Melissa Ocana
Climate Adaptation Coordinator & Extension Educator
Primary Interests
Melissa coordinates partnerships and builds capacity for climate adaptation with natural resources conservation in mind. Her interests include climate adaptation networks and collaboratives, peer-to-peer learning, ecosystem resilience/transformation and wildlife conservation. Current network-building projects include coordinating the Massachusetts Ecosystem Climate Adaptation Network (Mass ECAN) and affiliated expert work groups, and founding the American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP) Network of Networks Group. Melissa also engages in national climate efforts, such as the Climate Adaptation Fund Advisory Council and National Adaptation Forum Steering Committee. Before moving to Massachusetts, Melissa built capacity among NJ’s non-profit conservation community through trainings and a small grants program at Stony Brook- Millstone Watershed Association. Previously, she was Assistant to the Climate Change Policy Advisor at the US Fish & Wildlife Service, where she worked on the National Fish, Wildlife, and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy through a Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Fellowship. She also worked on natural resource policy as a fellow in the House of Representatives. Melissa has a MS in Wildlife Science from Oregon State University, where she studied sea turtle nesting and community use of eggs in Mexico.