Meghan Sullivan
Portland,OR
Summary
Cross-disciplinary professional with over ten years of experience leading cutting-edge Land Stewardship and Environmental Justice projects at the intersection of socio-ecological and political systems across urban and natural landscapes. Committed to advancing equity by advocating for collaborative climate resilience projects with Tribes and frontline communities, regional and municipal governments, community-based and philanthropic organizations, and academic institutions.
Overview
10
10
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Project Manager- Climate Resilience
Woodsong Associates
06.2022 - Current
- In the last year, oversaw the production of over 150 deliverables while managing cross-sectoral teams with diverse partners, stakeholders, and subcontractors across the US and internationally.
- Coordinate and build consensus among diverse stakeholders and rights-holders, including community-based organizations (CBOs), volunteer and advocacy groups, governmental agencies and departments, for-profit subcontractors, and academic institutions, for ten separate projects with a cumulative contract amount of over $1.3 million.
- Tracked over $10 million worth of procurement solicitations to identify projects aligned with the company's mission to advance equity by dismantling the racist legacies of urban planning policy.
- Spearheaded the development and implementation of all internal processes, including time tracking, employee performance, employee recruitment and onboarding, internal project coordination, communication channels, proposal management and tracking, technical documentation, and standard project workflows.
- Successfully negotiated a 25% increase in the total project budget by identifying the necessity to expand the scope to remove barriers to affordable housing for marginalized communities in a metropolitan city with over 65,000 residents.
Project Coordinator- Environmental Justice
Portland State University
10.2018 - 08.2022
- Coordinated and executed a worldwide systematic literature review of over 200 peer-reviewed articles to identify and evaluate 45 success metrics for managed retreat and community resettlement programs.
- Led the quantitative and spatial assessments to uncover associated patterns within our justice dimensions conceptual framework and five-part success typologies.
- Conducted and synthesized research on community resilience and socio-technical adaptation into literature reviews, analyzed preliminary interview data, and produced graphics for conferences, presentations, and publications.
Graduate Teaching Assistant- Environment & Society
Portland State University
08.2019 - 06.2021
- Led 120 minute in-person/virtual class lectures for classes with up to 60 undergraduate students and up to 30 graduate students.
- Became a subject matter expert in Traditional Ecological Knowledge, and Indigenous Cosmology to teach students about alternatives ways of knowing and tribal lifeways.
- Facilitated weekly class discussions on natural area stewardship, disaster risk management, and environmental justice with a focus on anti-racism practices.
- Provided specific written feedback on weekly graduate and undergraduate papers to advance critical thinking skills, and improve clarity and specificity of students' writing.
Graduate Research Assistant- Human Ecology Mapping
Portland State University
06.2020 - 01.2021
- Assisted in the conceptual framing and approach for a peer-reviewed article on Public participatory GIS (PPGIS) and Landscape Values Mapping for diverse recreational users in the Ochoco National Forest and the Deschutes National Forest.
- Researched and collected nearly 100 pieces of literature on topics such as democratizing GIS, sense of place, user values, and amenity cities; synthesized the findings into a comprehensive literature review to be used in the introduction of the proposed article.
International Outreach Coordinator
Portland State University
11.2018 - 08.2019
- Supported the Primary Investigatory as a cross-cultural communication liaison to establish connections with over 60 international multi-disciplinary partners for the City-to-City Pacific Resilience Project between Portland, Oregon; Tokyo, Japan; and Manila, Philippines.
- Synthesized scholarly research on community resilience and socio-technical adaptation into literature reviews to be included in an articles published by a prestigious scientific journal.
- Performed bivariate statistical analyses on qualitative interview data to produce striking visual communication tools to convey complex findings for use in international conferences, and keynote presentations.
Bartender
Prost
08.2021 - 06.2022
- Worked 12 - 25 hours a week in the service industry to financially support myself as a full-time master's student, graduate teaching assistant, and lab research coordinator.
Server
Edmund's Oast
02.2017 - 04.2018
- Organized the pace and flow of the restaurant to ensure an exceptional customer experience for around 300 covers every night.
- Promoted from a host to a service supervisor over two months with no previous restaurant experience
- After six months, completed specialized cicerone and sommelier training to provide knowledgeable pairing recommendations for 56 rotating draft beers and an extensive wine list at the James Beard Nominated Restaurant.
Forestry Research Field Lead (LTE)
Michigan State University
08.2016 - 12.2016
- Implemented and accurately recorded a standardized research protocol for collecting baseline forestry metrics for an interagency 20-year longitudinal hardwood silviculture regeneration study.
- Facilitated the communication between project stakeholders including County and State government agencies and the academic research team to coordinate field crew travel
- Orchestrated the travel of a six-person field crew to forestry stands across an area of over 20,000 square miles to identify 25 study sites from over 200 potential locations across the state.
- Performed timber cruising and timber marking tasks following established protocols for five silvicultural treatments that prioritized different tree species, age classes, and crown diameters for future logging activities.
Advanced Forestry Technician (LTE)
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
05.2016 - 10.2016
- Assisted in the planning, coordination, and implementation of seven different projects for the management of the State of Wisconsin's 17 million acres of publicly held forestland.
- Traveled independently, or in a crew of 2-4 people, to rural study sites across the state to monitor and assess forest composition and density before/after disturbances from human disturbances, pathogens (Oak Wilt, Bretziella fagacearum), or invasive insects (Emerald Ash Borer, Agrilus planipennis).
- Performed a full range of technical paraprofessional forestry activities including on-the-ground examination (ground truth) of remote sensing data, forestry stand assessments and timber cruising, regeneration surveys, and delineation of forest areas.
- Executed weekly data entry tasks to accurately catalog approximately 10,000 pieces of field-collected data; analyzed the data using Microsoft Excel.
