Barbara K. Nielsen is a geological engineer from SDSM&T. She has 30 years of permitting, characterization and remediation experience on a variety of sites. Nielsen began her career as a regulator in South Dakota were she progressed to managing several ground water protection programs, which included developing water quality investigations and ground water monitoring programs for open pit, heap leach gold mines. She consulted for RESPEC for 12 years, where she eventually managed its Environmental Service Division. She also served on the South Dakota Board of Environmental Professionals during this time. For over 10 years, she has been the Manager of Remediation Projects for Freeport-McMoRan Inc, Phoenix, AZ. Several projects that she managed have received honors: the Colorado Environmental Leadership Program Bronze Award; the U.S. Bureau of Land Management highest honors Hardrock Minerals Environmental Award; and from the American Council of Engineering Companies – The National Recognition Award for an Arizona project, the Arizona Chapter Engineering Excellence Award, and the Washington Chapter Silver Award.