Charlene Felkley

Charlene’s ‘raison d’etre’ is to connect people to usable science. She brings over 15 years of diverse professional experience to the Habitat Conservation Division office. Prior to joining the NOAA Fisheries team, Charlene was the regional coordinator for the USDA Midwest Climate Hub in Ames, IA (2016-2019) working to connect agricultural producers to climate change information, tools and services throughout the region. Her previous work with NOAA is extensive: As a NOAA Commissioned Corps Officer (2008-2016), Charlene provided platforms for scientists to conduct research and delivered actionable science to decision-makers/stakeholders. She has been an operations officer and sailor on a fisheries research vessel, a climate change outreach officer in the US affiliated Pacific Islands for the NWS, a science operations officer for the National Marine Sanctuary in American Samoa, a resources specialist for NMFS and a working and Master SCUBA diver. Charlene holds a BS from the Ohio State University in Natural Resource Management and a MA in Sustainable Development from Hawaii Pacific University with a focus on Climate Change Denial and its mitigation in policy-making. She is also a returned Peace Corps Volunteer having served in Togo, West Africa from 2003-2005.