Executive Director
Holly Neill
Holly is a graduate of Missouri State University with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Masters of Natural and Applied Science. Thesis research was conducted at the Ozark Underground Laboratory on “The Effects of Land Use on Tumbling Creek Cave in Taney County, Missouri. Holly served in the Peace Corps in Jamaica at Discovery Bay Marine Lab where she assisted with Reef Fishery Research. She was also part of a National Science Foundation Fellowship Program at Missouri State to integrate scientists into the public school system. Her focus, as a part of the fellowship, was water quality and environmental education.
Holly served as the executive director of the James River Basin Partnership for six years that focused their efforts on water quality research, better management practice implementation, education/outreach efforts, and watershed management planning. Holly currently resides in Southwest Missouri with her husband and budding biologist toddler near the James River.
Larry Ruff
Larry Ruff received BS degrees in Biology and History from Murray State University in 1969. He earned a Master’s degree in Secondary Administration from Northeast Missouri State University.
After a 31 year teaching career he retired from Francis Howell North high school as the Science Department Chairperson and Head Track Coach. During his tenure he taught most of the biological sciences and co-authored the Environmental Studies curriculum for the Francis Howell school district. He was Francis Howell North’s Teacher of the Year in 1999 and has been named Who’s Who Among American Teachers five times.
He has been involved with the Missouri Stream Team since 1992 and formed Francis Howell North’s Stream Team #374. While he was the stream team sponsor he and his students received numerous awards and grants for their outstanding work. He has attended the Missouri Department of Conservation Stream Team Academy and is currently Stream Team Level IV certified. He currently is the contact member for Greenway Network’s Stream Team 463.
Larry has been an instructor for the Clean Water Celebration, Missouri Stream Team, Missouri Envirothon, Illinois Rivers Project, Science Olympiad, St. Charles County Rivers & Streams Project and most recently the Clean Stream Education Initiative.
In 2005 he became an Americorps Member sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation and served as one of the St. Louis area Stream Team Assistants. He has worked for the Southwest Illinois Resource Conservation and Development organization as a field biologist conducting wetland surveys. He is dedicated to conserving our rivers, streams and floodplains as well as promoting green space, parks and trails.
Larry has been a member of the Board of Directors of Greenway Network since 1999 and is currently serving as Treasurer. He is an avid fisherman, hunter, traveler and floater. His indoor hobbies are reading and working on his family’s genealogy.
Larry Cain
Missouri Stream Team Watershed Coalition
Current Vice President
President, 2007 through 2010.
Vice President, 2004 through 2007
Open Space Council – Operation Clean Stream
Board of Directors, 2000 through 2010
Northern Ozark Rivers Partnership
Vice President
Stream Team 1008 – Twin River Rangers
Coordinator
Larry O’Donnell
“Water, Water, Anytime, Anywhere!”
Friends of Lakeside Nature Center Stream Team #175 and Project Blue River Rescue
Member Since 1995
Little Blue River Watershed Coalition [stream team # 2428]
Current President
Founding member
Level 3 water quality monitor
Missouri River Watershed Festival
Committee Chair
Jackson County Stormwater Commission
Technical Committee member
Rain Garden Program
Workshops
Student Rain Barrel Art Contest
Rain barrel sales
Kansas City Wet Weather Overflow Control
Community Panel
Danelle Haake
Danelle Haake joined the Missouri Stream Team in 1996 as a member of team 206 – the Natural & Applied Sciences Stream Team (NASSTY) at Missouri State University. As an undergraduate in the biology program, her participation in the Stream Team instilled a deep love of streams that has become both a personal and professional passion. After graduation, Danelle went to Iowa State University to pursue a Masters in Water Resources. After graduating and spending a couple of years working for the Iowa DNR, she returned to her hometown in St. Louis where she is currently the Vice Chairperson of the River des Peres Watershed Coalition (RdPWC; Stream Team). The RdPWC is a Stream Team Association that serves one of the most urbanized watersheds in the state, including most of the land in St. Louis city and county inside of the I-270 loop and south of I-70. Association activities include an annual Watershed-Wide Water Quality Review, the River des Peres Trash Bash, and rain barrel building.
In addition to working with the RdPWC, Danelle is an active member of teams 2670 (LREC Stream Team), 3189 (Haake Stream Team), and 3491 (Grand Glaize Stream Team). She is employed as a Restoration Ecologist with the Litzsinger Road Ecology Center, a division of Missouri Botanical Garden. She enjoys gardening, camping, canoeing, and reading with her husband and two young children.
Vannessa Frazier
Vannessa Frazier is a highly energetic Executive Director, of the Howardville Community Betterment, a 501 (c) 3, non-profit, community based organization, comprised of citizens of the community. She serves on the board of Directors for the Missouri Stream Team Watershed Coalition. She is the coordinator of the Association of Stream Teams in Southeast Missouri, a member of the Conservation Federation of Missouri, and the Howardville Community Betterment is a part of Missouri’s Department of Transportation adopt a mile program and the Missouri Community Betterment program, that is offered to rural communities and urban neighborhoods throughout the State of Missouri.
Vannessa has worked in targeted communities and counties in the Missouri Bootheel to initiate and implement programs that address the health disparities and the pressing health needs of at-risk infants and youth in under-served communities. The impact of the environment on human life in rural areas caused Vannessa to pursue studies in Child Development, with a focus on Psychology and the fusing of Environmental Laws and Dispute Resolution Alternatives that contribute to the development, health, well-being and productivity of every citizen.
She has over 33 years of experience in community-based organization, volunteering, coordination, supervision, budgeting, surveys, data analysis, budget monitoring, assessments and working with diversity and communities. She enjoys motivating and recruiting others to effectively help carry out assignments, tasks and other objectives at a responsible level of competency and accountability to the citizens and grantors. Understanding the dynamics of rural communities, she is comfortable with public speaking on health issues and acquired a profound knowledge of Health Outreach management, strategy and controls of health programs that so often elude people in rural areas across the country, where Access to Information is critical, yet often scrapped and attributed to cost.
Vannessa continues to work with local and county officials in the Missouri Bootheel and with numerous partners through grants and presentations within the State of Missouri such as, EPA; the Missouri Foundation for Health; the Department of Natural Resources; the Department of Conservation; The Missouri Community Betterment and advocating through the Missouri Legislature to move forward with the co-existence of health and agriculture in rural areas.
Vannessa is also environmentally speaking, a tree hugger. She feels people need saving from themselves and the harm they unknowingly cause to others and their very own existence. She is a strong advocate for Missouri’s Natural Resources and is very concerned about the states inherited pollution flowing down stream that further contaminates the drinking water, soil, and air in the rural flat lands of the Missouri Bootheel.
2010 Members
Melody Torrey – Unionville, MO
Bob Coffing – Catawissa, MO
Vannessa Frazier – Howardville, MO
Steve Johnson – Columbia, MO
Burt Stewart – Imperial, MO
Angel Kruzen - Mountain View, MO
Diane Oerly – Columbia, MO
Shari LaRoussa – Raymore, MO
Linda Swaim – Joplin, MO
The MSTWC Board is comprised of representatives from Associations statewide.
The Executive Director of the MSTWC is a paid staff member who ensures the daily operation of the Coalition is productive and meets the goals established by the Board.