Michaela grew up in the Appalachian Mountains in rural Southeastern Ohio where her love of the outdoors and conservation was sparked early in life by both the beauty and the degradation of the natural world. She earned an Associate’s degree from Hocking College and a Bachelor’s from West Virginia University, both in Wildlife and Fisheries Science.
She’s currently a graduate student at the University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources, pursuing a Master’s of Natural Resources with an emphasis in Aquatic and Fisheries Science. Her graduate work includes imperiled freshwater mussel and host fish trials that aim to add important life history knowledge to mussel conservation efforts, as well as concentrations on nonprofit management and environmental policy.
She’s been lucky to work in a wide array of environmental jobs including watershed conservation nonprofits, in academic research, and in environmental outreach/education at state agencies like the Georgia Division of Natural Resources. She’s enthusiastic about the intersection of the best available science, community engagement, and environmental policy and advocacy. In joining the NCPA Young Leaders Council, she looks forward to further exploring our national parks and forests with a new lens of helping to increase preservation, conservation, and accessibility of our shared wild spaces!