The river has always been a place of connection for Karli Riley. The 2017 grad is now the Program Manager for Coosa Riverkeeper, an Alabama-based river conservation group.
Her job involves implementing and expanding the organization’s community programs. Karli manages the Swim Guide and the Fish Guide and is working on a new curriculum of her own: a field trip program for local schools. “Schools in our watershed can come and see the connection that they have to their river,” Karli says.
Berry offered Karli the chance to get hands-on experience with her Environmental Science major as a research assistant for Environmental Science Professor Zachary Taylor. During her junior year, she had the opportunity to intern with Coosa Riverkeeper which helped her secure her current full-time position.
After graduation, she worked as a seasonal Environmental Educator with the Cahaba Environmental Center in Montevallo, Alabama. She is now a member of the junior board of directors for the Alabama Environmental Council.
Karli is most thankful for the connections her liberal arts education lets her make in her job. “Berry taught me to connect with people through the head, hands and the heart and I get to do that every day.”
student social media assistant Shannon Rainey
