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Career History and Highlights:Mr. Werkheiser began serving as Eastern Regional Director in January 2009, overseeing USGS science in the 26 states east of the Mississippi River, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. He will lead an array of earth and biological science research, from water availability in the Great Lakes basin to ecosystem studies in the Everglades and Chesapeake Bay.

Mr. Werkheiser joined the USGS in 1986 as a project chief for water studies in Delaware and Maryland. He then served as Director of the Pennsylvania Water Science Center. Since then, he has worked in a variety of positions, providing leadership and strategic direction for the USGS. As Acting Associate Director for Geology, he led a variety of national earth science programs. He has also provided leadership for Bureau science response to natural hazards, serving on the Hazard Response Executive Committee and linking the Gulf Coast recovery team to USGS science following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Mr. Werkheiser has led water resources programs and has worked with other agencies in emergency flood response in the northeastern U.S.

Before joining the USGS, he worked for the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, leading a team completing a comprehensive ground-water study of the basin.

Education: Mr. Werkheiser received a bachelor's degree in geology from Bloomsburg University and a master?s degree in hydrogeology and glacial geology from the University of Massachusetts.