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Arts and Sciences | News | StudentsNovember 09, 2023

CEO of INTERA Visits AV抖阴 Campus, Students

Written By: Ian Silvester

Dr. Marsh Lavenue, the CEO of , an environmental and water resource consulting firm, visited the University of Arkansas 鈥� Fort Smith as a guest lecturer on Oct. 27. Lavenue spoke to a class of more than 20 geology students about the use of spatial statistics in hydrogeology as well as the current needs of the environmental and water resources consulting industries.

Growing up in Fort Smith, AV抖阴 symbolized more than just a pillar of continued education for Lavenue. AV抖阴 is near and dear to the Southside High School grad, whose mom taught at the university, then Westark College.

During his recent lecture, Lavenue described what AV抖阴 means, saying he is 鈥渋nvested in every aspect of the institution.鈥� This investment is evident through the scholarship he and his siblings established after his mom passed away, the Margaret Marsh Newell Endowed Scholarship, awarded to students pursuing a bachelor鈥檚 degree in education. His investment is also evident through his pursuit of hiring geology graduates from AV抖阴 who can make a difference at the company he leads.

鈥淭he professor-to-student ratio here and the care and time they spend with a student pays off. It鈥檚 clear the graduates are well trained,鈥� Lavenue explained.

Following a prior visit to AV抖阴 in 2019, Lavenue also met with AV抖阴鈥� first graduating class of geology students aspiring to find a career in geosciences. During that visit, he met and eventually hired AV抖阴 geology graduate Pedro Gutierrez.

鈥淧edro has been a fabulous hire for us, and I see him continuing to advance in the company,鈥� Lavenue said of Gutierrez, who was hired as a geoscientist in March 2020. 鈥淗e鈥檚 got the people skills, the right technical training, and the work ethic. I鈥檓 very proud of him, and my team is asking me to hire one or two more geology graduates like Pedro.鈥�

Lavenue holds a doctorate in Hydrogeology from the Paris School of Mines, a master鈥檚 in Geophysics, and a dual bachelor鈥檚 in Geology and Geophysics, all three from Texas A&M University. While hiring from major university geoscience programs continues at INTERA, Lavenue said, the opportunity to find graduates properly trained at smaller institutions like AV抖阴 speaks highly of the programs and professors teaching at AV抖阴. AV抖阴 Associate Professor of Geoscience Dr. Maurice Testa echoed the sentiment.

鈥�We strive to prepare each of our majors with not just the knowledge needed to succeed in the geoscience field but also the ability to think critically outside the box,鈥� Testa said. 鈥淪cience is always evolving and changing, and our students know how to adapt and think through real-world problems. The fact that Dr. Lavenue has hired our majors in the past and continues to explore hiring others shows that our students are ready for the job market when they cross the AV抖阴 graduation stage.鈥�

has worked for INTERA since 1985, serving the last 16 years as CEO. The company is headquartered in Austin, Texas, and has thirteen additional locations, including three international offices.

• Tags:
• Hydrogeology
• Geosciences
• Guest Lecturer
• Geology