AECO is pleased to welcome new staff member Melissa Nacke, who assumed the position of environmental specialist today. Melissa will manage AECO’s Clean Seas project and be involved in a range of tasks connected to AECO’s efforts to safeguard the environment. Melissa is Canadian and will be based in AECO’s main office in Tromsø.
Melissa har previously worked as a Specialist in Arctic Shipping and Marine Conservation for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) where she led projects related to safe shipping, pollution and marine protection in the Arctic. Through this work, she engaged at the local community, federal and international level and collaborated with variety of stakeholders, including industry, government, Indigenous representatives, and scientists. Her experience includes overseeing the development of a ‘Mariner’s Guide’ designed to help ships transiting Hudson Strait and the Eastern Canadian Arctic identify and avoid important ecological and cultural areas. She has been involved in the IMO’s Marine Plastic Litter Working Group and organized an international workshop to develop best operating practices for grey water management in collaboration with Ocean Conservancy. Melissa also worked as a naturalist and shore excursion leader onboard the Akademik Sergey Vavilov vessel with One Oceans Expeditions in Nunavut, Canada. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Biology and Oceanography and a Master of Science degree focused on Arctic oceanography. As part of her research, she led a three-month fieldwork expedition in Resolute, Nunavut and conducted research onboard the Canadian Coast Guard’s Amundsen vessel as well as the Norwegian Helmer Hansen research vessel while enrolled at the University Centre in Svalbard.
