50 Years of SMEA
SMEA – 50 Years and Still Going Strong
By: Dave Fluharty
SMEA celebrated the 50th Anniversary of its founding May 19-20, 2023. We wish all alumni could have joined us and look forward to future opportunities to connect. The 50th Anniversary celebration was an amazing event that exceeded expectations. Alumni were reunited, connected with old SMEA faculty, got acquainted with new SMEA faculty, and made new alumni friends.
On May 19, alumni joined current students and faculty to cheer on the 2023 graduates making their traditional Spring Quarter graduation presentations. These impressive and intellectually stimulating sessions were followed by a catered reception to congratulate the 2023 SMEA graduates.
0n May 20, the doors for the main celebration opened at 1:30. The noise level grew along with the crowd. At 2:00 PM Director Nives Dolšak convened the symposium and welcomed all the guests. College of the Environment Dean Maya Tolstoy congratulated SMEA on its long-term contributions to the University of Washington and wished us well in the future. I was honored to give a brief presentation of the history of SMEA.
Those in attendance were regaled by six of the 880+ SMEA graduates who related their career experience spanning the major academic themes of SMEA past and present and alerted us all to coming challenges in their fields of expertise.
| Ocean Energy | Simon Geerlofs (2005) Senior Advisor, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Coastal Research Lab |
| Fisheries | Jennifer Quan (2000) Regional Administrator, NOAA Fisheries, West Coast Region |
| Climate Change | Bobback Talebi (2015) Coastal/Shorelands Section Manager, Washington Department of Ecology |
| Protected Areas/Restoration | Cristen Don (2002) Swell Consulting |
| Public Engagement/Environmental Justice | Tanya Eison-Pelach, Executive Assistant and Board Liaison, Washington Conservation Action |
| Marine Transportation and Tourism | Alex Adams, Senior Manager, Environmental Programs Maritime Environment and Sustainability, Port of Seattle |
Panelists were asked to comment on their interdisciplinary education, the emerging trends and challenges in the theme they addressed and how SMEA can innovate to maintain leadership in the study of marine and environmental affairs.
Upon the conclusion of the symposium, those assembled moved to a scrumptious reception overlooking Portage Bay. Toasts were made, memories were shared and a great time was had by all.
Personally, as the earliest (November 1976) member of the SMEA faculty attending the 50th Anniversary Event, it was extremely gratifying to remember all of the students at the start of their careers and to reflect on the ways our graduates have made significant contributions to the formation and implementation of marine and environmental policies at tribal, local, state, national and international levels. I look forward to the continued success of you, our graduates, in your many roles and encourage each and every one to stay in touch with SMEA through visits, newsletters, monitoring of the SMEA website and generous response to requests for financial support for students.
Thanks and kudos for planning and implementation to all faculty, students and staff at SMEA, especially Michaela Miller and Ulla Johnson, and the Advancement Team led by Kathleen Phan.