Tropical Forestry Seedling Census Intern (LTE)
Luquillo LTER
01.2016 - 05.2016
- Mastered the identification of seedlings for dozens of tropical trees, lianas, and herbaceous plants to monitor the growth and regeneration of two hundred and fifty 1x1 meter sample plots at a Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) facility.
- Contributed crucial baseline species composition data for the monitoring and analysis of tropical forest regeneration after a major hurricane disturbance (Hurricane Maria) the following year.
- Accurately and efficiently entered about 4,000 pieces of field-collected data into Paradox database software to monitor the growth of understory plants in the 30-hectare reserve.
- Lived and worked on a primitive, remote field station, often in adverse weather conditions, with 20 other scientists and technicians.
AmeriCorps Crew Member (LTE)
Conservation Corps Minnesota
02.2015 - 12.2015
- Executed timber stand improvement plans to remove invasive species and increase the density of desired tree species within the Forestry Department of a regional park system, Three Rivers Park District.
- Assisted in the cultivation and planting of over 25,000 large bare-root trees and shrubs to restore native woodland habitat.
- Identified and mapped the location of invasive species using GPS units with ESRI ArcMap to assist in the management and restoration of 27,000 acres of prairies, forests, and wetlands.
- Obtained certifications in wildland firefighting, field first aid, herbicide application, and chainsaw safety.
Wetland Invasive Species Specialist (LTE)
Waterfront Restorations LLC
05.2015 - 10.2015
- Contributed to a Minnesota DNR pilot program for intensive decontamination protocols to stop the spread of Zebra Mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) at a popular recreational lake.
- Independently administered 100s of public surveys to lake visitors to gain insight into the movements of recreational boaters.
- Educated the public about the importance of preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species to protect freshwater rivers and lakes.
- While employed full-time with the Conservation Corps, worked an additional 12 hours a week as a boat inspector to gain supplementary experience in the natural resources field.
Wetland Invasive Species Technician (LTE)
EnviroScience Inc.
05.2014 - 08.2014
- Implemented a unique, innovative, nature-based solution for controlling a noxious aquatic plant, Eurasian Water Milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) found across the Midwest.
- Executed habitat assessments using GPS point surveys to evaluate and monitor the health of dozens of aquatic lake systems across Michigan, Illinois, and Ohio.
- Previously an intern in 2012, my supervisor requested that I return to assist in the coordination of a ten-person field crew to advance ecologically sustainable lake management procedures.
Survey Team Coordinator (LTE)
Galapagos Institute for the Arts and Sciences
03.2014 - 05.2014
- Assisted in the development and implementation of qualitative surveys with 15 quantitative metrics to inform future tourism scenario projections.
- Managed a team of eight local and international students to administer written/verbal surveys to a random sample of tourists visiting the Galapagos Islands.
- Solicited the participation of about 100 tourists from around the world to complete satisfaction surveys in Spanish and English over a one month period.
Education
Master of Science - Geography
Portland State University
Portland, OR06.2022
Bachelor of Science - Natural Resources Management
Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, MI12.2014
Skills
- Community Visioning Sessions
- Public Engagement Surveys
- Participatory GIS Mapping
- Land Use Policy Analysis
- Equitable Urban Planning
- Visual and Written Science Communication
- Proposal Tracking
- Project Planning and Development
- Consultant Management
- Strategic Planning
- Spatial and Data Analysis
- Process and Procedural Implementation
References
Available Upon Request
Affiliations
- Climigration Network, People and Ecosystems Work Group Member
- American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP) Member
Certification
- Project Management Foundations, LinkedIn, December 2023
- Tribal Equity Module, Climigration Network, March 2023
- Equity and Justice Curriculum, Climigration Network, October 2022
- Certified Human Subjects Researcher, CITIProgram, 2020 - 2023
- Disaster Mental Health, CONVERGE, January 2020
- Qualitative Data Analysis, Atlas.ti, January 2020
Timeline
Project Manager- Climate Resilience
Woodsong Associates
06.2022 - Current
Bartender
Prost
08.2021 - 06.2022
Graduate Research Assistant- Human Ecology Mapping
Portland State University
06.2020 - 01.2021
Graduate Teaching Assistant- Environment & Society
Portland State University
08.2019 - 06.2021
International Outreach Coordinator
Portland State University
11.2018 - 08.2019
Project Coordinator- Environmental Justice
Portland State University
10.2018 - 08.2022
Server
Edmund's Oast
02.2017 - 04.2018
Forestry Research Field Lead (LTE)
Michigan State University
08.2016 - 12.2016
Advanced Forestry Technician (LTE)
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
05.2016 - 10.2016
Tropical Forestry Seedling Census Intern (LTE)
Luquillo LTER
01.2016 - 05.2016
Wetland Invasive Species Specialist (LTE)
Waterfront Restorations LLC
05.2015 - 10.2015
AmeriCorps Crew Member (LTE)
Conservation Corps Minnesota
02.2015 - 12.2015
Wetland Invasive Species Technician (LTE)
EnviroScience Inc.
05.2014 - 08.2014
Survey Team Coordinator (LTE)
Galapagos Institute for the Arts and Sciences
03.2014 - 05.2014
Master of Science - Geography
Portland State University
Bachelor of Science - Natural Resources Management
Central Michigan University
- Project Management Foundations, LinkedIn, December 2023
- Tribal Equity Module, Climigration Network, March 2023
- Equity and Justice Curriculum, Climigration Network, October 2022
- Certified Human Subjects Researcher, CITIProgram, 2020 - 2023
- Disaster Mental Health, CONVERGE, January 2020
- Qualitative Data Analysis, Atlas.ti, January 2020
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