I have accepted a full-time position with the Washington State University Energy Program and am not accepting new projects at this time.

I will, however, continue to maintain this website as a portfolio of my work.

Thank you for your interest!

- Melinda

Good times at the U.S. Air Force Bake-Off
Write press materials for the Governor and energy-saving tips for state employees as part of the state-wide March to Savings program. Prepare brochures, fact sheets, web content, and technical reports about improving energy efficiency in private industry and public-sector agencies, including:
Washington Department of Natural Resources, Aquatic Resources Division, consultant
Prepare public involvement materials about the Aquatic Lands Habitat Conservation Program, including web content, fact sheets, newsletter articles, and presentations.
 
Society of Wetland Scientists, Pacific Northwest Chapter, consultant
Develop and maintain the Soil and Wetland Scientists Certification website and associated database, which provide supporting information as this bill works its way through the WA State Legislature.
 
Pacific Rim Soil and Water, Inc., consultant
Develop and maintain the Pacific Rim Soil & Water website that showcases the technical expertise of this environmental consulting firm.
 
City of Olympia, consultant
  • Neighbor Woods Program: Wrote public outreach materials, including this take-along guide, for the city's 1,000 Trees in 1 Day event in March 2008.
  • Public Works Department: Worked with City staff to edit the 900-page Water System Plan that was written by eight authors and on a firm six-week deadline. I also prepared two wellhead protection guides that provide information to help people living near watershed areas protect water quality by looking after their gardens and disposing of wastes in an environmentally friendly manner.
Washington Forest Protection Association, consultant
Radian Corporation, Sacramento CA and Bellevue WA
As the manager of Radian Sacramento's Technical Communication group, I hired and managed communication specialists and helped create our community relations team in response to public involvement laws enacted in the 1980s. When I returned from graduate school in Ireland, I worked as a technical communication consultant for Radian's Sacramento and Bellevue offices. Project work included:
 
Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, NY
Kodak was at the center of a media storm when a manufacturing chemical stored at its tank farm was detected in the groundwater under surrounding neighborhoods. Our Radian Corporation community relations team prepared videotapes and newsletters so neighbors could better understand the nature of the chemical that spilled, the environmental investigation that was planned, and cleanup scenarios that were considered. We also held one-on-one interviews to prepare homeowners for extensive in-home environmental monitoring and conducted public meetings where stakeholders could discuss their concerns with company representatives, health officials, and environmental scientists.
 
McClellan Air Force Base, Sacramento, CA
I

"Finding a Better Way" video for McClellan AFB


Audience: Pentagon and U.S. EPA officials, base neighbors
Role: I wrote the script and storyboard, and managed the talent, video shoot, and editing.
n the 1990s, this Air Force base was considered the worst hazardous waste site in the nation. Chemicals used in aircraft maintenance had migrated through the soil and into groundwater so neighbors near the base could not use their wells. As the manager of Radian's Technical Communication team, I planned many aspects of Radian's community relations response and hired and managed staff to implement our campaign. Our goal was to reestablish communication between the Air Force and people living near the base. Communication tools at the heart of our award-winning public involvement campaign included a videotape shown to base neighbors and U.S. EPA and Pentagon officials that highlighted new technologies used at the base to prevent further contamination, brochures, fact sheets, press packets, and regular public meeting to explain the cleanup work being done.

World War II-era airfield, Galena, AK
My job was to facilitate communication between Native Alaskans in Galena, a small community near the Arctic Circle, and Air Force officials in Anchorage. I worked with a community whose way of life was adversely affected by environmental contamination at a remote WWII airfield and who felt forgotten by the Air Force. After many one-on-one interviews, I compiled the community's concerns and relayed them to Air Force officials. I then prepared a public information and education plan to address those concerns and describe how the contamination would be mitigated.

Governor’s Diesel Fuel Task Force, Sacramento, CA
When California introduced its "environmentally friendly" diesel fuel in the mid-1990s, representatives from trucking, engine manufacturing and repair, petroleum manufacturing, and labor organizations threatened to sue the California Air Resources Board about the safety of this modified fuel. As the communication liaison on a team of environmental scientists from Radian, I mediated discussions among 39 political, industrial, agricultural, and consumer groups appointed to the Governor's Diesel Fuel Task Force. The Task Force studied the environmental and economic impacts of this fuel, then prepared a report for Governor Pete Wilson that defined problems users had with the fuel and identified studies needed to address these problems.

Community Awareness & Emergency Response Group, Sacramento, CA
I prepared a community relations plan to educate the public about how Sacramento area manufacturers and Department of Defense installations were taking precautions to avoid and respond to incidents of environmental contamination.
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