Erin Meyer

Erin Meyer was born in the Pacific Northwest, and after traveling around the country and the world, found her way back home in 2018, becoming the Seattle Aquarium’s Director of Conservation Programs and Partnerships. Erin brings over a decade of experience in conservation and management to the aquarium where she directs the on-the-ground conservation programming across three focal areas: science, policy, and sustainability. She is also working to help define and promote an emerging ocean ethic in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

Erin has weathered many storms in the pursuit of knowledge, partnerships, science-informed policy and lasting results. She has led large, collaborative teams across a variety of disciplines, bringing together indigenous peoples, fishermen, farmers, scientists, NGOs and government agencies in pursuit of healthy, productive ecosystems. Erin’s professional career in marine policy, conservation, and education began in Washington. She worked as a restoration technician and educator for Sound Salmon Solutions–a non-profit focused on advancing science-based salmon management policies and restoration activities–and as an educator for the Marine Science Afloat Program run by Pacific Marine Research.

Erin earned her Ph.D. in integrative biology from the University of California Berkeley. Her doctoral research focused on ecology, conservation, and management of coastal fisheries in the wider Caribbean. She has also conducted research on kelp forest ecosystems at the University of Alaska Southeast, coral and seagrass ecosystems at the Bermuda Institute for Ocean Sciences, and bivalve biodiversity and ecology at Burapha University in Thailand. A passionate educator and mentor, Erin has taught, and developed curriculum for, lab- and field-based courses in Conservation Biology, Invertebrate Zoology, Marine Biology, and Oceanography.

Prior to starting her current position at the Seattle Aquarium, Erin served as a senior scientist and senior program manager at the California Ocean Science Trust, where she managed the marine protected area (MPA) program and directed an interdisciplinary team focused on monitoring and evaluating ocean health. She also holds two Bachelor of Science degrees from Rutgers University, in biological oceanography and conservation ecology. Erin serves on the steering committee for the Aquarium Conservation Partnership (ACP), ACP Policy Committee, and Orca-Salmon Alliance.