Notable Alumni

Careers & Alumni

A pathway to rewarding, high-paying careers

One common misconception about environmental science is that jobs are hard to find and pay is low. But the truth is, an environmental science degree can put you on the path to a rewarding, fast-growing and high-paying career.

SFA environmental science graduates have diverse, successful careers with a wide variety of organizations.

Check out what some of our graduates are doing with their degrees:

Bryce German, Class of ‘16
Facility environmental leader, Georgia Pacific, LLC

Bryce German

Bryce German earned the Bachelor of Science in environmental science from SFA in 2016. He joined Georgia Pacific immediately after graduation and has quickly worked his way up to facility environmental leader at a Georgia Pacific facility in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is also a licensed aircraft and drone pilot.

Jeff Lamb, Class of ‘12
Environmental specialist, Luminant Energy

Jeff Lamb

Jeff Lamb earned his Bachelor of Science in environmental science from SFA. He now works as an environmental specialist at a Luminant lignite coal mine near Henderson, Texas on mined land reclamation, water quality protection, data analysis, project management, CAD mapping and environmental regulatory compliance.

Erin Stempinski, Class of ‘10
Research Associate, Oregon Health and Science University

Erin Stempinski

Erin Stempinski earned a Bachelor of Science in environmental science with a minor in biology in 2010. She then completed the Master of Science in biology at Miami University in Ohio. She is currently a research associate at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Oregon where she specializes in electron microscopy applications.

Melissa Moore, Class of ’12 and ‘14
Project environmental scientist, Weaver Consultants Group

 Melissa Moore

Melissa Moore holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in environmental science from SFA. Her thesis research project involved the use of geographic information system applications to understand the spatial distribution of earthworm species in East Texas forest soils. She has quickly risen to project environmental scientist at Weaver Consultants Group in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Melissa provides air quality assistance to municipal solid waste landfills, oil and gas waste facilities, and landfill-gas-to-energy facilities and is an active member of her company’s recruiting committee at the Fort Worth, Texas office.

Colby Hafner, Class of ‘04
Owner, Upstream Safety and Risk Management, LLC

Colby Hafner

Colby Hafner earned a Bachelor of Science in biology in 2002 and a Master of Science in environmental science in 2004. His thesis research project involved using earthworms as environmental health indicators. He has since worked with several companies associated with the petroleum industry providing process safety consulting services to the offshore oil and gas industry for over 15 years.  He now has his own company, Upstream Safety and Risk Management, LLC, in Houston, Texas.

Elena Thomas, Class of ’15 and ‘17
Environmental scientist, W&M Environmental

Elena Thomas

Elena Thomas earned her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in environmental science from SFA. Her thesis research was on Ponderosa pine ecosystem restoration in northern Arizona. She is a certified associate professional soil scientist and works on soil and water environmental problems for her company throughout the nation and is located in the Fort Worth, Texas area.

More notable alumni

  • Laura Fimibama, environmental health and safety manager, Lucas-Milhaupt, Class of ‘15
  • Jonathan Pecero, field biologist, Perennial Environmental Services, Class of ‘18
  • Lane Grant, environmental specialist, Nucor Steel, LLC, Class of ’17
  • Amy Camp, drinking water environmental investigator, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Class of ’15 and ‘18
  • Chris Kossegi, air quality specialist II, POWER Engineers, Class of ‘12
  • Brandyn Frederick, environmental specialist and local radiation safety officer, Halliburton, Class of ’17
  • Anthony Stambaugh, natural resources specialist, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Class of ‘14
  • David McAlister, project manager, W&M Environmental Group, Class of ‘02
  • Rene Hinojosa, geographic information systems technologist, ExxonMobil
  • Damika Thomas, health and safety leader, Koch Company Services, L.P., Class of ‘14
  • Connor Marx, environmental health and safety manager, RoyOMartin LLC, Class of ‘17
  • Ariana Ochoa, environmental health and safety representative II, Anadarko Petroleum, Class of ‘12
  • Levi Anthony, senior environmental coordinator, Newmont Mining Corporation, Class of ‘15
  • Chris Royce, chemist, PAE applied technologies, NASA/Johnson Space Center, Class of ‘06
  • Eric Stone, senior project manager, New Tech Global Environmental, Class of ‘04
  • Tracy Posey, environmental manager, Georgia Pacific, Class of ‘04
  • Alex Sneed, environmental coordinator, Noble Energy, Class of ‘12
  • Mitch Killough, environmental specialist, Hilcorp Energy Company, Class of ‘07
  • Patricia Carter, senior assessor, Partner Engineering & Science Inc, Class of ‘11
  • Yan Blair, air quality environmental investigator, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Class of ‘09