Splash has always been a group of self-professed science nerds! We love it that way! Fortunately, we’ve attracted a lot of like-minded individuals into our sphere and Dr. Melanie Okoro is no exception! Melanie says, “I’ve always been a science girl, especially focusing on the things I cannot see. So, my background is in microorganisms, biogeochemistry, and understanding how they influence everything from air, water, and soil.” Now, Melanie is working to provide opportunities for others to be “science folks” too!
Melanie has been on Splash’s Board of Trustees since the fall of 2020 and has just completed a one-year term as Board President. She’ll still serve on the Splash Board, but has handed over the presidential “reins” to Nigel Moore, who was featured in our last newsletter.
Melanie is the CEO and founder of Eco-Alpha Environmental and Engineering Services, Inc., a business based in Sacramento that she started in 2013. Melanie describes Eco-Alpha as, “a woman-owned and minority-owned firm, providing sustainable environmental and engineering solutions in the water, utilities, transportation, and real-estate industries.”
But Melanie’s connection with the environment began as a child, growing up in Alabama. Melanie remembers, “I grew up in Tuskegee, Alabama with my twin sister and my great grandmother, who was a fisherwoman. Every Saturday, she’d wake us up in the morning, very early, and take us fishing at Lake Martin. That was really my first experience with the environment and being able to catch what you eat and cook it! At the time, I didn’t realize how important those early experiences would be in shaping who I am today.”
Melanie also loves sports and often attends sporting events with family and friends. In fact, after playing on her high school basketball team, Melanie received a basketball scholarship to attend Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, NC. According to Melanie, “At college, I met my first ecology professor, Dr. Joseph Fail. He was a tough cookie, but he was an extraordinary ecologist and really got me interested in the field.” After receiving her doctorate in Marine Estuarine and Environmental Science at the University of Maryland, in Baltimore, Melanie accepted a position with the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and migrated to northern California, where she specialized in water quality and fisheries.
Much of her work with NOAA focused on the Coho salmon in the Russian River watershed and protecting the habitat and resources that are so vital to this threatened species. This experience helped spark Melanie’s passion for the protection of habitats and species, which fits perfectly with Splash’s mission. Melanie shares, “What better way to emphasize the importance of stewardship, conservation, preservation, and management of threatened and endangered species than through a curriculum-centered focus on the unique environment of vernal pools?”
When asked how she first learned about Splash, Melanie recalls, “I received a call from Mackenzie Wieser, Splash’s CEO, in 2020, telling me about what Splash does. I was immediately drawn to the mission of educating the next generation of environmental stewards and working with a team of individuals who are passionate about building programs that are impactful and reach kids during the critical middle-school stage.”
Melanie is passionate about promoting diversity in STEM fields, and she has held multiple positions in several organizations related to diversity and inclusion. “Splash’s education programs provide an opportunity to connect with kids of all backgrounds through outdoor exploration and investigation that sparks their imaginations, so they understand the importance of conservation and preservation. Perhaps that spark will ignite a passion that leads them to pursue careers in STEM-related fields.”
Melanie concludes, “One of my favorite quotes is from Baba Dioum, a Senegalese forestry engineer and conservationist, who said, ‘In the end we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught.’ I believe that Splash provides that starting point for many children and I’m proud to be a part of what Splash does!”
Melanie, we’re proud and honored to have you serving on our Board and helping to guide Splash into the future!