I am pleased to announce that Dr. James (Jim) Thomas will serve as the Interim Executive Director of the Division of Hydrologic Sciences. Dr. Thomas has been with DRI for the last 12 years serving as the Senior Director for The Center for Watersheds and Environmental Sustainability managing research programs in West Africa and Lake Tahoe and Walker Lake Basin watersheds.

Dr. Thomas earned his Ph.D. from the University of Nevada, Reno and was a research hydrologist at the U.S. Geological Survey in Carson City, Nevada, for nearly 20 years before joining DRI in 1999. Thomas' areas of research include regional water studies and water chemistry, mostly involving the application of water chemistry to understanding geochemical and hydrologic processes. He is currently doing water research for numerous projects in the Lake Tahoe Basin, eastern and southern Nevada and West Africa.

Jim has been a tremendous asset to DRI, and I am pleased to have him leading DHS through a transition to a permanent director. Dr. Surles and I have confidence in his leadership, and we know that he has the skills and personality to work well with agencies and scientists to achieve common goals.

I sent a previous message congratulating and thanking Dr. John Warwick who was named the new dean of the College of Engineering at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. John will be leaving DRI at the end of July.

Sincerely,

Steve Wells