Steve de Kozlowski began his career in aquatic plant management in 1980 assisting with the newly formed SC Aquatic Plant Management Program with plan development and implementation. In 1985, he became head of the program and chairman of the SC Aquatic Plant Management Council, a ten member board of state agency representatives who review and approve annual aquatic plant management plans for public waters in South Carolina. He remained chairman of the Council until his retirement in 2010. During his 30 year career with the SC Department of Natural Resources he co-authored (with Cindy Aulbach) Aquatic and Wetland Plants of South Carolina, a popular plant identification publication; he was responsible for the planning and implementation of the largest sterile grass carp stocking project in North America in the Santee Cooper Lakes in 1989; he authored or co-authored several papers/presentations on the stocking of sterile grass carp in large waterbodies; he chaired the SC Invasive Species Task Force and served as chief editor of the State’s first Aquatic Invasive Species Management Plan;  he co-chaired the SC Zebra Mussel Task Force and was principle author of the SC Zebra Mussel Risk Assessment. Steve also served as state representative on the Gulf and South Atlantic Regional Panel for Aquatic Invasive Species and chaired the Aquatic Nuisance Species Committee for the Southeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.

Steve has been a member of the South Carolina Aquatic Plant Management Society since 1980 where he actively served on several committees and as an officer or director on the board for most of that time.  He served as Editor for 13 years and served as its President in 1987.  He remains chairman of the SCAPMS Scholarship Committee in retirement.  Steve joined the Aquatic Plant Management Society in 1985.  He served on several committees including the local arrangements committee for the first joint APMS/SCAPMS meeting in 1994 in Charleston. He along with the other half of the Polish contingent, Joe Zolzinski, initiated regular local chapter president meetings at the APMS Annual Meeting to discuss society issues and enhance relationships with APMS. Those meetings are now a regular part of the agenda.  He served on the APMS board for 10 years and was President in 1994-95.