Service Award: Jean Lemmon, 15 Years

Jean Lemmon, Water Quality Division Technical Writer, was recognized for 15 years of service to the State of Oklahoma during the November 2, 2015 meeting of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission.

Her recognition reads:

“Jean began as the Blue Thumb Program’s quality assurance officer as a volunteer in 1997 then as an employee of the Tulsa County Conservation District in 2000 and transferring to OCC in 2003. In this role, Jean kept the volunteer monitoring effort moving forward in such a way that the volunteer-collected data is respected nationwide. She trained and worked with countless volunteers and was a big part of developing Blue Thumb into the program it is today.

Jean transitioned into the writing staff in 2010 and stepped up to learn about various databases when the Water Quality Division desperately needed an interim data manager. She made the whole process of entering and using data more efficient. She has been instrumental in updating the OCC and Blue Thumb websites and other social media outlets. She has also played a pivotal role in analyzing and summarizing our probabilistic monitoring data to demonstrate our rotating basin monitoring program provides a representative analysis of Oklahoma’s many ecoregions.

Jean consistently demonstrates a willingness to take on challenges and work toward solutions. She possesses outstanding technical proficiency and a strong work ethic. Jean’s positive attitude and willingness to work as a team member to achieve the best outcome for the Water Quality Division has greatly enhanced the work of OCC. Jean’s skill as an educator has been beneficial both in public settings and in the OCC setting, when interacting on work groups or just around the office.

When The Blue Thumb Program announced two watersheds would be targeted for “watershed education saturation,” Jean did not hesitate to jump in to be a leader for the Crow Creek Watershed in Tulsa. Jean spent ten years as a monitor on Crow Creek, and she and current volunteer monitor Graham Brannin are reaching out to the watershed residents to restore the stream so it can again be a home to several fish species and a place where the public can wade and play at ease.

Jean lives in Tulsa with her husband Bruce. They have two grown sons, George and Cameron, and she is the proud grandmother to one happy grandson. Jean’s family is musically gifted. She and her husband sing and play instruments in an ensemble, “Pro Musica Tulsae,” that specializes in renaissance music and instruments. Her son, George, is also an Opera singer who performs in the US and Europe.”

Congratulations, Jean!