Kim Cole, P.E.
Principal
Kim Cole is a passionate engineer and owner of fast-growing DROP Collaborative, a specialized water pretreatment consulting firm.
Kim provides vital pretreatment assistance to clients in Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, and Colorado, balancing client and industry needs with environmental sustainability. Kim believes one of the most rewarding parts of her career is bringing expert-level knowledge to communities of all sizes.
Kim has more than twenty years of experience in the wastewater treatment field. She is a graduate of Purdue University with an undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering. She went on to earn her M.S. in Environmental Engineering and Science from Clemson University.
One of her other passions is inspiring future female engineers. Kim is a proud registered Professional Engineer in Missouri and her firm is a certified women-owned business enterprise (WBE). In her wastewater treatment work, Kim prioritizes helping her clients gain a better understanding of their water systems, and how different parts of the wastewater industry impact the systems.
When she’s not providing wastewater treatment guidance to her clients, Kim enjoys reading, traveling, cooking, and creating a pollinator garden in her backyard.
Katie Bruegge
Environmental Program Manager, Class A Operator
Katie Bruegge has been with DROP Collaborative since 2022. She got her start in the wastewater field at the City of St. Joseph, Missouri.
Katie serves as DROP Collaborative’s Environmental Program Manager, a key link to DROP Collaborative clients. Her specialties include industrial pretreatment program management, PFAS minimization strategies, stormwater management, laboratory management, and FOG (Fats, Oils, and Grease) management programs.
One of her favorite parts of the job is thinking of new ways to get the community involved and interested in its water resources. She has been interested in the environment and water resources all her life. Katie is a graduate of Bradley University with a degree in Environmental Science – Biology. Katie is actively involved in the Missouri Water Environment Association (MWEA).
Based out of Jefferson City, Missouri, Katie and her husband enjoy kayaking, trying to catch big fish, and growing their native plantings at home.
Juju Wellemeyer
Environmental Project Manager
Juju Wellemeyer joined DROP Collaborative in October 2022 as an Environmental Project Manager. Juju works from the Kansas City side of the state and serves as a client representative to clients in that geographic area. Juju adds a higher layer of data management and ArcGIS experience to the services that DROP Collaborative provides to clients. Since Juju has joined DROP Collaborative, she has added Power Automate functionality to workflows and has taken over the role as the project manager for the development of DROP (Data Reporting and Operations Platform).
Juju has extensive experience in natural resource management and watershed-scale ecology, providing insight into emerging nutrient regulation for POTWs and industrial dischargers contributing to the wastewater characteristics. Her previous employers include K-State Research and Extension, Missouri Department of Conservation, and Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. She graduated from Wichita State University in 2014 with a B.S. in Biology, and she graduated from Tennessee Tech University in 2017 with an M.S. in Biology.
Juju is active in her free time, going camping, hiking, and kayaking with her dog, traveling to visit friends and National Parks, attending concerts, and gardening. She recently began learning golf and watercolor painting.
Elisa Edge
Project Manager
Elisa Edge is a water resources scientist who cares deeply about the wellbeing of people and the environment. As a scientist, she approaches challenges by asking questions, gathering data, and communicating what is learned. She values DROP Collaborative’s mission of collaboratively implementing Pretreatment Programs to better protect downstream waters. She is excited to support clients as they steward water resources and serve local communities.
Elisa has over a decade of experience in water quality and stream ecology. She earned a B.S. in Watershed Science from Colorado State University and an M.S. in Fish and Wildlife from the University of Missouri. Her previous work as a water quality specialist with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources took her across the state conducting stream surveys, collecting water samples at direct discharge and industrial pretreatment facilities, and teaching sampling trainings.
Elisa combines her loves of science, art, and play through gardening, throwing pottery, floating rivers, and cooking.
Jess Terri
Lead Data Analyst
Jess is our veteran employee. She has been with DROP Collaborative since 2019. In her role as a project engineer, she helps our municipal clients with compliance evaluations, NPDES permit applications, custom enforcement response plans (ERPs), biosolids tracking and reporting spreadsheets and any data analysis needs. For industrial clients, she helps decode the regulations, make the compliance process easy and streamlined, and implement solutions to their wastewater issues.
For Jess, the best part of the job is having a positive impact on the environment and helping people understand and respect the water resources we have. She values the work environment at DROP Collaborative for its fostering environment and focus on constant improvements. In turn, she hopes to be a good role model for future female engineers in our industry.
This mom of three holds an undergraduate degree from Northwestern and a Master’s in environmental engineering from Michigan. She will tell you she’s not what most people expect when they hear engineer! She is talkative and outgoing. Interfacing and problem solving with clients is her favorite part of the job. On her off time Jess enjoys spending time with her family, traveling (especially to Lake Michigan) and listening to true crime podcasts while walking her dog.
Claire Wilson
Environmental Specialist
Claire started at DROP Collaborative as an intern. Joining DROP full time in May 2024, she leverages years of dedicated experience partnering with public and private utilities in their efforts to achieve effective pretreatment compliance. Using her degree in Environmental Science from Purdue University, she is instrumental in developing critical client deliverables for diverse projects ranging from implementing enforcement response plans to drafting industrial user permits.
Claire thrives in collaborative settings, continually learning from colleagues and clients to develop data-informed solutions that support operational compliance, enhance reporting accuracy, and optimize cost recovery efforts. She has honed her skills with tools like ArcGIS for Industrial Waste Survey projects, Power Automate for process streamlining, and Excel for client-focused solutions that put the data to work and tell the full story.
Her professional growth is marked by a commitment to improving processes and supporting DROP Collaborative’s mission of empowering utilities while protecting our water resources.
Beyond her professional contributions, Claire is dedicated to her community as an avid runner, exploring the best trails in St. Louis and serving as a Girls on the Run coach. When she’s not in her running shoes, you can find her passionately cheering on Purdue basketball, traveling, challenging herself at trivia night, or enjoying a great book.
Kimberly Early
Project Manager
Kimberly brings over 20 years of laboratory experience to the DROP Collaborative team. She earned her B.S. in Chemistry from Southeast Missouri State University and spent the early part of her career as a Forensic Scientist specializing in drug identification. She later transitioned into the pretreatment and wastewater field, where she has built expertise across Pretreatment, Wastewater Quality, Laboratory Operations, and FOG (Fats, Oils, and Grease) programs.
At heart, Kimberly is still a chemist – she loves digging into the details whether that means combing through codes and permits, poring over lab reports, or geeking out on PFAS data. That analytical curiosity is part of what makes her so effective at untangling complex regulatory and technical challenges.
Based in Evansville, Indiana, Kimberly is proud to be part of DROP Collaborative’s continued growth and expanding reach.
Outside of work, she treasures time with her family and dogs, enjoys a good sappy movie, and is passionate about getting involved in efforts that make her community a better place.
