![Many people helped Shelly Higdon advance in her career. Now she takes time to pay it forward.](https://cole-tpomag.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tpomag.com%2Fuploads%2Fimages%2Ftpo.shellyhigdon062.jpg?crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=620&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=75&w=1024&s=24571e5bc612f429772698601b28608d)
Higdon is a big believer in the Water Environment Federation Operations Challenge and has been a participant since 2004.
What does a career spanning more than three decades in one place look like? Ask Michele “Shelly” Higdon, laboratory manager for the Shelbyville (Indiana) Water Resource Recovery Facility.
Hired at age 19, lightly trained and heavily self-educated, Higdon advanced from mainly...