Clemson graduate student awarded Presidential Management Fellowship

Published: July 7, 2010

Jamey Lowdermilk image by: Clemson University

CLEMSON — Jamey Lowdermilk, a graduate student in applied economics and statistics at Clemson University, has been appointed a Presidential Management Fellow for her commitment to excellence in leadership and management of public policies and programs.

Lowdermilk, from Winston-Salem, N.C., received the appointment from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and is the only Clemson student to be named a Fellow. Beginning in August she will serve with the USDA Forest Service in Helena, Mont., where she will coordinate a pilot project linking natural resource management of watersheds with water consumption. The project is a collaborative effort between the Helena National Forest, the Western Collective (a network of six Forest Service regions) and the Pacific Northwest Research Station. The project will involve assessing watershed vulnerability, determining community water footprints and developing a training module for Forest Service leadership that connects water use with watershed resources.

“As a Fellow I will apply my academic studies to the management of an essential and finite resource: water,” Lowdermilk said. “Watershed management is a critical issue with important implications for public policy. I grew up paddling the rivers and lakes of the Southeast, so I have a keen personal interest in this field.”

The program provides 80 hours of training a year and a four- to six-month rotation assignment.

“I am as excited about my work as I am looking forward to the professional development opportunities provided inside and outside the Forest Service,” Lowdermilk said.

The Presidential Management Fellows Program attracts to federal service outstanding men and women from a variety of academic disciplines and career paths who have a clear interest in, and commitment to, excellence in the leadership and management of public policies and programs. The program is administered by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

Lowdermilk received a bachelor of arts from the University of the South–Sewanee in 2004. She is to receive a master's degree from Clemson University in August.  

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