By Dave Fluharty
Brian Offord (1983)
By Brian Offord
I worked for the office of the Governor in the States of Hawaii and Washington, and US Territories, Northern Mariana Islands, as manager of coastal zone and marine programs in the Pacific Region, and major riverine and estuarine stems the Columbia River and Puget Sound. It has been and remains a very gratifying experience that has given me opportunities for broad involvement in a variety of disciplines. 

Strategic Planning
By Dave Fluharty
It has been more than 10 years since SMEA developed a Strategic Plan. Many changes have occurred since the last effort and SMEA is facing many challenges. Therefore, SMEA Director Nives Dolšak led faculty and staff into a planning process during Autumn 2023 and Winter 2024 with facilitation by consultants Brian Murphy and Maddie Immel from BERK Consulting, Inc., Seattle. 

By Bryce Lewis-Smith and Kurt Ellison 
As global temperatures continue to rise due to increased concentrations of greenhouse gasses, we need to rethink business-as-usual. Therefore, various sectors and industries are pulling together to determine pathways to reduce their carbon footprints. Maritime shipping, ports, and the connected supply chain play a pivotal role in tackling a globally integrated challenge. 

Commercial ships are a critical link in the global supply chain, transporting raw materials, goods, and products across oceans and driving economic growth. 

By Dave Fluharty and Leah Gerber
Purpose of this Feature: SMEA likes to recognize the contributions our graduates are making.  We’d like to feature everyone but with nearly 900 alumni that is not realistic.  Let us know when you are ready to contribute your accomplishments and failures so we can learn.
Leah Gerber graduated from SMEA in 1993.  Her Master’s Thesis was titled, Endangered Species Act Decision Making in the Face of Scientific Uncertainty: A Case Study of the Steller Sea Lion with Professor Warren Wooster as her committee supervisor.  

SMEA alumni, Olivia Zimmerman (’22) and Tanya (Eison) Pelach (’22), recently published a paper in Frontiers in Climate: “Addressing inequities and meeting needs of Indigenous communities in floodplain management” that emerged from their capstone with The Nature Conservancy.
This work examined the degree to which the Washington State Floodplains by Design (FbD) program met the needs of Washington Tribes. The research found that while FbD was meeting some needs, there were areas where it could better support Tribal communities and address inequities. 

SMEA alum, Andrew Kenefick (’23), has been appointed to the Roundtable on Plastics Committee established by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to provide as a forum for examining issues associated around national efforts to reduce plastic pollution.

The Roundtable will serve as a collaborative platform for federal agencies and cross-disciplinary experts in academia, industry, and non-governmental organizations to discuss research initiatives. 

SMEA alum and affiliate faculty member, Eric Laschever, recently published an article in the Natural Resources & Environment, a quarterly print magazine of informative articles for environmental law practitioners within the American Bar Association. The article titled, “Coastal Resiliency and the Inflation Reduction and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Acts” discusses how artificial intelligence systems will drive the future of environmental health and safety. 

By Beach Watcher Dave Fluharty
What is this? We are experimenting with ways to engage with our alumni and to inspire current students with their accomplishments. This section is a random walk through what we’ve recently observed about or heard from alumni. Please keep Graduate Program Advisor, Tiffany L. Dion up to date with your accomplishments and changes in location or employment. 

SMEA alumnus Dan Hull spent much of his career gillnetting salmon and longlining halibut in coastal waters out of Cordova, Alaska. 40 years later as he retires from fishing, Hull reflects on his career as a leader in marine resource management, bringing his experience as a commercial fisherman to serve and advise on various fishing, research and education entities in Alaska and internationally. 

In the last few years, the U.S. Federal and Washington State governments significantly focused on climate action. In addition to re-joining international climate efforts, President Biden directed U.S. agencies to incorporate the social cost of carbon in their decisions, developed ambitious renewable energy targets, and released the Ocean Climate Plan. In 2022, the U.S. Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which included significant support for energy innovation, carbon storage, and energy efficiency.