Melinda Chapman is the Assistant Chief for the USGS Office of Groundwater in Reston, Virginia. She began her career with the USGS in the Georgia District as a groundwater hydrologist for almost 12 years, then moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, where she was the groundwater specialist for 15 years. Melinda received her M.S. degree in Geology, with an emphasis on hydrogeology and geophysics from The Ohio State University and her B.S. degree in Geology from West Georgia College.