January 20, 2025
WSG is excited to welcome two new staff this winter: Melissa Petrich joins WSG as the new water quality specialist, and Becky Bronstein as the new resilience fellowship specialist.
Melissa Petrich
grew up in Olalla, WA and is extremely excited to be working with South Sound community members as a water quality specialist. After working and learning in different areas of California and the Mountain West she is excited to be living and working back in the community she grew up in. She most recently worked as a water quality specialist with Pierce County and previously with Washington Department of Natural Resources where she supported Trees for Stormwater programing, collaborated with health departments on pollution prevention, worked with community members on participatory science projects and pollution prevention techniques, and collected environmental and biological data in the nearshore. She is passionate about building community resilience in regards to the climate crisis and community health, gardening with native plants, and eelgrass and kelp. She holds a BA in environmental studies from the University of San Diego and an MS in environmental science from Montana State University. In her free time she enjoys playing outside in the mountains and on the water with her family and friends. Some of her favorite activities include skiing, climbing, biking, reading sci-fi novels, and baking tasty treats.
Becky Bronstein
is excited to join WSG as the resilience fellowship specialist. In this role, Becky will collaborate and facilitate WSG’s new resilience fellowship program, developing program guidelines, fostering partnerships, and creating an inclusive environment for fellows and community hosts.
Prior to joining WSG, Becky was an Associate Director of Programs at EarthGen, a Washington state environmental education nonprofit. She created K-12 science curriculum focused on climate and environmental issues, developed and led professional learning experiences for educators, and managed the installation of new ecological restoration sites and outdoor classrooms on school campuses. Becky is passionate about climate justice and looks forward to the opportunity to advance WSG’s mission to support Washington’s coastal communities, especially those unfairly impacted by climate change and coastal hazards.
Originally from Philadelphia, Becky was a middle school science teacher and robotics coach before moving to Seattle in 2017. Becky holds a Bachelor’s degree in environmental science with minors in geography and environmental humanities from the University of Delaware, as well as a Master’s degree in education from the University of Pennsylvania. Becky is a baseball fan who especially loves the Philadelphia Phillies, enjoys boxing, is an avid birdwatcher, a paddler, and a regular beachgoer.
Welcome aboard, Melissa and Becky!
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Washington Sea Grant, based at the University of Washington, helps people and marine life thrive through research, technical expertise and education supporting the responsible use and conservation of coastal ecosystems. Washington Sea Grant is one of 34 Sea Grant programs supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in coastal and Great Lakes states that encourage the wise stewardship of our marine resources through research, education, outreach and technology transfer.
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JAN
2025