Instructors

Jonathon Burr, Deputy Director, TDEC Division of Water Resources, Field Office Operations
Jonathon Burr has been an aquatic biologist and regulatory official for TDEC for 28 years. He has BS and MS degrees in Biology from Tennessee Tech University. Jonathon spent the first 20 years of his career as a senior water pollution biologist in east TN for TDEC. He also served several years as the manager of TDEC’s Mining Section, which regulates mining activities, oil and gas drilling, and reclamation projects. He currently serves as the Deputy Director for Field Office Operations for TDEC’s Division of Water Resources.

Dr. Brad Cook, PH.D., Professor of Biology, Tennessee Tech University
Dr. Brad Cook joined the faculty at Tennessee Tech in 1993. His education includes a B.S. in Biology from Washington College in Maryland, M.S. in Biology from Tennessee Tech University, and Ph.D. in Zoology from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Prior to coming to Tennessee Tech, he was a fisheries biologist with the State of Florida for eight years. Dr. Cook’s research focuses on fisheries science and aquatic macroinvertebrate ecology.

Tracy Daughtery, Environmental Scientist, TDEC Division of Water Resources, Cookeville EFO
Tracy Daugherty has been a natural resources professional for more than 30 years. He has experience in soil and water remediation, water resources identification and delineation, stormwater management, site assessment, environmental education and planning, surface mine reclamation, and groundwater modelling. Currently, Tracy serves as an Environmental Scientist in the Cookeville Environmental Field Office with the TDEC Division of Water Resources.

Larry Everet, Permitting/Assessmen, TDEC DWR, Knoxville EFO
Larry Everet has been an aquatic resource protection professional for nearly 20 years. He has undergraduate and masters’ degrees in Environmental Science and Ecology from The University of Tennessee and has worked for TDEC Division of Water Resources since 1998, primarily as an aquatic biologist, resource specialist, and water pollution regulator at the Memphis and Knoxville Environmental Field Offices. Currently, Larry serves as an Environmental Consultant with the Division’s Knoxville Field Office overseeing the Monitoring and Assessment program among other duties.

Dan Murray, Environmental Consultant, Mining Unit, TDEC Division of Water Resources, Knoxville EFO
Dan Murray has worked in aquatic biology/ecology related field for over 25 years. He is a 1989 graduate of East Tennessee State University. After briefly working as a technician on a NSF grant project at Bays Mountain and for a consulting firm, he started work at the Tennessee Department of Health Environmental Laboratory in 1992 where his duties included taxonomy of aquatic macroinvertebrates, stream surveys, report preparation, fish collection, fish identification and whole effluent toxicity testing. Since 1997, he has worked with the Department of Environment and Conservation - Mining Section where his duties have included stream surveys, hydrologic determinations, Aquatic Resource Alteration Permit review and NPDES permit review.
 
John Schwartz, P.E., Ph.D., Professor, Associate Department Head of Undergraduate Studies and Professor
Dr. Schwartz has over 30 years of experience in academics and professional engineering practice. His research interests include watershed hydrology and sediment modeling, river mechanics, ecological engineering, ecohydraulics, stream restoration, and water quality. Schwartz joined the faculty of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Tennessee in August 2003. He has a PhD in Environmental Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a MS in Fisheries Science (Water Resources) from Oregon State University, and a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of Missouri at Columbia. Professional experience includes private consulting in the State of Oregon as a licensed engineer, US Environmental Protection Agency (NPDES compliance), and US Peace Corps. Schwartz is an active member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Environmental and Water Resources Institute serving on the Urban Water Resources Research Council and River Restoration and Sedimentation committees.

Jimmy Smith, Manager, Natural Resources Unit, TDEC Division of Water Resources, Nashville
Jimmy Smith has been an aquatic resource protection professional for nearly 25 years. He has undergraduate and masters’ degrees in Biology from Rhodes College and Austin Peay State University and has worked for TDEC Division of Water Resources since 1993, primarily as an aquatic biologist, resource specialist, and water pollution regulator at the Nashville Environmental Field Office. Currently, Jimmy is the manager of the Division’s Natural Resources Unit overseeing the Aquatic Resource Alteration Permit program among other duties.

Robert Wayne, Environmental Scientist, TDEC Division of Water Resources, Nashville
Robert Wayne is an Environmental Scientist with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Division of Water Resources in Nashville, TN. Robert earned a B.S. in Geography from Western Kentucky University and a M.S. in Environmental Science from Indiana University. Robert has worked as a permit writer for the Natural Resources Unit’s ARAP program since 2014.