southern College majoring in Urban Environmental Studies. He is the place kicker and punter for Birmingham Southern College’s Football team among being an avid outdoorsman.
ABOUT HIS ROLE: Ryder will be assisting our Program Manager in the lab and reading water quality results each Friday so folks can “Get the Skinny Before They Dip!”
Amy Murph, North Route Sampler
Amy is a Senior majoring in Public Health at UAB. She moved to Birmingham from Florida to pursue her academic dreams. Currently, she is a leader at Chick-fil-A. For fun, she enjoys cooking, singing, and spending time with her fiancé. They recently adopted a black lab puppy, so she’s enjoying being a new fur mom. She says, “I hope to continue exploring my interest in environmental health and keeping our planet beautiful.”
ABOUT HER ROUTE: Amy will be collecting samples from Ashville to Ragland collecting eight samples each week, traveling 178 miles.
Mary Anne Powell, Central Route Sampler
Mary Anne is a first-year student at UAB majoring in Public Health and Nutrition. She was born and raised in Homewood but going toUAB has completely changed her view of Birmingham! She has a passion for community- and loves to meet, connect with and learn about new people and various health disparities across populations. She’s happiest when she’s outdoor, surrounded by family, but you can also find her repeatedly binge-watching New Girl pretty frequently. She hopes to pursue her MPH and Master’s in Nutrition and find a job that allows her to travel!
ABOUT HER ROUTE: Mary Anne will be collecting samples from Pell City to Alpine collecting eight samples each week, traveling 135 miles.
James Frost,
South Route SamplerJames is from Calera and a Senior at Samford University majoring in Public Health. He loves to fish and is interested in wildlife conservation and fisheries management.
ABOUT HIS ROUTE: James to will be collecting samples from Wetumpka to Shelby collecting ten samples each week, traveling 197 miles.
Hannah Goymer,
Outreach Intern
Hannah grew up playing in Buck Creek and many local parks around Helena before moving to Cullman. She’s a Freshman at UAB majoring in Neuroscience and Public Health on the Pre-Med Track. She was drawn to UAB for their Global and Community Leadership Honors Program which equips students to serve their community locally and globally. She hopes to join Doctors without Borders but in the meantime, she will use opportunities and experiences in Alabama to serve her community.
ABOUT HER ROLE: Hannah will support our Watering Hole Series among many other events as well as play an important role in continuing to educate the public about our work!
JoAnna Lochamy, Outreach InternJoAnna is a senior at the University of Alabama at Birmingham seeking a degree in Environmental Health. She graduated first in her class from Jefferson State Community College in 2009 with an Associates in Applied Science Degree of Veterinary Technology. JoAnna is married with one child. She has chunky, long hair chihuahua named “Chip”. She loves to hike, camp, and swim in the great outdoors and is passionate about keeping the environment beautiful, safe and inviting to everyone. She is currently working a summer internship with the Cahaba and Coosa Riverkeeper.
ABOUT HER ROLE: JoAnna will support our Watering Hole Series among many other events as well as play an important role in continuing to educate the public about our work!
Justin Jones, Photo & Visual Outreach Intern, Justin is a recent graduate from UAB with a BA in Public Relations. Born and raised in Birmingham, he enjoys volunteering for local organizations, such as Birmingham Art Crawl and Magic City Art Connection. Justin believes that arming the public with knowledge is vital in maintaining a healthy environment, so, as a volunteer; he will work on media projects aimed at showing the public a little of what goes on at a Riverkeeper! During the school year, he works as an elementary school chess coach for The Knight School. When he isn’t volunteering or coaching, Justin can be found attending a local show or hanging out with friends! Justin plans to return to school for a second bachelor’s degree in environmental science and also pursue his MA in Communications to make a career utilizing media to educate others about the importance of protecting the environment.
ABOUT HIS ROLE: Justin will be taking pictures of our work all summer long, so our members will have a better idea of what goes on behind the scenes!
Brodie Zalanka, Public Health Intern. Brodie is a student at UAB, with plans to graduate in December with a Bachelor of Science in Public Health. He hopes to continue on after graduation focusing on toxicology in Graduate School. Brodie is a medically retired veteran of the United States Army, where he served as a combat medic. The moving around from place to place was not foreign to Brodie, as his father also served in the military, which allowed him to live in many different states including Washington, Wyoming & Alaska! This was an important experience for Brodie because he was able to observe many different environments and the witness the governments role to preserve them. An avid camper, Brodie has fond memories from his outdoor experiences in Wyoming & Alaska, and has attributed these experiences to his love for the outdoors!
ABOUT HIS ROLE: Brodie will be updating the Toxic Release Inventory to let folks know what is going in to their waterways & what that means for their drinking, swimming & fishing water!
James Frost, South Route Sampler
JoAnna Lochamy, Outreach Intern
