Melanie Harrison Okoro Explained

Melanie Harrison Okoro
Birth Name:	Melanie Denise Harrison
Birth Place:	Cocoa Beach, Florida, U.S.
Fields:	Environmental science

Melanie Harrison Okoro (born 1982) is an American marine estuarine and environmental scientist. She is the founder, CEO, and principal of Eco-Alpha Environmental & Engineering Services. Okoro focuses on environmental aquatic biogeochemistry, professional natural resource management, and STEM diversity initiatives.^[1] She is early-career scientist to serve on the Council of the American Geophysical Union (AGU).^[2]

Early life and education

Melanie Harrison Okoro was born in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Her family moved to Tuskegee, Alabama, where she grew up.^[3] Okoro first discovered her interest in environmental science through swimming and fishing with her great-grandmother and twin sister in Lake Martin, Alabama.^[4] She attended Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina on a basketball scholarship. Okoro graduated in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology, and finished her education when she received her Doctor of Philosophy degree in Marine Estuarine and Environmental Science from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in 2011.^[5]

Career and research

Okoro is CEO of Eco-Alpha Environmental and Engineering Services, Inc and its partner companies.^[6]

Before founding Eco-Alpha, Okoro worked for the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. Okoro specializes in marine estuaries. Her areas of research and policy expertise include environmental aquatic biogeochemistry, professional natural resource management, and STEM diversity initiatives.^[7]

Okoro was featured by Grist Magazine as one of 8 black leaders who are reshaping the climate movement in 2017. ^[8]

Public engagement

Okoro has promoted diversity in STEM fields, and held positions in organizations related to diversity and inclusion. She served on the council of the American Geophysical Union as an early career scientist^[9] and was the Diversity & Inclusion task-force chair. She was a member of the Earth Science Women's Network's Leadership Board,^[10] and a member of Minorities Striving and Pursuing Higher Degrees of Success in Earth and Space Science's leadership board. Okoro is on the board of trustees of Sacramento Splash.^[11] Okoro is an appointed representative for the Sacramento Black Chamber of Commerce on the High Speed Rail Business Advisory Council.

Awards and honors

• 2008-2009 Cary Institute of Ecosystems Studies Graduate Fellow^[12]
• 2011 Invited session speaker, Society for Advancing Chicano and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS)^[12]
• 2012 Invited session speaker, Society of Freshwater Science^[12]
• 2016 Baltimore Ecosystem Studies Distinguished Alumni Award
• 2017 Fisheries Employee of the Year Award, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration^[13]
• 2020 High Speed Rail Small Business Partner Spotlight
• 2021 National Educator's Virtual Conference keynote speaker, JASON learning^[14]
• 2022 40 Under 40, Comstock's Magazine
• 2023 GRIT-X featured speaker, University of Maryland Baltimore County^[15]

Selected publications

• 10.1111/jawr.12193 . Hydrologic Controls on Nitrogen and Phosphorous [''sic''] Dynamics in Relict Oxbow Wetlands Adjacent to an Urban Restored Stream . Jawra Journal of the American Water Resources Association . 50 . 6 . 1365–1382 . 2014 . Harrison . Melanie D. . Miller . Andrew J. . Groffman . Peter M. . Mayer . Paul M. . Kaushal . Sujay S.. 129911392 .
• 10.1007/s10533-012-9708-1 . Nitrate removal in two relict oxbow urban wetlands: A 15N mass-balance approach . Biogeochemistry . 111 . 1–3 . 647–660 . 2012 . Harrison . Melanie D. . Groffman . Peter M. . Mayer . Paul M. . Kaushal . Sujay S. . 2012AGUFM.B43H0532H . 98668753.
• 10.1016/j.ecoleng.2011.09.001. Microbial biomass and activity in geomorphic features in forested and urban restored and degraded streams. Ecological Engineering. 38. 1–10. 2012. Harrison. Melanie D.. Groffman. Peter M.. Mayer. Paul M.. Kaushal. Sujay S..
• 10.1016/j.landusepol.2011.08.007. Smart growth and the septic tank: Wastewater treatment and growth management in the Baltimore region. Land Use Policy. 29. 3. 483–492. 2012. Harrison. Melanie. Stanwyck. Elizabeth. Beckingham. Barbara. Starry. Olyssa. Hanlon. Bernadette. Newcomer. Justin.
• 10.2134/jeq2010.0335. 21520770. Denitrification in Alluvial Wetlands in an Urban Landscape. Journal of Environmental Quality. 40. 2. 634–646. 2011. Harrison. Melanie D.. Groffman. Peter M.. Mayer. Paul M.. Kaushal. Sujay S.. Newcomer. Tamara A.. 2011JEnvQ..40..634H. free.
• Johnson . Ashanti . Harrison . Melanie . March–April 2015 . The Increasing Problem of Nutrient Runoff on the Coast . subscription . American Scientist . 103 . 2 . . ProQuest.

External links

• Oct 14, 2023 . 2023 Guest Speaker UMBC GRIT-X "Global. Research. Innovation. Trends." Melanie H Okoro, Disruptive Thinking - A bold business strategy to change how we lead, innovate, and transform companies in the 21st century . UMBCtube . October 20, 2023 . YouTube.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Charting a New Course: Melanie Harrison Okoro . Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute . 2024-08-12.
2. Web site: November 11, 2023 . American Geophysical Union Annual Report 2013 . American Geophysical Union. 39.
3. Web site: Melanie Harrison Okoro, PhD - Water Quality Specialist, NOAA in the National Marine Fisheries Service . 2024-02-22 . www.onlineeducation.com . en-US.
4. Web site: Harrison . Melanie . Fisherwoman . KQED . 2014-02-14 . 2024-08-12.
5. Web site: Melanie Harrison Okoro, PhD - Water Quality Specialist, NOAA in the National Marine Fisheries Service . 2024-02-22 . www.onlineeducation.com . en-US.
6. Web site: About Us - Eco-Alpha, Environmental and Engineering Services . 2023-10-31 . eco-alpha.com . en.
7. Web site: Melanie Harrison Okoro. 2024-02-22 . American Scientist . en.
8. Web site: Meet 8 black leaders who are reshaping the climate movement. 2024-02-22 . American Scientist . en.
9. Web site: Melanie Okoro . Sacramento Black Chamber of Commerce . 2024-07-10.
10. Web site: ESWN Welcomes New Leadership Board Members. 4 October 2016. Schmit. Colleen. Earth Science Women's Network. 27 February 2019.
11. Web site: Staff and Board of Trustees Archive . 2023-10-28 . Splash . en-US.
12. Web site: Melanie Harrison Okoro . American Geophysical Union . 2019-12-23 . 2024-08-12.
13. Web site: Dr. Melanie Okoro receives 2017 NOAA Fisheries Award . Earth Science Women's Network. 2018-07-03 . 2024-08-12.
14. Web site: 2021 National Educators' Virtual Conference . JASON Learning . 2021-07-15 . 2024-08-12.
15. Web site: Fraser . Adriana . GRIT-X 2023 Explores Wide Range Of UMBC's Research And Creative Achievement Around Campus And Beyond . University of Maryland Baltimore County . 2023-11-07 . 2024-08-12.