Professional Water Studies Online Certificate

Dr. Elizabeth R. McVicker, Water Law

Elizabeth’s expertise in water law has her in great demand to serve on the board of three water-related Colorado entities: The Center of Colorado Water Conservancy District, the Headwaters of the South Platte Water Enterprise, and the Coalition of the Upper South Platte. She serves as a guest speaker, panelist, and media expert for water-related events, and was instrumental in developing the One World One Water Center and the Water Studies Curriculum.

Elizabeth is a high-energy professor and brings enthusiasm and knowledge to her classes. She has a JD from the University of Denver, and a Ph.D. in Spanish Language and Literature from New York University. She teaches business ethics and sustainability courses for MSU Denver.

Her experience as a business owner and attorney allows her to bring a great deal of knowledge to the classroom. She is a recipient of the College of Business, Dean’s Overall Faculty Excellence Award.

Dr. Matthew S. Makley, Colorado Water and the American West

Matt is a professor of History at MSU Denver, where he has taught for almost 15 years. Previously he taught at Arizona State University where he earned a Ph.D. in Native American History, and the History of the American West. The University of Nevada Press published Makley’s co-authored book, Cave Rock: Climbers, Courts, and a Washoe Indian Sacred Place, in 2010. His more recent book, The Small Shall be Strong: A History of Lake Tahoe’s Washoe Indians, was published in 2018, by the University of Massachusetts Press.

Matt was born in Lake Tahoe, and has spent his life in California, Nevada, Arizona, and Colorado. This has allowed him to explore the land, its people, its past, and its present. Each journey down a river canyon, up a mountain top, or upon a city street helps inspire and inform his professional practice.

Water in the west has become an area of particular interest for Makley. He recently helped produce a short documentary film about an Iris farm and its relationship with water in Boulder, CO called Long’s Gardens: An Urban Oasis.

Dr. Randi Brazeau, US. Water Concerns

Dr. Randi Brazeau, P.E., received her B.S. and M.E. degrees in Civil Engineering at the University of Florida. After working as an engineering analyst with Kimley-Horn and Associates for two years, she completed a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering – Environmental Water Resources from Virginal Tech under Dr. Marc Edwards. Currently, she is an Associate Professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at MSU Denver where she has been since 2012.

Randi teaches a variety of environmental science courses and teaches integrated science for pre-service elementary education students. In addition to advising Environmental Science students, she also serves as a primary advisor for Environmental Engineering. Her main research interests include decontamination of premise plumbing and public health after contamination events, surface water quality in response to mining and hazardous waste spills, urban surface water quality, and learner centered pedagogies in undergraduate STEM disciplines.

Tom Cech was born and raised on a farm near Clarkson, Nebraska, graduated from Kearney State College with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Math Education, and later received a Master’s Degree in Community and Regional Planning from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. He was Executive Director of the Central Colorado Water Conservancy District in Greeley, taught water undergraduate and graduate level water resources courses at the University of Northern Colorado and Colorado State University, and is now the Director of the One World One Water (OWOW) Center for Urban Water Education and Stewardship at MSU Denver.

"A good steward learns about our most precious natural resource - water, and reaches out to put that knowledge into action. Colorado's future will be shaped by our students, and their stewardship will determine the fate of our rivers, lakes and groundwater."