Before I became a hydrogeologist, I studied biology and medicine. During the mid-1970s the emerging movement in our culture and the sciences toward understanding human impacts on our environment led me into the earth sciences. In 1978 I began my career with the USGS in Champaign, IL, where I became interested in quantitative hydrogeology. Since then I've worked on hydrogeology projects from USGS offices in Denver, CO, Sacramento, CA, Menlo Park, CA, and Indianapolis, IN. Since 2000 I’ve been the Groundwater Specialist for the USGS Water Mission Area focusing on hydrogeologic issues in the Western U.S. Along the way I've been fortunate to work directly and indirectly on many interesting studies of national and international relevance related to groundwater availability and sustainability, and the role of groundwater in geologic processes.