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Environmental Progress - Fall 1998

Illinois EPA's Jim Park Given Alumni Achievement Award

"Stereotypes" theme of address to engineering graduates at SIU

Jim Park (16K)
Jim Park

Jim Park, since 1991 the chief of the Illinois EPA's Bureau of Water, was presented with the Alumni Achievement Award on May 9, when he delivered the commencement address to the graduating class in the Southern Illinois University's School of Engineering.

Park's talk focused on stereotypes as they shape public perception of engineers. He encouraged the graduates to look beyond conventional approaches and explore less obvious options before settling on a course of action, to hone management skills by striving for adaptability, and to try for a style of communications with those outside the engineering profession that doesn't provide more information than the audience needs or wants.

Park was graduated from SIU in June 1970 with a Bachelor of Science degree, and received his Master of Science degree the following year.

He joined the staff of the fledgling Illinois EPA the same month, starting as a permit review engineer, and subsequently serving as federal permit liaison, manager of the technical standards section and its successor, the planning and standards section, before becoming manager of the Division of Water Pollution Control in August 1986.

When the former divisions of Public Water Supplies and Water Pollution Control were merged to become the Bureau of Water in August 1991, he was named bureau chief. In that capacity he oversees a staff of more than 325 professional and support personnel with an annual operating budget of $17 million.