Rhea Lydia Graham

Rhea Lydia Graham (born August 11, 1952)[1] is an American retired geologist with a background in environmental consulting and engineering geology and was made the first woman as well as African-American director of the United States Bureau of Mines (USBM) by President Bill Clinton and the United States Senate in 1994.[2] She graduated with a BA in geology from Bryn Mawr College in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania in 1974 and later completed her MA in Oceanography at Oregon State University in 1977.[3]

Rhea Graham
BornAugust 11, 1952
Terre Haute, Indiana
NationalityAmerican
EducationBryn Mawr College and Oregon State University
OccupationGeologist/Engineering Geologist
Years active39
Spouse(s)Clifford Neal Dahm

Graham started off her career working for private companies, including being an engineering geologist for the engineering company CH2M Hill. She later went on to work in government positions such as being part of the Forestry Sciences Research Laboratory in Corvallis, Oregon, and later became the agency director for the Mining and Minerals Division of the state of New Mexico in 1991.[4]

Life

Graham was born in Terre Haute, Indiana on August 11, 1952. She is married to Clifford Neal Dahm and has two daughters.[1]

She began working her first job as a Geophysicist at Exxon Company,[5] right after obtaining her second degree in Oceanology at Oregon State University.[6] She later moved on to working for CH2M Hill after which she worked at several other companies holding positions such as Senior Scientist, Regulatory Compliance Specialist and Environmental Compliance Consultant.[1]

Graham currently resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico and has no longer been active in geology or been working since her retirement in May, 2016. Up until her retirement, she had the official title of a geologist and engineering geologist under the state of Oregon.[7] As of now, she expresses interest in mentoring others and is part of the Geological Society of America Fellowship.[5]

Achievements

In 1974, Graham graduated from Bryn Mawr College with a Bachelor of Arts in Geology. She later pursued a Master of Arts in Oceanography at Oregon State University, which she received in 1977.[8] Graham was elected as the U.S. Bureau of Mines' 19th Director, following her nomination by President Clinton in 1994. She originally worked with Deuel Associates, a consulting firm that grew with her contributions, and was administrator of the Mining and Minerals Division of the New Mexico Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department. She was a Senior Scientist working for a company known as the Science Applications International Corporation after being employed by President Clinton (before her nomination) in Albuquerque. This exposed her to the environmental issues that the Department of Energy were addressing at the time. She was also an advisor to the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Sciences also recommended her specifically for the position of Director of the U.S. Bureau of Mines.

On Wednesday, September 28th, 1994, Rhea Lydia Graham's hearing regarding her nomination to become the Director of the U.S. Bureau of Mines of the Department of the Interior by President Clinton was held. At the time of the hearing, Lydia Graham was not a resident of the state of New Mexico, but had been living there since 1984. Her children were also born there. [9]

She was the first woman to hold this position since the conception of the organization 84 years prior.[10] Graham is a former President of the American Institute of Professional Geologist's New Mexico section, and holds numerous positions within American geological societies. These include the Geological Society of America, New Mexico Geological Society, and Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists.[8]

Contributions to geology

While majoring in Geological Oceanography, she presented her thesis on April 11, 1977, titled “A Paleomagnetic Study of Recent Sediments in the Santa Barbara Basin”. Her thesis involved testing the sedimentary environment in the Santa Barbara Basin to see whether domizing effects on the magnetic grains dominate the paleomagnetic record. This was approved by Jack Dymond, an Associate Professor, serving partly as requirement for the Master of Arts Degree for the Oregon State University.[11]

Graham contributed to "Some Effects of Slope Movements on River Channels", an accumulation of research on the effect of the size and volume of dam distribution on potential dam failure and the consequent release of water.[12]

In 1996, under Graham’s directory, the U.S. Bureau of Mines published the second edition the “Dictionary of Mining, Mineral, and Related Terms”. This revised version updated the terminology which was needed due to the many changes such as technological advancements and environmental regulations, which have occurred since the first edition of this dictionary was initially published in 1968.[13] Other contributions during her time as the Director for the U.S. Bureau of Mines include the publication of a report in January 1995, investigating the reliability of the smoke detectors used in mining, titled "Evaluation of Smoke Detectors for Mining Use".[14]

Graham has co-authored the following scholarly papers:

  • “Environmental Policy Law : Problems, Cases, and Readings”[15]
  • “Wasting away - An Exploration of Waste: What it is, how it happens, why we fear it, how to do it well, by Kevin Lynch”[16]
  • “The Complete Guide to the Hazardous Waste Regulations, 2nd Ed.” [17]

References
  1. United States (1994). Rhea Lydia Graham nomination : hearing before the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, United States Senate, One Hundred Third Congress, second session on the nomination of Rhea Lydia Graham, to be Director, Bureau of Mines, Department of the Interior, September 28, 1994. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 17. ISBN 0160460484.
  2. "Board of Advisors | Alumni & Friends | College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences | Oregon State University". ceoas.oregonstate.edu. Retrieved 2019-02-04.
  3. "Diverse Sources | Science, Health and Environment experts available on deadline". diversesources.org. Retrieved 2019-02-04.
  4. "Corrected Biographical Sketch" (PDF). The Engineering Geologist. 27: 6 – via Amazon aws.
  5. "Rhea Graham". LinkedIn. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  6. "Who's Who Among African Americans, 18th Ed". Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  7. "Board of Advisors". Oregon State University. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  8. "The Engineering Geologist" (PDF). Newsletter of the Engineering Geology Division of the Geological Society of America. 27 (1): 3. February 1992. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  9. Hearing before the committee on energy and natural resources united states senate. U.S Government Printing Office. September 28, 1994. pp. 56–88. ISBN 0-16-046048-4.
  10. "College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences: Board of Advisors". Oregon State University. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  11. Graham, Rhea (1977). A Paleomagnetic Study of Recent Sediments in the Santa Barbara Basin. Oregon: Oregon State University.
  12. Swanson, F.J.; Graham, R.L.; Grant, G.E. (September 3–5, 1985). "Some Effects of Slope Movements on River Channels" (PDF). International Symposium on Erosion, Debris Flow and Disaster Prevention: 273–278 – via Oregon State.
  13. Mines, Staff of the U. S. Bureu of (2015-06-25). Dictionary of Mining Mineral, and Related Terms, 2nd Ed, Rhea Lydia Graham, 1996: minerals. Bukupedia.
  14. Edwards, John. C. (January 1995). "Mining Publication: Evaluation of Smoke Detectors for Mining Use". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
  15. Graham, Rhea. "New Books -- Environmental Policy Law--Problems, Cases, and Readings (2nd Ed.) by Thomas J. Schoenbaum and Ronald H. Rosenberg." Ground Water 30.2 (1992): 290. Web.
  16. Graham, Rhea. "New Books -- Wasting Away--An Exploration of Waste: What It Is, How It Happens, Why We Fear It, How to Do It Well by Kevin Lynch." Ground Water 30.3 (1992): 469. Web.
  17. Graham, Rhea. "New Books -- The Complete Guide to the Hazardous Waste Regulations (Second Edition) by Travis P. Wagner." Ground Water 30.5 (1992): 802. Web.
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