Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE - The success of Jane McLamarrah, Clemson, S.C., serves as proof that it's never too late to change career goals. A 1971 University of Wisconsin-Platteville secondary education graduate who later carved out a successful career in engineering, McLamarrah has been selected as a spring 2005 UWP Distinguished Alumna.

McLamarrah was designated Engineer of the Year in 2002 by the South Carolina Water Environment Association. She currently serves as task manager for a wastewater collection system assessment project conducted by MWH Americas, Inc., of Dallas, Texas. It's quite a departure from secondary education, her initial career plan.

After graduating from UWP in 1971, McLamarrah began a teaching career at Delong Junior High School in Eau Claire. She also earned a master's degree in history from UW-Madison in 1974 before heeding her mother's advice to pursue an engineering degree. She earned a bachelor's degree in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Rhode Island in 1977.

McLamarrah worked as a project engineer in Wisconsin from 1977 through 1982 before further continuing her education. She earned a doctorate in civil engineering at Clemson University in 1985. She has worked as a senior design engineer for Metro Engineering Consultants in Seneca, S.C., and as municipal department head and project manager with Arcadis, Inc., in Greenville, S.C.

With water treatment as her specialty, McLamarrah has published numerous papers and articles and spoke at conferences on the topic. She is a registered professional engineer in Georgia, South Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin. Additionally, since 1986 she has been as a consultant and volunteer for the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying and serves as subject matter expert for the mathematics and fluids areas of the Fundamentals of Engineering Examination.

McLamarrah has strong families ties to UW-Platteville: her mother attended grade school in the Old Main building, and a grandmother earned a teaching degree at Platteville Normal School. A Platteville resident in her youth, McLamarrah now resides in Clemson, S.C., with her husband Michael Kohl. McLamarrah will be honored along with three other UWP Distinguished Alumni during spring commencement May 7.

Contact: Barb Daus, Special Assistant to the Chancellor, 608-342-1282,daus@uwplatt.edu Prepared by: Pat Jonas, research assistant, UWP Office of the Special Assistant to the Chancellor, 608-342-1025, jonasp@uwplatt.edu; and Dan Lehnherr, UWP Public Relations, 608-342-1194, lehnherd@uwplatt.edu