Talk with Dr. Megan McKenna, marine scientist, educator, and policy expert
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Morse B105Morse Building
426 Van Buren St
Monterey, CA 93940 View in Campus Map
Open to the Public
Talk with Dr. Megan McKenna, marine scientist, educator, and policy expert
Thursday, October 23, 2025
6:00pm to 7:30pm Pacific Time
In-person event (recorded, not livestreamed)
Morse Building, room B105
426 Van Buren Street, Monterey, CA 93940
About the Topic
TBD
About the Speaker
Dr. Megan McKenna is a marine scientist, educator, and policy expert with extensive experience working at the intersection of ocean science, conservation, and public policy. Megan earned her Ph.D. from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and began her policy career in Washington, D.C. with the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission. She later served as a lead scientist with the U.S. National Park Service, where she worked to integrate remote sensing into natural resource management. Returning to California, she continued her research supporting ocean conservation and sustainability through big data analytics and by leading and contributing to cross-sector collaborations that drive sustainable ocean solutions from local to global levels.
At the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, Megan teaches across several interdisciplinary programs, including the graduate Environmental Policy and Management program, online Master of Public Administration in Sustainability, and undergraduate California Coast and Climate Semester and the Middlebury School of the Environment. Her teaching emphasizes applied science, systems thinking, and the connection between local action and global change. In 2025, she received the Faculty Excellence Award at MIIS in recognition of her teaching.
Recommended Reading
TBD
Location: Morse Building, Room B105
The Morse Building is located at 426 Van Buren Street, Monterey, CA, 93940, on the campus of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. The Morse building usually has flags hanging from it, and is located next to the MIIS Our Green Thumb garden. B105 is located toward the back of the building on the first floor. There is a wheelchair lift in the Holland courtyard, and stairs can be avoided by circling the back of the Holland Center and back to Morse. Restrooms are located in the Holland Center. View the campus map.
Parking
Parking is available in any Middlebury Institute campus lot after 5 p.m., no parking permit required, no fee. View the campus map. (be sure to not confuse city lots with campus lots—city lots do charge a fee). Free parking is also available on the street (time limits on surrounding streets end at 6 p.m.).
About the Host
The Center for the Blue Economy is a research center at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, that provides economic and policy analysis to support the development of a robust and equitable blue economy for the 21st century. The Center uses the World Bank’s definition of the Blue Economy: the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods and jobs, and ocean ecosystem health. We must maintain ocean health to maintain human health, economic health, and the health of the planet. Climate change is linked, inextricably, to a healthy ocean. Consider joining our movement for Ocean Climate Action Now. Consider joining our Center for the Blue Economy Newsletter List (3-4x per year by email).
Gratitude to Our Sponsors
We thank the Loker Hicks Foundation and the Nancy Eccles and Homer M. Hayward Family Foundation our sponsors.
Questions
Contact Rachel Christopherson at the Center for the Blue Economy at cbe@miis.edu or (831) 647-4183.