In late 2024, Vanessa Baratta-Person gratefully accepted the role of Hydrogeologist Supervisor of the County Groundwater Atlas (CGA) team at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). She succeeds Paul Putzier, who retired in August 2023. Vanessa joined the DNR in 2013 as a field technician, monitoring surface water in southwestern Minnesota. In May 2014, she moved to the CGA program as a mapping hydrogeologist, focusing on planning, sampling, and supporting the creation of numerous county atlases. In addition, she took part in authoring groundwater atlases for Nicollet, Sibley, Redwood, Morrison, Wadena, and Isanti counties.
For a year after Paul’s retirement, Vanessa enjoyed working out of class as the program’s supervisor before taking on the role permanently. In her new role, she oversees a dedicated team of staff working on groundwater atlases for counties across the state. Outside of work, you can often find her gardening, crafting, or traveling and hiking to explore new places.
MGWA is committed to developing a just, equitable, and inclusive groundwater community. Click on the button below to read MGWA’s full diversity statement.
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