Rusty Royston has spent much of his life in the outdoors. Growing up in what is now eastern metro Atlanta and working for his father's land surveying business, Rusty developed a passion for the land and how to measure its attributes and explore its possibilities. He performed surveying field procedures and many percolation tests for septic system permitting in the 1980's. In the 1990's, Rusty earned his degree in Environmental Soil Science from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences of The University of Georgia and began a career in Soil and environmental consulting. He worked for Certified Soil Classifiers in metro Atlanta and in the north Georgia mountains before becoming certified to perform soil testing in 2000.
Working for others and for himself, Rusty has served in positions of increasing responsibilities with various firms including his own as a Project Manager, Project Soil Scientist, Senior Soil Scientist, Senior Vice President, and President/Owner. In these roles Rusty has continued to specialize in the identification, classification, and mapping of soils found in north and northeast Georgia for the purposes of septic system permitting, land development projects, wetland determinations, and providing consulting for erosion and sediment control issues. He has earned the respect and appreciation of his clients, colleagues, and the regulatory agencies he has consulted with. Rusty was elected by the Soil Science Society of Georgia to serve as President of the professional and academic society in 2020. Also in 2020, Rusty was appointed by the Georgia Department of Public Health to serve as a member of the Soil Classifiers Certification Advisory Committee (or SCCAC). "SCCAC" is responsible for the certification and regulation of individuals that perform soil and site evaluations for onsite wastewater management systems permitting in Georgia. In 2021, Rusty was appointed to serve on the Board of Directors of the Georgia Onsite Wastewater Association (GOWA). GOWA is a non-profit professional organization that represents and serves all professions in Georgia that design, sale, install, maintain, service, repair, and regulate residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional onsite wastewater treatment systems.”
In addition to his professional activities, Rusty serves the community as a volunteer as well. He continues to be a lifelong volunteer with the Northeast Georgia Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Blairsville-Union County Chamber of Commerce for several years in the 2000's serving as the Chair of the board from 2004 to 2006. In 2003, 2004, and 2005, Rusty also served the Chamber and the local community as the founder and Program Coordinator for the first three sessions of Leadership Union, a community leadership program in coordination with the Fanning Institute for Leadership of the University of Georgia. In 2012 Rusty completed a Master's degree in Communication and Leadership from Gonzaga University and has been teaching classes in Public Speaking, Human Communication, and special topics and honors classes in Communication and Leadership at his Alma mater, Young Harris College.
Professional Certifications:
Certified Soil Classifer, Georgia Department of Public Health
Wetland Delineator Trained, U.S. Army. Corps of Engineers Certification Program
Level 1A - Certified Personnel, Erosion and Sediment Control, Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission
Professional Association Memberships:
Soil Science Society of Georgia
Georgia Onsite Wastewater Association
National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association
