Louis O.

Louis A. Ogaard, Ph.D.

60267 Morgan Lake Rd.

La Grande, OR 97850

Phone: 786-373-3901

email: lou.ogaard@yahoo.com

Linkedin link: https://linkedin.com/in/louis-ogaard-4a4072128

Dear Sir or Madam:

I wish to be considered for positions germane to my training and background.

I administered a federally-funded (P.L. 95-87, Title IV) environmental restoration program for the State of North Dakota for over twenty years. The annual budget for this program was two million dollars. As Director of the Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) Division, I held public meetings to discuss planned reclamation with a variety of constituencies, prepared the Division budget and defended that budget before State Legislative Committees. I drafted federal grants that included National Environmental Protection Act Environmental Assessments (EA’s) and acquired requisite permits (Section 404) from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to disturb extant wetlands. I assisted staff to develop cost estimates for our construction projects. As Chief Procurement Officer I solicited bids from private contractors and drafted contracts for the reclamation work. Procurement policy and procedures were patterned after the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR). I instituted the use of trees, shrubs and native grass plantings for wildlife habitat and wetland restoration for waterfowl. I authored several articles that dealt with freshwater wetlands. Several of the mines reclaimed under this program were radioactive due to mining for uranium content in the coal.

I supervised a professional staff of environmental scientists and engineers using a team management approach and coordinated the execution of multiple projects during our construction season. I was the risk management coordinator for my State agency, and I worked on the development of emergency response protocols.

I dealt with the news media on many occasions and coordinated reclamation activities with university research efforts. I co-authored a methods text to assess the success of revegetation on reclaimed lands. This tome, currently used by the coal industry, addresses reclamation of rangeland, cropland, pastureland, woodland and wetlands. I authored several other articles dealing with freshwater wetlands and conducted primary botanical research on sites reclaimed under the program I administered.

I authored spreadsheet macros and relational database programs to track contract and grant expenditures. I was president of a computer consultancy that specialized in hardware sales, Local Area Networks and customized database programming.  I also held the position of Adjunct Professor of Mathematics for several years at Bismarck State College where I taught computer science and developed course curricula in this subject in an adult education program. Classes included students with diverse cultural and economic backgrounds. I have several years of experience on the Internet, authored my division’s web page at the North Dakota Public Service Commission and populated the entire agency’s web site using Dreamweaver MX. I authored a Windows-based database for CEHMM to track all scientific data collected from open raceway algae ponds.

I administered an R&D program to convert algae to biofuels and served as permit compliance manager. I supervised a staff of Ph.D. scientists, engineers and technicians in this effort. CEHMM had a fully integrated facility to produce algae oil which could be converted into biofuel. I served as Program Manager for the Natural Resource Management program at the U.S. Army’s Dugway Proving Ground in Utah.

Most recently I worked for Avangrid Renewables in Portland, Oregon. I handled permitting nationwide for the construction unit. I resigned from there and became an environmental consultant in Latin America.

I live in Bolivia and have for ten years on and off and hold dual citizenship in Bolivia and the United States. I am available for immediate employment. 

Sincerely,

Louis A. Ogaard, Ph.D.