By Sydney MaHan, Student Correspondent
Next week, five Virginia graduate students will begin Knauss Fellowships. The Fellows will spend a year in Washington, DC, serving in executive or legislative offices.
Emily Skeehan will work as the Strategic Planning and External Affairs Coordinator for the Office of the Under Secretary at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) headquarters. Skeehan will work directly with Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, Dr. Christine Blackburn, Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary, and Ciaran Clayton, NOAA Director of Communications.
“I’m hoping to utilize my experience working with stakeholder groups on coastal resilience to assist with NOAA’s climate change adaptation planning,” says Skeehan. “This challenging position is a great opportunity to make a direct impact, expand my network, and learn from top-notch scientists such as Dr. Sullivan.”
Skeehan also expects to gain an inside view of NOAA by coordinating and attending high-level meetings between executive leadership and external stakeholders, drafting briefing papers and talking points for NOAA leadership, and tracking the progress of events and initiatives related to NOAA’s priorities for 2014-18. The three priorities are investing in observational infrastructure, building resilient communities, and evolving NOAA’s National Weather Service.
Skeehan joined Virginia Sea Grant in June 2014 as a graduate research fellow. She graduated from Middlebury College in 2006 with a BA in environmental studies and a focus in policy and is currently pursuing an MS in marine science at VIMS.
The Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship program places students with host offices in the legislative or executive branches of government in Washington, DC. Fellows learn about the national policy decisions that affect ocean, coastal, and the Great Lakes resources while getting the opportunity to contribute their knowledge to current issues facing the nation. The National Sea Grant College Program established the program in 1979.
