The power of advocacy

Your success is our success

• Will Vesely '16, Board Chair

  Will graduated from the College of Charleston in 2016 where he spent his time as a lab manager and research assistant, which included investigating emerging contaminants in the environment. As a member of the College of Charleston Waterkeeper Club, he assisted with water sampling and analysis and educating the campus on the importance of water quality in the Lowcountry. After graduating from the College, Will earned a Master's degree at Virginia Tech. After graduate school, Will worked in environmental consulting for 4 years in Charleston. Will currently works for AES Clean Energy as a senior permitting analyst for their utility-scale solar projects in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. Will resides in Nashville with his partner and two pets. 

• Morgan Shuman Annab '13, Communications Director

  Morgan graduated from the College of Charleston in the class of 2013 with a B.S. in Geology and a minor in Economics. Her most valuable time spent at the College was through her undergraduate research, including a trip to India and research on Lake Erie. She earned her Master of Science at Auburn University in 2015 where she wrote her thesis on the projected sea level rise and arsenic pollution in coastal Bangladesh, and was also an instructor for Physical and Environmental Geology labs. She attributes the College of Charleston and the Department of Geology and Environmental Geosciences with providing an excellent education through various field trips, such as the one to India. These provided Morgan international experience which was very helpful in her previous positions as a Geologist at Schlumberger, Inc., as a Principal Consultant with RS Energy Group, and as a Strategic Success Manager for Snowplow Analytics. Morgan is currently employed as a Customer Success Manager for SINAI Technologies, a climate tech startup focused on decarbonization. 

• Caitlyn Bierce '12, Board Member

  Caitlyn graduated from the College of Charleston in 2012 with a B.S. in Geology. Her most valuable time spent at the College was through her undergraduate research, including a field course to the National Parks, research on Jupiter's moon Europa and research with the BEAMS program. She earned her Master of Science from the College of Charleston in 2017, where she wrote her thesis on using spectroscopy as a tool for modelling water quality in the ACE Basin, and was also a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Department of Geology & Environmental Geosciences. After finishing school, Caitlyn continued to teach geology at the College as an adjunct instructor while founding the first oyster farm in Charleston (Charleston Oyster Farm) with her husband and brother-in-law (Peter Bierce '12 and Thomas Bierce). After several years of combining teaching with mariculture management, she changed her focus and began pursuing a combined career in teaching and land real estate. She currently lives in Charleston where she continues to teach geology, field studies, and applied aquaculture at the College, and in her free time enjoys long walks in the backyard with her 6 chickens and organizing her rock collection with her husband Peter Bierce. Assisting with Field Studies each year has offered a unique opportunity to meet, mentor, teach, and befriend many of our now alumni, and by being involved with the Board of Advocates, Caitlyn hopes to extend and encourage these efforts to future students and alumni.  

• Shelby Bowden '16, Board Member

  Shelby graduated from CofC with a B.S. in Geoscience in 2016. While at CofC Shelby was heavily engaged in undergraduate research and teaching through the BEAMS program, including teaching the seafloor mapping course for a couple semesters. His favorite aspect of his time at CofC was the varied classes and activities available from a liberal arts education: Shelby played cello in the music program all 4 years while at CofC, including performing at the Spoleto Festival; he engaged in small research projects looking at water quality and hazards assessments with Dr.'s Callahan and Levine, respectively; and he was able to explore varied coursework from religious studies through coastal geology, which was how he discovered geology and decided to switch from a biology major. Shelby's research with BEAMS set him up to complete several NOAA seafloor mapping internships in Louisiana, the Mariana Islands, and off the east coast after graduation, and helped him decide to pursue further research in grad school. During his masters at Western Kentucky University, Shelby used structural geology, GIS, and thermochronology to study the uplift timing of the Ethiopian Plateau. He then continued research during his PhD at Penn State University where he delved into geochemistry to study the petrogenesis of continental basalts and characteristics of melt generation beneath continents in Saudi Arabia. Shelby has since started as a research scientist at the Savannah River National Lab in Aiken, SC, where he continues using the geochemical skills he learned throughout his education in solving national security, pollution, and environmental stewardship problems for the Department of Energy. Shelby aims to help current students and alumni learn how to employ their geology skillsets within the national lab world, and would love to talk to anyone interested about internship or job opportunities in the national labs. Shelby is a proud South Carolina resident with his wife Abigail (CofC Geology '17) and son Charles. 

• Timmon Drumm '09, Board Member

  Timmon graduated from the College of Charleston in the Class of 2009 with a B.S. in Geology. During his time at College of Charleston he was an active member in the Geology community, serving on the Geology Club, and enjoyed participating in the BEAMS research team, earning valuable research and technology experience. After graduating he attended Louisiana State University, where he earned a M.S. in Geology.  His thesis research focused on subsurface reservoir evaluation for Carbon Dioxide Sequestration. Following graduate school Timmon worked as a Geologist in the Oil and Gas industry, getting the opportunity to live in several cities including Tulsa, Houston, and Denver.  He is currently a Geologist with the Geological Survey of Alabama working on Carbon Dioxide Sequestration projects across the Southeastern United States.  Timmon lives in Birmingham, Alabama with his wife, Lizzy and two sons, Patrick and Benjamin. 

• Christina Maschmeyer '14, Board Member

  Bio coming soon.

• Josh Mode '09, Board Member

  Josh graduated from the College of Charleston in 2009 with a Bachelor’s of Science in both Geology and Marine Biology. During his time at College of Charleston he was an active member in the Geology Club and focused on marine geology and hydrographic data analysis. He helped kickstart the BEAMS Program by teaching the first Seafloor Mapping class during his senior year. Upon graduating, Josh began working for a leading hydrographic software company, CARIS. Throughout his 10 years at CARIS, he managed strategic accounts, oversaw resellers, and provided countless training to hydrographic organizations around the world. In 2019, Josh started working for NORBIT, a hydrographic hardware company, as well as Seahorse Geomatics as Vice President of North American Technical Sales to help grow the multibeam market share for both companies. During his career, he has been able to give back to the Department of Geology & Environmental Geosciences by providing annual software training to students in the BEAMS Program and using his network of industry contacts to connect students to potential employers. Josh currently lives in Ecuador with his wife Luana and future geologist son, Oscar. He has since started his own company, Caretta Hydrographic Solutions. He looks forward to continuing to give back to the department in new ways as a member of the Board of Advocates.   

• Kevin Wright '23, Board Member

  Kevin Wright graduated with honors from the College of Charleston in 2023 with a B.S. in Geology. Notably, as a recipient of the Alumni Endowed Award, he received funding to conduct research exploring correlations between nutrient concentrations and antibiotic-resistant bacteria in urban floodwaters on the Charleston Peninsula. As a non-traditional student, Kevin found his academic home in the Geology and Environmental Geosciences Department. He volunteered during his time in the department with Charleston Waterkeeper, helping to analyze water samples in the hydrochemistry lab. Post-graduation, Kevin successfully passed the Association of State Boards of Geology Fundamentals of Geology Exam and gained employment as a staff scientist and project manager at Terracon Consultants in Charleston. Beyond work, he volunteers as a saltwater monitor with the South Carolina Adopt-A-Stream program. In his leisure time, Kevin enjoys outdoor pursuits like hiking and mountain biking. Kevin's journey from academia to professional practice is a testament to the convergence of passion and education, embodying the spirit of the College of Charleston's commitment to excellence and service.