Melissa is an economist and does research and analysis for a variety of projects, with a specialty in fisheries. Melissa has nearly a decade of experience spanning marine science, policy, and economics and loves working at the nexus of all three disciplines. Prior to joining Northern Economics in 2021, she worked as an economist at the New England Fishery Management Council and as a contractor at two NOAA Fisheries Science Centers, in Washington and Massachusetts. In addition, Melissa spent a year working on the Hill as a John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellow in a U.S. senator’s office working on a variety of fisheries and oceans issues. Melissa holds a Master of Science in Marine Resource Management from Oregon State University. As a graduate student, she worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency working on a variety of applied projects.
Melissa’s answers to life’s more important questions:
Great Escape: My great(est) escape has to be the month I spent backpacking through Nepal after graduate school. I found three strangers on the internet (trekkingpartners.com, not joking) to meet me in Kathmandu for the multiweek trek around the 8th highest mountain in the world, Manaslu. The trip took me to new heights—over 17,000 feet, to be exact.
Why Northern Economics: If not evident from my three cross-country moves in three years, I love having variety in my work and challenging myself. Nowadays, it is a little harder to pack all my belongings (and family) into my Subaru so Northern Economics is the perfect place to get all of the variety without all of the moving boxes.
Idea of fun: Hiking, kayaking, camping, a selection of microbrews, sunshine, and good people— about all I need!
Biggest Ouch: Definitely when I broke my nose! It serves as a permanent reminder of the one time I didn’t cover my face when breaking the surface while surfing. It wasn’t properly set after I broke it (another good story) and was so deviated that once the swelling subsided it required reconstructive work—so I think it is my most memorable, and expensive, feature.