Monterey Chapter Leadership

Michelle Menczkowski, known as Meeshy by her close friends, grew up in Carmel and Pacific Grove. She loves to spend time at the beach reading, having picnics, jumping off the pier, and swimming laps in the ocean sans wetsuit. She is currently this chapter's treasurer but has also worked as our event coordinator and secretary, marking this her 8^th year with us. A longtime resident of the area, she teaches kindergarten in Pacific Grove at the elementary school that she and her mother both attended when they were little. Her grandparents and great grandparents also resided here. Thus, she has a long standing, deeply rooted love for this gorgeous coastal town. She recently had a full circle moment while volunteering for the SORAC team at the Monterey Bay Aquarium when a sea otter pup she helped rescue off the shore near Asilomar was finally released back into the wild after a year of rehabilitation. Her love for the ocean runs deep as does her desire to reduce her environmental impact. 

An avid scuba diver and kayaker, Erika has worked on marine conservation and environmental education initiatives in countries such as Vietnam, Cambodia, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Palau, and Iceland. While working both on and under the ocean, Erika has helped people of all ages discover and explore their unique connection with the ocean. Building stewardship through education, Erika believes together we can work to empower individuals and communities to change their practices to reduce and reverse the damage that has been done to our global ocean. Erika holds a Master's in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at University of California San Diego and Bachelor of Science in Public Relations from Northern Arizona University. She currently works as the Climate Resiliency Program Manager and the lead underwater interpretive diver for California State Parks.