Meet Aileen Driscoll, Natural Resources Staff Scientist

What is your background?

After completing my bachelor’s degree in Public Affairs, I worked at Alpha EMC as a stormwater inspector for residential builders. I then returned to school to obtain a Master of Science in Environmental Science and Public Affairs with a focus on Water Management. Following grad school, I took a position in IDEM’s Office of Water Quality as a Wetlands and Stream Project Manager where my primary responsibilities were 401 application reviews, mitigation monitoring and compliance resolution.

What kinds of projects have you completed in the past ten years?

My career to date has centered around field inspections for either stormwater compliance or 401 compliance for a wide range of projects varying from solar fields to culvert replacements.

What are three career lessons you have learned?

• The key to effectively managing the environment is to find the balance between protection and development.
• It is at least as important to listen to other’s perspectives as it is to voice your own.
• Every project is different.

What is something that you would consider one of your greatest professional accomplishments?

During my time as a project manager, I regulated the 401 mitigation sites in southern Indiana. I managed to inspect most of the active mitigation sites in my territory (across 35 counties) and obtained the status of all others. I brought numerous sites into compliance and tied up nearly every loose end that I could. It was a feat accomplished through conducting many field inspections and sorting through more than 20 years of files in the office. I consider it one of the more impactful accomplishments of my career so far.