What office do you work for and what is your key responsibility?
I currently serve as the Division Chief of the Interagency Cooperation Division in the Office of Protected Resources at NOAA Fisheries. My staff and I implement section 7 of the Endangered Species Act. We work with other agencies across the federal government, including NOAA, to consult on projects and programs that could impact imperiled species (e.g., corals, turtles, whales, fish). Consulting means we work with other agencies to reduce impacts to endangered and threatened species and the habitats in which they live. My division also leads national policy development to support NOAA Fisheries’ implementation of the ESA to protect, conserve, and recover endangered and threatened marine and migratory species.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in St. James, Long Island, New York. I spent my childhood roaming around woodlands near my house and the beaches along the North Shore of Long Island. What really shaped my interest in biology was spending hours watching insects in my father’s large vegetable organic garden. I became a naturalist as a child by raising butterflies and digging up ant mounds to watch the insects, much to the chagrin of my mother. While it may seem to be a simple thing, you do not need to go into wild, unexplored places to experience the wonder of nature. It's amazing how much you can learn about the world around you by just stopping and looking. I realized that at an early age—the environment is a wondrous thing, and protecting it mattered to me.
When my family moved to West Palm Beach, Florida, I focused my studies to understand the science of what I was seeing. I recall telling my high school chemistry classmates that I was going to work for the Environmental Protection Agency because I wanted to protect the environment. By the time I moved to Kansas to go to graduate school, I knew that pursuing a career in biology was what I wanted for myself. I lived in Kansas for 16 years and got a job at the Environmental Protection Agency. I worked on water quality protection, environmental reviews, and conservation of the Platte and Missouri Rivers. During that time, I went on a rotational assignment through a leadership program to the regional office in Seattle, Washington. That is where I discovered NOAA Fisheries and the rest is history, I suppose.
I was lucky enough to be hired to work at NOAA Fisheries in the Portland, Oregon office in 1998. While there I became a Branch Chief to implement section 7 of the ESA in the lower Columbia River and Oregon Coast. From there I went to the Southeast Regional Office in St. Petersburg, Florida through the NOAA’s Leadership Competencies Development Program. I assisted the Deputy Regional Administrator with the region’s efforts during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. I was hired by the Regional Office and eventually became a Branch Chief working again to implement ESA section 7, and now I am here at NOAA Fisheries Headquarters in my current position. The thread of my career is based in environmental protection, species conservation, and public service.
What is your educational background?
I got my undergraduate degree in biology at the University of South Florida and Master’s Degree in Entomology from the University of Kansas. You might ask, “How does a person who is interested in insects (and spiders for that matter) end up working on imperiled species like turtles and whales?” The answer lies in being able to think broadly about how the principles of ecology and animal behavior can apply across ecosystems, along with a lot of on-the-job training and seeking out experts in their fields to lend their expertise to project/program support.
What does Women’s History Month mean to you?
To me, Women’s History Month provides the opportunity to think about the contributions of women to our country and the importance of that work in our lives. I look at innovative and courageous scientists like Jane Goodall, Nalini Nadkarni, and Lynn Margulis who inspired me to think of a world larger than myself. And I work with so many talented women at NOAA; I am humbled on a daily basis by their contributions to NOAA’s mission.
What does being a career civil servant mean to you?
Public service is something that I have always felt strongly about. I believe that every citizen can and should do something to make our country a better place in which to live. I wanted a career to marry my desire to protect the environment, advocate for habitat and species conservation, and give back to our country. For me, becoming a civil servant supported my values and fulfilled my career goals over the past 33 years of federal government service.
What advice would you give to someone interested in a career at NOAA Fisheries?
Be creative. Think about the different ways to apply your skills—you would be surprised how skills you thought might only work in one situation are actually applicable elsewhere. During my career I’ve worked with spiders, salmon, and whales by thinking broadly and creatively.
Be resilient. I began my career at a time where there were not as many women in leadership and supervisory positions as we now have. It’s important to know yourself, be true to yourself, stand up for what you believe in, build relationships with your colleagues, and take on assignments that will stretch you as an individual.
Be willing to move across to move up. Sometimes taking a new position that is not a salary increase can still position you for future career advancement and help you build more skills to be more attractive for a promotion.
Be persistent. I began my federal government career at a regional office of the Environmental Protection Agency as part of a graduate student development program. The project I was assigned to was developing recommendations about how to identify and hire women and minority candidates for science and engineering positions in the region. Clearly this assignment was not the focus of my graduate work, but it was an exciting opportunity nonetheless. That entrée to the agency allowed me to meet and work with staff, understand the office’s culture, and be more competitive for job openings. Being open to different ways to advance your career will open up new opportunities to explore.
